I have been having ongoing issues with my sinuses, post-nasal drip leading to chest tightness but no wheezing. Went to doctors and she has given me a 2 week course of Doxycycline antibiotic for sinus infection. I had sinus surgery in March 2019 and my ENT consultant just says it is all related to allergies but since the surgery this is my third or fourth course of antibiotics. I have also been having to deal with stress and anxiety in work and was wondering if this could be affecting my asthma. With no wheezing I just feel that my doctor or asthma nurse don't take the chest tightness seriously.
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Barbs80
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Aww thanks will take a look. Keen to change my lifestyle so I'm not so stressed out. To be honest I never really believed in stress and never thought it would have an affect on my health so much.
Stress is a big factor when it comes to triggering asthma for me. It doesn’t help that suffering from asthma adds to the stress. It’s a never ending cycle. I sometimes find it difficult to tell if my tight chest is asthma or tension. To my folly I’ve at times neglected my asthma thinking it was anxiety. I also have the added problem that my PF sometimes doesn’t drop during an attack or times when my asthma is flaring. My GP has told me at times it’s anxiety when I know it’s asthma. I’m trying to change how I react to circumstances. I’ve had some nasty side effects to my new medication which caused me to go into meltdown. I’ve been checked over by doc who is confident that it’s the meds not something more serious. I’ve still been anxious and as a result definitely more wheezing. Saying “just relax” doesn’t help me at all and neither does deep breathing actually makes me worse. As I’ve said to others, for me acceptance is the way to go. I say “yes your anxious but that’s ok just ride it as best you can” and let the anxiety flow over me. Noting is another technique I use when I’m not too bad, which involves noting that your anxious thoughts exist but you don’t label them as negative or positive, there just things that are going on in your mind. This stops me from reacting as my thoughts have no meaning and therefore unable to trigger any reaction. It takes practice but I’m getting there.
Unfortunately there are some medical professionals who still hold the outdated view that asthma =a wheezy chest. I had an Occupational Health doctor who thought I didn't have asthma for this reason (my 30+ year history of asthma wasn't taken into account...)
Stress definitely makes my asthma worse and I've had anxiety problems for years and it can be difficult to tell the difference. I think you just know instinctively the difference, for me if my breathing responds to my Salbutamol or I have none of the other anxiety symptoms (racing thoughts, doing everything very fast etc) than I know it's my asthma. Plus physical activity makes asthma worse if it's uncontrolled and but makes anxiety better as you're burning up all the stress chemical released by your body, so that's another way you can tell.
I do find that when I have a really bad anxiety attack I completely freeze and don’t know which way up. During an asthma attack I can move quite freely and I’m able to act. My breathing is very different too. It’s more short stuttering breaths during an anxiety episode combined with a lump in my throat and I think I may faint. An asthma attack has me struggling in get breath in and forcing air out in long exhales, chest goes into spasm and my heart rate so fast i think it’s coming out of my chest.
Totally agree. I have had asthma all my life for 39 years which I have kept under control taking my preventer inhaler every day, nasal sprays etc. I used to be really wheezy when I was younger with numerous trips to hospital but because it has been under control my symptoms have changed to chest tightness which my doctor says is just anxiety. When I take my salbutamol it helps relieve the tightness so I know it's my asthma, not as you say the other rage and racing thoughts that come with my anxiety.
I was the same as a child with wheeziness and hospital visits but since I was put on Seretide in about 2003 I never get a wheezy chest but still get the other symptoms. It's strange and it is very hard to get across to doctors etc that you feel so bad without having a wheezy chest.
I agree since changing from Clenil Modulite to Seretide I don't get a wheezy chest just chest tightness. With a wheezy chest doctors would give me a course of steroids to help whereas now they don't. Just have to keep taking my salbutamol to ease it.
Can you change to another GP? It doesn't sound like they are very understanding, mine are very good. They tend to treat asthma more symptomatically, so if you know something works for you (like steroids) they will prescribe them and they actually let me keep a pack at home in case I get ill.
Hi Iv has problems with my sinus for quite some time with having had surgery four times but what iv found very helpful is sinus rinse and avamys actually iv been on this for several years now and I’m in perfect form. Hope that’s helpful and take care
Thanks I have been on so many nasal sprays over the last 30+years and now on avamys and sinus rinse twice a day which helps apart from when I get a cold or infection. I'm also on montelukast at night to help relieve night-time symptoms. Just finding it all so frustrating, trial and error to find what helps.
Same for me. Thank you for saying. Both triggers my asthma. Difficult to know what is bad reflux and what is the asthma playing up. Trying to find the right nasal spray that doesn't cause an allergic reaction.
I understand steroid nasal sprays are the best but I just have never found long term relieve from them. The post nasal drip over the last couple of years has been the worst playing on my asthma. I was hoping sinus surgery would have helped but not when its caused by allergies especially house dust mite that is hard to avoid
That's so true. Had nasal surgery too but alas was told what they had removed had grown back. Trying to look at natural cures. Drinking alot of lemon and ginger root tea to thin the mucus. Hoping you find an relief soon x
Thank you so much for the replies. Its always good to know I am not alone out there. We all have different symptoms and I just wish doctors and nurses would take it more seriously, especially when some of us have been living with asthma all our lives and know when our symptoms change.
Anxiety can definitely exacerbate matters but it’s important to rule out non-emotional triggers while simultaneously looking at measures to reduce anxiety.
Have you been treated with oral steroids, such as prednisolone? If so, have you found that the chest tightness reduces ‘significantly’ soon after?
The reason I ask is that - if you get good improvement from oral steroids, but not so much from antibiotics - it’s possible that your sinus issues are accompanied by increased eosinophil production, which oral steroids generally correct - but only for a while (by depleting eosinophils).
Although you haven’t mentioned nasal polyps, the above scenario is even more pronounced where they form part of the problem.
The take-away (if oral steroids rapidly reduce chest tightness, but antibiotics don’t) is that treatment targeting eosinophil over-production (rather than treatment targeting infection) might be warranted.
I’d convinced myself that I had persistent, chronic infection, but antibiotics seem to do next to nothing for me (whereas a course of prednisolone worked a treat).
A few blood tests (over a short period of time) for high eosinophil count might verify if they are a major part of your problem. (A single blood test doesn’t always prove / disprove a problem with eosinophils)
If eosinophils turn out to be the culprit, longer term you might not want to keep taking oral steroids due to their side-effects, in which case you might benefit from one of the newer biologics that are supposed to reduce eosinophils (but there’s a waiting list if you qualify for these).
Something to think about maybe.
If infection (not eosinophils) is the issue, maybe a switch to a different antibiotic might help? In the passed, Ive benefitted from clarythromycin, but some classes of antibiotics don’t suit some folk, so that would be one for chatting to your doc about.
Thanks I used to be given prednisolone when I was younger especially if I was really wheezy with the chest tightness. But when I moved GPs and asked about a course of steroids they said they wouldn't help. However, before I had the sinus surgery my ENT consultant put me on a course of prednisolone and amoxicillin the week before as prep med. I have never heard of increased eosinophil production. Something I will mention as my next ENT review.
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