Not sure what to say. I was diagnosed 2017, I'd been coughing incessantly. Got spirometry, xray, peak flow diary Dr said its asthma. Gave me brown inhaler. Towards Xmas last year I had a very bad "panic" episode, not true panic hyperventilating pushed my blood gases haywire. Ttip to A &E. In May I switched to Forstair, at lasy I felt I could breathe, but gradually I was coughing after using the inhaler so saw the nurse who reedicated me in it's use. Much better, then I got a cold two weeks ago, coughing incessantly and was unsure what to do or take, so last Sunday as it was so bad I contacted 111, by the time I'd finished with them I was back in hyperventilating panic mode and back in A&E. At one point I thought this is a definite heart attack. All ok though but I was given 5 days steroids which didn't help. My point I think is there doesn't seem to be any help or understanding for the late comers asthma, I'm 68. I'm seeing Dr on Tuesday wish me luck.
Adult diagnosis: Not sure what to say... - Asthma Community ...
Adult diagnosis
I, too, was diagnosed late in life. I started suspecting it about four-five years ago, though I now suspect the signs have always been there, mainly coughing quite a lot since childhood. I raised it with my surgery and I got pretty much the same tests as you have had, and then I had trial treatment with Clenil, which made some of it better. But two three years ago I got quite unwell with a chest infection and lingering ill health which went on for months. I wasn’t good at seeking help or recognising I needed it. It ended with a hospital admission, and since then my situation has been a lot better. Unlike you I feel a get help when I ask. Some asthma nurses are less good than others, but generally I really cannot complain. I am aware we older people somehow are seen as a slightly different group, but so far no one had explicitly discussed that aspect with me. I am happy though as long as I get the help I need - and the only thing that holds that up is my failure to recognise the need for help in a timely fashion. I am getting better at it, but I am far from good at it. I am rising 70. Like you I cough madly when I have a deterioration.
Interesting you call it a deterioration. That is the one thing I understand. What I don't know is ATTACK. What is attack? I thought it was not being able to breath but is it not being able to get on with life?
Well, like you I don’t understand the difference between deterioration and flare and excarbation and attack. Is an attack different? I don’t know. I do know that the time I was admitted it was what could be called an attack, a classic one, a slow slide into it whatever I and my surgery tried to throw at it. But that was also a flare or deterioration etc, etc. I am neither brittle nor severe, but asthma is something I always need to be aware of and think through what I do and where I go to be suitably prepared. That includes going to the theatre......I really don’t like theatrical smoke effects, but only sometimes need to take extra inhalers, and not sit too close to the stage.
It's perfectly normal to fell frightened with asthma. When it happens again breathe through your nose and purse lip your breath out this seems to slow your breathing down. It works for me I was diagnosed when I was 73 I think I'm now 78 . Luckily I have never been to hospital with it but have my blue puffer at all times even in my bed and when I feel puffed out it comes. At first I would go in the corner somewhere but now middle of a supermarket street anywhere. Good luck we puffers aare special people my doc said
Thankyou. It's funny though I never feel tightchested or what I assume is the classic fighting for breath. My symptoms seem to be just deep chesty coughing. I'm never sure if bad coughing is relieved by Ventolin or not. I'm not sure whether it's attack or flare or what??? I read on the forum that people have action plans with coloured zones which help to self diagnose. I've not been give one, are they a USA thing? I've got a list of questions for Dr tomorrow but only 10mins appointment. So many questions????
You can find that particular asthma action plan on the Asthma U.K. website under resources. I was given one by the hospital and it is updated by the surgery, but I find it quite scrappy, so I have now printed out the Asthma U.K. one for myself.
Like you I don’t struggle with breathlessness, or, at least, I don’t notice it, but others can hear me struggling, and these days point it out to me which I find helpful. I also cough, in my view my main symptom, and recently I experimented with taking salbutamol when I bad episode started. It wasn’t deep, it felt like a throat thing, but the salbutamol stopped it short. That taught me something.
Maybe I should be using salbutomol more, I always felt it didn't help me, but made me dizzy so I avoided it. Also didn't want to admit I needed it. So much to learn.
Like you I find it all hard! My lack of awareness of myself once landed me in hospital, but I suspect that I, maybe like you, had had symptoms for perhaps years, and just gradually got used to it until it got too bad for someone not to notice - not necessarily me. One of the flagged up signs of a potential attack is if you take salbutamol three times in a week or more, but again perhaps like you, that advice is useless for me, as I don’t take it if I don’t notice a problem, which I mostly don’t except coughs. If it made me dizzy I would also hesitate. There are alternatives, so that perhaps is worth thinking about. I am no expert on this though. I am on Symbicort, which is a combination inhaler, and I uses formoterol (I think) rather than salbutamol.
You are right that it is good for us older newbies, to communicate! Thank you for raising this.
I have just edited my previous reply to make it readable! Apologies!
I’m with you aexcept I not sure it’s lack of awareness as I’ve said at 64 having survived my 1st asthma attack and now 3 years on having an average of 6 attack's a year and being in hospital on 7 occasions of more than 14 days at a time and I’ve just got home last week from 6 days in intensive care and 6 on the ward
I really believe that we genuinely think that we are not as ill as we think in good faith that we are and that at times we look ok thinking it’s only a cold /cough at it not worth bothering the Doctor although we are hurting inside
I’m lucky now that my GP has put me on a RED signal in the practice so as soon as I phone I’m guaranteed an appointment within an hour which then gives me the opportunity to either start my rescue pack or off hospital
I use 3 inhalers per day including Symbicort 3 puffs twice a day and at present including steroids 22 tablets
Is anyone else on this amount of medication, is this average or am I’m taking a stupid amount to keep me going does anyone have a rescue park of antibiotics,Steroids salbutamal to keep at home
Just want it to go away and get back to normal what ever normal is now
I feel for you
My episodes haven't been anywhere bad enough for hospitalisation. I'm on a steep learning curve, on what is bad, what to do, what inhalers to use and when. But I'm learning fast and believe as always it's down to me to get it sorted.
Why don't you get a double appointment?
Hi everyone can anyone talk me about Zithromax for asthma Enevone cure asthma with Zithromax
Nothing cures asthma, but Zithromax can help treat it even if you don’t have an infection. It helps fight the other kind of inflammation in your lungs.
Jim’s cola cure asthma by Zithromax and lots of people on YouTube who shared their stories to cured asthma with Zithromax 😩
recently diagnosed asthma
Can you have a asthma attack but with good sats and no wheezing?
First meeting with asthma nurse next week. What will happen when I go?
