Breathing through a straw

[golden-retriever]

Hi,

I’m quite new to asthma, so thanks for your patience. I’m on Symbicort, morning and night, which I am always careful to take.

I had begun to get it under control over the last few weeks until about three days ago, when I got the typical breathing through a straw thing again. When it happens I take Ventolin and it goes away. But after a few hours it just comes straight back. And it keeps on coming back a little worse each time. My sleep is poor and in the morning I wake up worn out.

Should I wait to see if it goes away, should I get help, or is this normal in asthma?

Thanks

[angievere]

I would see your doctor.

Best wishes and I hope things improve for you.

[golden-retriever in reply to angievere]

That’s what I’ll do. Thanks.

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador]

Hi

Definitely try and see you GP tomorrow... ventolin should last 4 hours so if it’s not it’s definitely something that needs help. Not sure if you do PF (or if it’s a reliable measure for you) but if you do keep an eye on it and tract it. Also follow your asthma action plan (if you don’t have one ask your doc tomorrow to fill one out (you can print off the AUK website).

Hope things calm down soon

[golden-retriever in reply to EmmaF91]

Thanks Em. I’ll go to my GP. I also have a consultant appointment coming up soon.

[Tugun]

Hi,

It's usually a sign that you may be coming down with something or something environmental may have triggered it. Did it come on suddenly or was it a gradual worsening until you noticed it? I would check with your doctor.

[golden-retriever in reply to Tugun]

It came on suddenly. I’ll see my doc. Thanks for your reply.

[Sparkywoo]

Go back to your Doctors. You may need a higher dose of Symbicort or a different type of inhaler. For example my asthma is much more controlled on Fostair. If you don’t have one already, as has been suggested make sure you have an asthma action plan in place and know your peak flow numbers. So many colds and infections around right now too

[golden-retriever in reply to Sparkywoo]

I’ll see my doc. Thanks Sparky.

[Hidden]

Hi golden retriever. My asthma is quite mild but I use a stringent technique. I empty my lungs then stuck the symbicort in till my lungs are full. Then I try to hold for 10 seconds. To start with it was hard because of a tendency to cough but after a couple of weeks it all settled and had stayed that way. Hope this is of some use.

[golden-retriever in reply to Hidden]

Hi SenorB, that’s what I do, except that I often forget to breathe again and keep going for 20 seconds or more, ha ha.

[hilary39]

You should go back and see your doctor regularly until you have a better sense of / control over your condition. I too feel like I'm breathing through a straw and am better for a few hours after ventolin then it gets worse again. And I've been sleeping horribly lately.

I moved to France two years ago and I am miserable throughout much of the year here. I'm thinking it's the new pollens. This is apparently a wretched ragweed season and before I moved here, I lived for a decade in a city where there was none.

Get some allergy tests done and keep trying to figure out what may be triggering you in your environment.

Good luck!

[golden-retriever]

Hi Hilary, thanks so much for your reply. I lived in France for a while too. It’s an incredibly green country and I can imagine that it would be difficult for someone with certain allergies. All the best.

[Braces71]

See your Dr. I was given Symbicort 400/12 but switched back to Serevent and Flixotide x2 x2 per day. The Symbicort didn’t work for me .

[Omeba]

It might be worth going back to your doctor. It doesn't sound as though your asthma is under control. I've found that different preventor inhalers are more or less effective. I was put on one which actually made my asthma worse. We're all different and what works for one person can be useless to another. Some doctors have preferences which they automatically prescribe. If you're waking feeling worn out it could indicate that you're struggling with your breathing during the night. You could always speak to someone in the Asthma UK organisation. But my reaction to your post is that your asthma could be under better control. Hope this helps.