New to sight, from US

[CharloS]

Hi Im from the States(Florida resident) I found this place googling for info. Sometimes can get better info listening to others issues and similar problems. I have recently been dealing with this uncontrolled asthma since around Aug 2017. At that time I got Bronchitis which brought out the asthma. I pretty much healed up with lots of effort and antibiotics. I never fully got rid of the cough though. It was slight but it was still there. In January it came back full force and hasnt gone away since. Went to urgent care in January then back again 1 month later. The Dr then prescribed a short term high dose Prednisone burst treatment 60mg for 10 days. It was the only time I felt great. All symptoms went away but after that it slowy came back almost worse than before. Ive been seeing an Asthma/Allergy specialist. Allergy tests showed a variety of allergies to dust mites, tree pollen's, grasses, dogs, cockroaches. I've been prescribed singulair (Montelukast), Symbicort 160/4.5 (2puffs 2xday), claritan, omeprazol (I have Gerds)

I had 1st bout of asthma in 1999. Got a bad lung infection and was the first time I was diagnosed as asthmatic. I had no idea what it was. Once it was cleared up i never had anymore problems and it was very rare to ever need inhalers. Now this. I am 53 years old. I am overweight but not completely inactive. I recently have lost my appetite and am losing weight fast. Im not sure this is from Symbicort? Im scheduled to see a Pulmonologist soon and a GI Dr.

I had lots of blood tests, and showed very high CRT, high IGE, and positive enzymes for H Pylori. All the rest of my blood work seemed normal. Showed possible active enzymes for Epstein Bar(at least have been infected at some point in my life)

All these meds and i feel like I'm still getting progressively worse. My voice comes and goes and I have a lot of phlegm, constantly clearing my throat. Still using Ventolin few times a day. I sleep in a reclining chair or use a wedge pillow and helps barely as I still cough a lot worse at night. I never eat late. I drink lots of water and I take probiotics and vitamins.

Thats my story so far....any advice appreciated. I keep reading

[Amanda0906]

Hi there. I am also from the US. Your story seems very similar to mine. I have been battling bronchitis and pneumonia for the past couple years. Just as you I would feel better for a week or two and it would come right back. It finally got way out of control I couldn't literally walk more than maybe 15 steps without stopping and resting for maybe 20 minutes. Called up my doctor he told me to come in so he could get a pulse ox reading while I was walking. I made it from the parking lot to the main door and just had to sit down right where I was. Anyways they had to get a wheelchair and after I rested I got up and walked for maybe 10 steps. Strange thing was my O2 was 97% until I sit down and within 30 seconds it dropped to 80%! It was a horrible feeling and I thought I was gonna faint. My doctor immediately yelled at his nurse to call an ambulance. It wasn't until my third neb treatment my O2 finally got up to 90%! I got admitted and they did several test on me. The blood test showed a high IGE. I seen the pulmonologist yesterday and he said he is 99% sure I have Eosinophilic asthma. I will go next with for a bronchoscopy and he will take a fluid sample to be sure. I'm not trying to say that's what you have because I am no expert but we do have a lot of similarities. The doctor told me its very rare that people get asthma in adulthood and never had it as a child. He said that's one of the signs for this condition. Another sign is feeling better after taking Prednisone for only a few weeks and then it comes back. I do get tired a lot but haven't really lost my appetite or lost weight. Just thought maybe you'd like to Google this and see what it's about. Hope you get whatever it is you have diagnosed and taken care of. Hope you get to feeling better as well. 😊

[CharloS in reply to Amanda0906]

Thanks for your reply Amanda. Wouldnt a blood test show that type of Asthma with high Eosinophils? Ive always thought Asthma in adulthood suddenly would be rare too but there seems to be plenty of people on this sight that have gotten it like that. Ive always had allergies so I find it weird that all of a sudden it does this, but Ive been told this season was one of the worst. I get out of breath some with exercise or walking but nothing like you described. my O2 has always been ok 97/98 but never was tested while moving around. My peak flow tested low though, around 300 but when doing better I can get it to 450. It seems probably a lot of people are misdiagnosed since their are so many things that mimic asthma and are variances of causes. I did have bronchitis quite a lot as a child my mother said. It seems that my lungs then are weaker than the average person and maybe I have some scarring. Will be interested to find out. How are you faring now? What is your treatment?

[strongmouse in reply to CharloS]

Have you been able to cut down your exposure to known allergens? If not then your airways may be constantly irritated and inflammed from dealing with them. The medication deals with the reaction to allergens once they are in your body but I think cutting down the mechanical exposure would help.

Get rid of anything which harbours dust mite, use anti dust mite bedding, possibly airfilter - at least in the bedroom. Use a hepa vaccuum cleaner in the house. There is a lot of information about dustmite allergies on the internet and it doesn't have to be expensive but takes time and effort to work out. In my experience of allergies for many years (inhalant, topical and food) cutting down the load helps enormously and enables medication to work more effectively. I have no experience of eosonophilic asthma.

Treating the helicobacter is important to as acid reflux from the stomach can aggravate asthma and cause your voice problems along with mucus from nasal rhinitis. Are you on treatment for this? Both dust mite allergy (bedding, pillows any fabric, are known harbours of dust mite no matter how much you clean them - there needs to be an effective antidust mite barrier) and acid reflux (from stomach) will make coughing at night worse.

Hope you find a treatment plan that helps.

[CharloS in reply to strongmouse]

Thanks, Ive got my mattress and pillows covered with protectors. I need to get a good air cleaner. Its on my list to do. Still waiting to see GI doctor and go from there on treating those issues. Ive been on the meds almost a month. I dont see much improvement really. The pollen counts are low now so I should be improving. Its odd. I feel like my stomach has gotten worse. I sleep with a wedge and am not eating much at all anymore but jello and smoothies. I appreciate all your advice and will keep you updated how it goes

[strongmouse in reply to CharloS]

You have made some useful changes and I know from experience it takes time to put them all in place and to work out what helps.

With regard to your diet I would suggest you might try avoiding too much sugar. It can aggravate the gut bacteria and cause imbalance. You could try live yoghurt. I find that helps if I take it on a regular basis. Not a cure but helps to manage overall symptoms and widen what I can eat. Some people suggest cuttung out certain foods for a week and reintroducing them to see if they cause an allergic reaction - have antihistmines ready in case it does. (Not recommended for severe food allergies). Hope it isn't too long before you see specialist.