i no people are prob getting annoyed with me asking the same stuff but how can i get a diagnosis if i still have asthma? i got told i had it when i was small but i have never had problems..my health anxiety is telling me something bad is wrong but i just want to get answers ☹️
like this tightness it could mean so much but im thinking the worst
Go to go,then x-ray..diagnosis will be determined,no anxiety involved.
sorry im confused?x
X-ray doesn’t diagnose asthma. Believe me I’ve had lots 😅. Spirometry when symptomatic will indicate if there’s an issue or not (doing it asymptomatic it won’t show anything). Spiro will demonstrate if there is airway restriction/obstruction. Also you may find PF helps to identify if problem is from lungs or anxiety (compared to your best etc).
Another simple way to differentiate anxiety from asthma is what’s harder? Breathing in is harder if it’s anxiety. Breathing out is harder if it’s asthma (like breathing through a straw)
If your spiro/PF are normal even when poorly, then it’s unlikely to be asthma.
No but x ray will show inflammation, and as Shannon seems to believe something more sinister is going on x-ray would prove this
Hey
X-ray doesn’t show inflammation. For that you need a CT scan really.
Chest X-rays generally show fractures, severe infections/pneumonia, consolidation, collapse, and at a push hyperinflation and minor atelectasis if its hunted/looked at really closely. I can be in full asthma attack with loads of inflammation (proved by bloods and mucus etc) but X-ray is almost always clear (I’ve been told atelectasis and hyperinflation a couple times, and once I was too poorly to give a good X-ray as couldn’t do the breath hold (was near intubation level at time).
I hope that explains things properly. But yes X-ray will rule our sinister things like cancer (however they are usually also picked up on BTs)
Chest tightness is always taken seriously by doctors, so report it and get it checked out. It is most likely due to anxiety or your asthma (I know, as I get both), so you will then be in a position to do something about it. Better to "bite the bullet" and get a proper diagnosis, than sit around worrying about it.
A general feeling that there is 'something wrong' won't help your doctor to know what to look for. I often liken doctors to detectives, they look for clues. So first of all can you be more specific about what is worrying you? Then write it all down whether it is shortness of breath, tight chest, fatigue, coughing, etc.
You can then go to your doctor and say I have these symptoms and I am worried it is asthma, can you please check me out so that I know. A good doctor will understand that you either need treatment for asthma or having excluded it to be reasssured that you don't have asthma or any other respiratory illness. Asthma UK has information about routine tests used for diagnosing asthma and monitoring it. They also have a helpline which you can phone for free to talk to an Asthma nurse about your concerns.
asthma.org.uk/advice/diagno...
If the tightness is caused by asthma there are many ways of treating it so that it is manageable. All the best.
Friend!! Need advice!
