‘Dragging’pain

[Kate261]

Hi all,

Hope you are all keeping warm and well!

I am writing to see if anyone has any experience of this...I have had an asthma flare for a week or so and a bit of a cold. Lately though I have had pain/tightness in my back at the top which seems to be what happens when my asthma is playing up but if I do much of anything other than sitting, I am getting a ‘dragging’ feeling (for want of a better description) down one shoulder.

I’m off sick today and just went for a walk and now I’m back it’s crept up on me again!

Any ideas or am I just going mad?!

Many thanks, in advance!

K

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

Hi noticed that this didn't get a response, so even if I can't help can maybe bump a bit in case anyone else has ideas!

Does sound like it's linked with asthma somehow though not sure how (perhaps due to overuse of the muscles there?) I get all sorts of 'musculoskeletal' pains round ribs/chest when asthma is acting up, and they can definitely go into the shoulder, especially on the right for some reason. Could also be if you're coughing with asthma/cold that could be affecting muscles?

Either way hope it goes soon.

[Kate261]

Hello! Thank you

I’ve since been in bed most of the time since. I’m sure it is just asthma weirdness but I get more help via here than the GP sometimes so worth a go! I have to see the asthma nurse but the one I have isn’t very pleasant - probably will have to give in and get an appt soon though I think!

Maybe it’s all chest tightness linked and cold related, quite the rollercoaster!

Thanks again

K

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Kate261]

Yep I find medics/nurses not always familiar with oddities like this! If lucky they will listen and try to help, if not I find they try to pretend it isn't there/not an issue (no I don't think I'm about to die of this, it's just uncomfortable/I just noticed it might be a trigger and wanted to ask etc).

The people who may be able to help are the Asthma UK nurses on the helpline - I find they are generally very good at listening and helpful, so you could give them a call tomorrow?

Hope you feel better soon!

[Kate261 in reply to Lysistrata]

So so true! This one just flat out denies any issues I bring up that she hasn’t heard and told me that my Dr wouldn’t have said stuff he had and her only solution seems to be to double my preventer which is already at top whack.

I might well give them a call, thanks so much for your advice and well wishes

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Kate261]

Agh that's frustrating. Would it be easier/better to just see the GP for asthma, if the nurse isn't much help and the GP is? Seems like adding another med on or a different preventer might be a better solution than trying to increase preventer if that's maxed out and you still have flares - can ask AUK nurses about options for that too.

I get the 'I haven't heard of that so you're fine' even from some nurse specialists - mine at the hospital means well, but she wants to reassure me all the time and thinks it's helpful to tell me I'm fine when I'm not at my best but not my worst. I don't want reassurance, I want an adult discussion about what's happening, even if there's nothing they can do immediately. I definitely don't want to be told I am fine every time I ask about anything, so have stopped asking, which sort of defeats the point of having them really.

[Kate261]

That’s what’s I have been doing, but there’s less and less availability to see him and the surgery push you down the nurse route but I might get stroppy when I’m feeling better! It’s so annoying that you have to force the issue though, I find it fascinating that it’s just a one size fits all approach at times. I’ve had a particularly bad 6 months and like you, you end up not bothering to mention stuff for feeling chastised or made to feel like you’re making a fuss!

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Kate261]

Ah yes, and they don't actually have to 'train' the nurses specifically in asthma which annoys me!

I got an invitation to see the healthcare assistant for asthma review. They decided not to do mine as I'm under the hospital (I think they were more than glad not to have to deal with me lol, I'm a headache even for the hospital due to my weirdness), but I was annoyed that they do HCA asthma reviews for anyone.

HCAs can be great but they are IMO not trained or experienced enough to be doing asthma reviews - it is more than just filling out what the computer tells you, and should be done by someone who actually knows something about asthma, otherwise you just get them saying you're fine because they don't know enough. I've found the same with 111 'call handlers' who are not nurses/don't have any training other than for 111 - they either panic or don't understand because they're relying on a computer.

My surgery is good overall but it really annoys me on principle that they don't take asthma seriously enough to have a trained nurse doing reviews, even if it doesn't affect me personally.