Salt pipe?

[Thompson_2009]

Hi

Has anyone used a salt pipe to help with their breathing and did it work. My asthma has gone from never occurring to every day now and looking at any avenue i can now to help me breath normally.

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador]

You’d probs have more success talking to your GP and asthma nurse and getting a better maintenance regime going. If they can’t stabilise it ask for a referral to a resp con.

I have a salt lamp. It looks pretty but has done sod all for my lungs.

[Thompson_2009 in reply to EmmaF91]

Okay thanks

I have done all that, trouble is they take forever. They want a blood test first, got to wait 3 weeks for an appointment. so by the time it gets around to a referral be months i expect. The only way i got to see a doctor was asking for an emergency appointment.

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador in reply to Thompson_2009]

Did they give you any advice/medication to settle? Such as increase/change preventor, regular vent or pred course?

FYI if you’re finding salb isn’t lasting 4 hours/you need to use 10 vent to stabilise you need to see GP (even if that’s everyday... irritate them into doing more 😉), if the 10 puffs doesn’t work it’s a&e (or 10 salb not lasting 4hrs).

Whilst you’re waiting it may be worth trying to ID the trigger and seeing if you can do anything to avoid it (ie if dust/pollen is the trigger, then a air filter might help, if you’re getting reflux OTC ranitidine etc may help).

Hope that helps a bit

[Thompson_2009 in reply to EmmaF91]

Hi

My asthma has changed as i have gotten older. I am not getting bad attacks and my peakflow is currently okay. My breathing is just not great anymore. I am on the highest dose i can have and have been for years, plus montelukast. i only need steroids when my peakflow really drops.

I have a filter, dust mite preventer all sorts, none of these have made any difference. The thing i can't control is car pollution which is bad. I have no idea what my triggers are as my asthma can be fine one day and bad the next and nothing has changed. It has always been that way. I have had ex-rays, ct scan resp tests. They have no idea what causes my asthma. We are trying to move where there is cleaner air, but getting nowhere with that currently.

[Junglechicken in reply to Thompson_2009]

Has chronic sinusitis been suggested as a possible cause for your breathing problems? I’m being treated for it as I was wheezing badly but good PF. I’ve improved so much. Didn’t realise that my sinuses where blocked until I started rinsing them and using a steroid nasal spray. I could never breathe for any extended period through my nose until about a week ago. It’s taken 3 weeks to see a difference so the inflammation must have been pretty bad.

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador in reply to Thompson_2009]

I do hope you can find a way through! If and when you can you may find a new locale really helps! I moved from parents in south west Essex/London boundary to north Norfolk coast and my breathing is so much better! I can actually feel the change as I get closer to London when I visit family (plus they have more fields etc there). Have they done a BT to see if IgE/eosinsare high at all? Cause it may be that driving it. Also I’m assuming they’ve ruled out things like reflux/sinus issues etc, because they are very common with asthma, and can cause this sort of chronic low grade worsening of symptoms with no acute episodes.

Good luck with it all!!