Good peak flow tight chest

[dasega]

Hello I am new here,

I have got asthma since I remember but recently got much worse.

My chest is tight especially in the morning, I am waking up around 4-5 a.m. and can't sleep. Usually symptoms gets slightly better when I get up but persist during the day ( for example taking stairs or just walking faster is impossible ). My peak flow is good and I don't get typical wheezing rather constant tightness. Got referred to pulmonary specialist, taking high dose of symbicort (800 ug/day) for over a year with no effec. As my peak flow is good and my chest is clean, I feel like they don't take it seriously.

I don't remember when was last time I had full night sleep. I am tired during the day, sleepy at work, my social life is non existent all I think of is to come back home and rest. I am not even 40 but feel like I am 100.

Anyone with similar symptoms found any solution please?

Only medication that helps with chest tightness is estazolam, anyone tried this as well?

Many thanks

D

[ChrissieMons]

I would suggest you go back to your specialist. There may be other causes for your exhaustion and you need a lot more tests to confirm a diagnosis. Waking in the early hours is often a sign of stress, but if you feel ill anyway and not getting better, that's going to make you stressed! I'm not a medic and I don't know all your details, so you need to insist on an appointment and go through everything in your medical history to find some pointers to this wearying time. I had a whole battery of inconclusive tests, until the private Dr. I saw told me I had post viral fatigue, commonly known as ME. I'm fine now, but it helps to know exactly what is wrong and what you can do about it.

[Superzob in reply to ChrissieMons]

I agree. Peak flow is not a good indicator of anything because it's based on an average; it's only useful when a variation causes symptoms. In dasega's case, tight chest symptoms with "good" peak flow suggest the asthma is not being properly controlled and the specialist is relying too much on theoretical considerations. I get a tight chest with stress, but that would never happen at night. I think dasega's asthma plan needs to be reviewed asap.

[dasega in reply to ChrissieMons]

Hi Chrissie,

Thanks for reply, what was your ME treatment ?

[ChrissieMons in reply to dasega]

2 years of putting up with it then exercise - little and often. No miracle cure, just it got better eventually.

[Hidden]

I have had your symptoms exactly. In April my breathing starting playing up, I started taking my Clenil and eventually upped it the max dose and taking my reliever, none of it helped

My asthma is virtually never a problem for me, I have a little EIA and am allergic to house dust mites, I used to ride a minimum of 100k a week and gym it and play badminton.

Now I struggle with any of that.

My peak flow is over 550 when my breathing is at its worst and my best PF was 600, my inhalers dont really work.

After many doc visits we have narrowed it down to some laryngeal problem maybe VCD.

I probably have silent reflux (LPR) and a hiatal hernia diagnosed by a GI after a esophagoscopy.

Look up LPR, there are many subtle symptoms it might be what you have, if not then VCD can mimic asthma symptoms, there is high correlation between asthma, VCD and LPR, but no one seems to know why.

[dasega in reply to Hidden]

Thanks for reply will ask for referral to do esophagoscopy, noticed my breathing getting worse even when I drink to much water(!)

[Hidden in reply to dasega]

I had many digestive symptoms which is why I saw a GI it might be better to see a ENT if you dont have other silent reflux or LPR symptoms.