Advice?

[emptyskies13]

Hey guys, I haven't posted here in a long time so I hope everyone is doing well.

I've had asthma since I was 13 and I'm 21 now. For the most part I manage my symptoms quite well but these last few days have been rough. I've noticed that my nose has been extra runny and I'm pretty sure I've developed another post nasal drip. This isn't surprising since I live in northern Canada and its been -30° celsius for the last week. Anyway I had a minor asthma attack yesterday, it surprised me since I havent had much trouble with my breathing in a while. I was able to get it under control with ventolin though. But today when I woke up I was worse. I've used my ventolin 10+ times today and it works for a bit before I start to get short of breath again. My chest hurts like hell and I'm coughing a lot. My resting pulse is normally around 60bpm and today it's been rising to between 100-120bpm just from talking. I feel horrible but my O2 levels have been really good. And this is why I dont want to see a doctor or get additional support. I live on my university campus and everything is closed because of covid so my only option would be to go to the hospital for help. I don't wheeze, I never have, and that combined with my good blood ox levels usually means that I dont get taken seriously.

I'm just tired at this point and I'm not sure what to do. Any advice would be appreciated thanks.

[Glty]

Sounds like you really do need to follow up with a medical professional urgently. With your symptoms, needing to use so much ventolin and the raised heart rate you need to seek help. Usually, o2 levels will only drop when asthma gets to a life threatening state so it's not a good indication of how you are.

It may just be a flare up, or an infection, but it is unlikely to resolve without intervention so please don't wait.

[emptyskies13 in reply to Glty]

Thank you for the reply and yes I know that o2 levels aren't a good indication of asthma exacerbation but thats usually what the doctors that I've seen go off of. As I mentioned in my post I live on campus at my university and the health clinic is closed so I cant see a doctor right now. I don't want to go the hospital because I know I will most likely be ignored as per usual since I dont wheeze. I'm going to try my best to wait it out and try and resolve it on my own, if I cant then I'll see about going in. Thank you again.

[fostairex in reply to emptyskies13]

Hi, you really need to get yourself seen by a doctor. I am a fellow non-wheezer with good o2 levels - although asthma patients are notorious good compensators and doctors should know that. Some doctors know very little about asthma unfortunately, but you can educate yourself and inform your doctor. My main concern here is that a decline like what you are experiencing can be a precursor to a more severe attack, which you really don’t want. Your body is giving you warning signs and you must heed them and go see a doctor. You need to get that inflammation in your lungs down. I would recommend asking the doctor to prescribe you Prednisolone if you’re finding that they don’t listen to you - but again, they really should - but don’t be afraid to insist. Are you on preventer medication too, or just Ventolin?

[fostairex]

asthma.org.uk/advice/asthma... is asthma UKs advice for dealing with an attack: it may be helpful to have this on your phone ready to show to any doctors who don’t take this seriously.

[writersblock]

Hi emptyskies, are you on a steroid preventer too? Have you been upping the usage of your steroid alongside the reliever? Cold weather flares asthma up very often, it’s been freezing here in England and I’ve been having to use ventolin more often, so do your best to stay warm. I find during the cold days to rest up, and not exert yourself too much. Keep your heart rate down and stay as calm as you can. If you’re finding yourself unable to get it under control at all, do seek medical attention ASAP, as you don’t want it to lead into a full-blown asthma attack. I hope you start to feel better soon, and keep us all updated.