I'm new to the forum and found this site through a link provided by my employers Wellbeing site. I'm currently 46 years old and was diagnosed with Asthma at the age of 35 after having pneumonia, recurring chest infections and numerous appointments with a chest specialist. I have found over the last 2 years I have developed rhinitis also and the Summer months can be a bit of a challenge with breathlessness and blocked nose. I have always been an active person from childhood right through to adulthood, but have found the symptoms at times do have an impact on just going out for a walk even though I'm taking my turbohaler as directed.
I'd be interest to hear from any other women that have also found themselves labelled with Asthma from the age of 30/40's as I find it very odd to not have suffered as a child and all of a sudden have it from my mid 30's.
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BurgeW
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Welcome to the forum. Sorry to hear about your recent diagnosis. in adulthood, it affects more women than men.
This may be at least partly down to female hormones. There's a bit more information here bit.ly/2HZ631L
I'm sure lots of people here will be able to share their story with you, if you would like any advice or support from Asthma UK nurse, do contact them on 0300 222 5800 or via WhatsApp chat on 07378606728 (M-F, 9-5) they'll be able to talk through inhaler technique with you and answer questions you might have.
I was 28 when I was diagnosed with allergic Asthma. At that time the only difficulty I had was a chronic cough after a virus which lasted 3 months. I now have mixed Asthma and restrictive lung disease. As a non smoker, this really annoys me. However, smoking was very common among men and women when I was a child. There was always some one smoking in our house including my father with his roll ups. My two siblings also have late onset asthma. I blame these hypersensitive airways on passive smoking.
That’s interesting, if you have been diagnosed with restrictive lung disease, I suggest you ask for a referal to an orthopaedic doctor specialising in scoliosis. Sometimes symptoms can be mistaken for asthma.
That’s so funny that you said that. I just saw the pulmonologist today and finally got the results of my cat scan. He said he thinks I have mild asthma and scoliosis and a fracture in my chest is compressing my lungs which are otherwise healthy. He said the only thing I can do is major surgery which he wouldn’t recommend. He said his other patients just deal with it for the rest of their lives.
You don’t have to “deal with it”. A good physiotherapist will keep your lungs and vertebrae mobile. You have a chronic condition which will only get worse as you age. Ask your doctor for a physio referal and go online and learn some breathing techniques to start now, getting air down to the base of your lungs is vital but you have two structural defects to “deal with” and if you want to avoid surgery now or later and save the health service a fortune, look out a good physiotherapist now.
I also developed it when I was just over 30 it also coincided with a move to the country and hay fever started at the same time. They said that it had probably lain dormant from a childhood spent in the smog of London and that the hay fever may have set it off. The strange thing is that we have moved to another part of the UK for my husband's health and my asthma is so much better even though we still live in a very rural area.
I moved from London to Northamptonshire and within 3 months developed asthma, although they blame hay fever this was in February. 8 years ago we moved to Somerset, 10 miles from the coast and have been so much better, cannot remember the last time I used my ventolin
I’ve been diagnosed with Asthma too in my early 40s. My main problem was a recurrent feeling of a tight chest/annoying cough as if trying to clear chest. My energy levels would go low, instead of running up the stairs it was a slow plod! It always made my mood drop too. I got worse when I got a virus. I was on the brown inhaler but it didn’t really help, and the blue one didn’t do anything for me either. I’ve just had a review and am now on Fostair Nexthaler and I feel great. I wish I had complained earlier. Worth getting a review if you feel your inhalers aren’t helping.
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