Coughing and wheezing when trying to do Peak Flow reading

[LizziM]

Hello, have had horrible temperature and achey cold for last 5 days. Feeling quite breathless now it's moved down out of my sinuses and nose into throat and top of chest. Been trying to get peak flow readings to see if its anything to be concerned about asthma wise, but really difficult to complete hard, fast breaths out as makes me burst into wheezing and coughing massively! Will the readings still be accurate? PB is 460, meter showing around 330 but cant really complete the blowing out properly so no idea if this is correct.

[Tree20862]

Start your asthma action plan. As the cough settles, PF will be more accurate.

[LizziM in reply to Tree20862]

Thanks, that makes sense. I don't have an asthma action plan (GP has ever discussed one) but I guess I can take more reliever if I feel I need it.

[Tree20862 in reply to LizziM]

Talk to the gp about the asthma action plan. It is a must have.

[-Butterfly-]

I dont tend to monitor my peak flow when I'm controlled, but if my symptoms appear, I start measuring as the GP/nurse likes to have an idea of how low it is and any trends, so usually morning and night before and after preventer and before/after ventolin if I need it. But I tell them every time that it's not accurate because I end up coughing, the first reading is probably the most accurate but then 2nd and 3rd either they're higher because I cough down it, or lower because my chest contricts more from the coughing 🙄 so I tend to now just go with the first reading!