Detecting a tight chest and where you feel it

[Snowdrop27]

After another trip to A &E on Thursday night when the doctor check me over listening to my chest she found that the top left side was tight. I didn't know that a doctor could detect that. She did ask if I could feel that I said no . I think that she was a bit puzzle that I couldn't. My chest always feels tight in the middle of my chest right in the centre. That's where it feels tight and after where my chest feels sore as my best description is being kicked in the chest by a large mule. (no offence intended but that is stop on how I feel).

Last night was the same time and this is how my asthma felt at the beginning when I had a first asthma attack. I found that out that as your lungs don't have muscles then they compensate to help your lungs to breathe.

Thoughts please folks

[M-D-F]

Thanks for being brief this time.

Why did you go to A&E and what was the eventual outcome. Have you considered that you are panicking and that is exasperating you actual asthma.

[Snowdrop27 in reply to M-D-F]

I don't believe I am panicking my asthma is being set off by my husband sanding, painting with matt and gloss paint in the kitchen and dinning. I thought I would be okay. He has tried to be as careful as possible. Keeping the doors shut and vacuuming. Now sitting in my bedroom with my new air purifier. Hoping for a better night tonight.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Snowdrop27]

Paint is horribly potent. I hope that's done for a while but i think next time you may need to be out of the house for the whole thing. I have tried to tough it out but it doesn't take very long at all for my asthma to really complain!

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

I suspect what she meant was that you perhaps had less air movement there. I often have that during an attack, rarely wheeze. I may get a tight chest feeling too but like yours, mine is more central in feeling and never seems to match up to where they can hear reduced air movement! Unless it is reduced throughout but sometimes there are patches with good and patches with reduced air entry, or ok at top but not bottom.

Good for the dr for picking that up, it requires some attention and knowledge so drs whonare obsessed with wheeze may not notice it.

I also use muscles etc to compensate. I won't.always notice at the time but afterwards can feel sore. A good doctor will make note of your work of breathing along with everything else. I should add that in my case all of the above is very much due to asthma. I am far too used to all of this to panic and have to.say your tight chest experiences sound similar to mine. (I admit to getting rather gloomy and emotional on high doses of hydrocortisone).

I hope whatever treatment they gave you helped and you are feeling better. It does seem your asthma is very unsettled at the moment.

[Snowdrop27]

Thank you for your explanation. All the doctors I know will listen to my chest as per protocol but I don't wheeze expect when I had a cold go to my chest. I do say I don't usually wheeze but I not sure that I am heard. Also peak flow stays rock steady too . That really puzzles nurses and doctors. Asthma UK nurses think it's because my upper airways are reacting. How do you make yourself heard?

So that's what that means reduced air movement hats off to this doctor and she also check my ventolin and prednisolone was in date. I just got some more of that so all good.

Thanks for describing your tight chest I was beginning to think I was the only one! ?

I am not one to panic I have been told I make a good first aider (I am a brownie leader) and have treated myself the first time I had an asthma attack calmly. I am more likely to talk myself out of going to A &East only to go and be vindicated by the doctor I have done the right thing. Never at your convenience is it always lately evening.

Thanks for the reassurance that really helped me. I hope that tonight is better all round sleep is off the menu once again and crankness is trying to creep in. Just so tired of it all. A month of downs and not many ups. My faith and prayers of my friends keeping me strong. Still whizzing around doing food shopping spend the afternoon resting. Church tomorrow with my fabulous friends.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Snowdrop27]

Ahh you do sound like me! My peak flow doesn't do much either and they still like to use it even after I explain. It drops but not as much as you would expect for the attack level. I will say I don't wheeze but it depends on the dr as to whether they take that on board. One time they were wonderful as I told one nurse and one dr and they passed it on to everyone and made sure everyone assessing me knew.

It is very hard to make yourself heard when you can't talk well. I have to say your local A and E sound mostly excellent from what you say here. I have had more varied experiences so I prepared a printed summary of how I present, my medications and history of asthma. This will include things like my best peak flow, not dropping peak flow and no wheeze. I also put on it what I hsve done at home before going in (I leave a space to handwrite that at the last min and otherwise try to keep a copy ready to go and another one for when they steal it in A and E. If I get admitted the other drs like it too. Everyone usually loves it!)

Hope you get some rest and feel better but also enjoy seing friends tomorrow.

[Robin77 in reply to Lysistrata]

That's a very useful suggestion. I should do something like that.

[Snowdrop27]

I alway try to gather my thoughts together before going to A &E not easy when it's late. You have inspired me to write my own 101 on my asthma.

You don't realise what you have in terms of good doctors until someone else points it out to you.

That doctor had unknowingly been observing me that night and I thought I had been forgotten about. I sat there or lay there in the end waiting for someone or something to happen.

Then as I said I was examined by that excellent doctor. Drat that I didn't get her name.. Will complement her to my local hospital on their Facebook page. Nurse was called Juan who triage me.

Once I got over the surprise of not having bloods taken and being let go without further treatment the question like the one I stated at the beginning started to form in my head.

Happy to have another piece of the puzzle found and put together to form a better piece of my asthma story.

Thank you.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Snowdrop27]

Oh you weren't treated? I was thinking this dr sounded good but I feel what you describe shouldn't have been ignored. Did this dr say anything about treatment besides more pred?

[Snowdrop27 in reply to Lysistrata]

I was throughly looked after I had already taken the prednisolone that night at home and hour and a half before going to A &E. No other treatment suggested unless my peak flow drops to 350. Did say that peak flow doesn't drop expect for cold this year or possible infection. I did also mention I was under a consultant waiting for appointment. Pushing that door Monday via my consultant medical secretary. I have just had a thought today that I could push it through the respiratory hot clinic. This means that if a GP refers me I will get anaappointment the next day.

The air purifier I bought yesterday is helping I didn't have any symptoms last night. Even though I was up and down last night due to prednisolone.

Today giving myself regular ventolin to keep my chest quite and comfortable.

Could have not gone to church today but so glad I did. I got so blessed with the fellowship of my church. One of my friends gave me some money to get more allergy bedding. Mattress cover and pillow cases.

Taking it slowly the rest of the day. Happy and blessed Sunday to you all.