Re-diagnosed with asthma, but feels different (or at least not familiar)

[RonniBing]

Hi all.

I write to you because I’m frustrered and scared, so I hope you can provide some advice!

I have experiencing SOB for a period of more than one year (varies in intensity), and feels like my lungs does not provide enough oxygen and it requires extra effort to breath. At the same time my acute medicine does not give me the relief as it should.

Consequently, I was sent to a specialist, who send me to an high resolution CT and a detailed lung investigation (breathing in a box, measuring gas flow etc.)

The conclusion was asthma!

I’m frustrated because this does not feel like asthma. I have had asthma since I was child, and now I’m 36, so I know how this feels.

My lung function test are approximately the same as they have been for 10-15 years. I’ll take my medicine as described by doctors.

Have any of you felt something similar? Any advice for what I should do?

Best regards Ronni

[Minushabens]

Hi there

The way each of us experiences asthma is different, & it can & does change over time. If you've had a wide-ranging set of checks as you describe then probably you have just experienced a deterioration, or maybe are being exposed to a trigger. It's hard to say really.

At this stage, I think the advice would be to listen carefully to the docs & try to see if you can understand from them what is happening to you. You might find that modifications to your medicine & maybe some minor lifestyle changes (if you can work out the triggers) could move you forward. Even the weather getting warmer might help.

I'm sure others will have advice as well - I hope you soon feel better & I'm sure you will.

[RonniBing in reply to Minushabens]

Thank you for your response and encouraging words!

I’m doing my best to follow the docs advice, and accept their conclusions - which can be hard for a person who knows better than the docs 😁😁

[Bdawn in reply to Minushabens]

My asthma has changed too. When I was younger I would have the occasional mild attack that would easily be brought under control with a puff or two of ventolin and I actually went many years with no attacks or symptoms at all. It suddenly came back about 2yrs ago and it's so much worse now. At first I was just using ventolin for relief and then that stopped be effective on its own. I have to use a steroid inhaler everyday now and if I don't then I have constant shortness of breath and wheezing.

[Spikedog66]

Could you be having panic attacks because you are frightened and scared its understandable when you panic because air isn't getting into your lungs and medication doesn't help. Have a look online re panic attacks and see if you tick any boxes its worth a shot and breathing/ coping exercises may help. Won't harm. Hope you feel better soon you are just young and shouldn't be scared.😊

[RonniBing in reply to Spikedog66]

There is absolutely some anxiety involved, but not panic. And also the breathing difficulties are more or less constant, and therefore conflict with panic being the cause.

However, I’ll not deny the mind and body correlation 😊

[Spikedog66]

You know your body best and what is happening to you. Was just a thought. Hope you get sorted soon. 😊

[RonniBing]

I tried to search around, and by replacing “stiff lungs” with “chest tightness” in the search phrase, I’ll actually found a thread with some people with similar stories as mine.

Funny enough, the advices in the old threat are actually similar to what you guys mentioned in here - and some of the advice given there, were based on own experiences 👍🏻

I’ll guess I have to look more into how anxiety/stress affect the body, and find a way to work with myself in that manner. I do have some anxiety issues and at times a very stressful job.

And also do some lifestyle changes, that I actually have been aiming to do for a long time now - even though I consider myself “normally healthy”.

[Gareth57]

Hi, I know exactly what you mean, I was asthmatic as a child, typical symptoms, wheezing after exercise, laid up for weeks wheezing/ unable to speak, then it gradually stopped. About 40 years later I went to the docs with a persistent cough, and was told it was asthma. I still do not wheeze, suddenly reacted to ibuprofen etc and can now exercise without too much of a problem.

It is an odd condition/illness at times, just don’t let it get in control of you 😁

[RonniBing in reply to Gareth57]

Living with the illness for so long, and you should think you know it - but I guess not 😊

Thanks for your input👍😊

[Hidden in reply to RonniBing]

Asthma diagnosed for the first time in my mid fifties. Constant cough but no wheezing. Took a while for the medics to join the dots and quite by chance, friends told me to ask for lung function test. Bingo! Asthma.

1960s, My mum had the same symptoms and was told to drink a good make of diluting orange when she felt breathless. No inhaler given.

[RonniBing in reply to Hidden]

Luckily the treatment options and medical technologies changed over time 😊

In my case, I was diagnosed with asthma as child, but have experienced a change in symptoms for the worse.

[digg]

What does SOB mean? i am new to all this asthma forum and learning all the time, can some one enlighten me.

[RonniBing in reply to digg]

Shortness of breath 😊 which for me feels like not getting enough oxygen, and need more effort to breath - both in rest and during exercise.

[digg in reply to RonniBing]

RonniBing.

DOH! Sorry no sooner that i sent my question i realised what SOB stood for.

Thank you for replying.

Take Care

Regards

Digg.

[Coastwalker]

Low iron blood levels can cause breathlessness.

Low iron = low oxygen = breathlessness.

Husband had breathlessness and Doctor wrongly doubled his asthma inhaler thinking it was asthma, Hubby said his breathlessness felt different to asthma.

We later did our own online blood tests at home which concluded his iron level was low, so he supplemented and next day his 2 years of breathlessness went.

Also taking high dose vitamin D3 helped turn his asthma around.

[RonniBing in reply to Coastwalker]

Very interesting - and glad to hear it helped so much.