New bronchitis or asthma patient needing advice about energy superfoods.

[Road_Runner1984]

Hi all, hope all is well.....

This is my first post on here and I am one of the original first UK Coronavirus Lockdown's bronchitis or asthma patient since: 05/05/2020 due to being triaged at a hospital as my doctor could hear me wheeze and lose my breath the deeper I coughed over the telephone. To be honest with you I knew that I was going to be diagnosed with having a breathing problem in general such as bronchitis which is looking more like asthma now, due to the type of symptoms I am continuing to get because of being allergic to pollen and ammonia cleaning fluids from the age of: 20 years old and now I am: 36 years old so I am now: 16 years later down the road to being middle aged!

But surprisingly what actually first caused my bronchitis or asthma was an innocent ordinary coughing cold that I got on: 23/01/2020 luckily before Coronavirus! and sadly my body also does not like coughing colds as it normally takes me: 9 weeks to recover from the virus, what made me laugh though after those weeks was the fact that I was still coughing like mad and on the second week of my cold my airways swelled up for two nights just before going to sleep which almost stopped me from breathing even though I took two Strepsil Sore Throat and Cough lozenges each night to so-called stop me from coughing!

I have put myself onto a proper asthma diet because I found myself dropping from: 11 stone to: 9 stone and 7 pounds (losing: 1 stone and 8 pounds!) within just 1 month without being on a diet to lose weight!, sadly though I have not managed to find any superfoods that stops me from feeling exhausted throughout each day; I say this because they say that eating and consuming: dark chocolate, dark chocolate powder, hot chocolate, Flax seed, Maca Root and sweets can give people with bronchitis or asthma allot of energy, but since last month (05/02/2021) these superfoods are no longer giving me the energy that I so desperately need anymore and so I was wondering if any of you could share any superfoods or even drinks (excluding: caffeinated drinks) that you consume, to keep yourselves energised throughout each day please?

I look forward to your replies.

All the very best and take care,

Road_Runner1984

[Wheezycat]

It is likely that your lungs need to heal after that. Take it easy! Lungs do take some time.

[Road_Runner1984 in reply to Wheezycat]

Hey Wheezycat,

Thank you for taking the time to read my thread and replying to it as it is very much appreciated!, sadly though I do not think that my lungs will make any sort of healing progress, until I have been diagnosed with having either asthma or even bronchitis. Especially as I have been waiting for my Spirometry Test since: 05/05/2020 due to the pandemic which will be done at my doctors Surgery and then hopefully I will be given the correct sort of medication so that my lungs can then begin to heal, hence the reason for asking “so I was wondering if any of you with asthma or bronchitis could share any superfoods or even drinks (excluding: caffeinated drinks) that you consume, to keep yourselves energised throughout each day please?” for now. I hope you have a relaxing night.

[twinkly29 in reply to Road_Runner1984]

There is no "asthma diet". Asthma isn't improved by foods or drinks. People who want to eat for energy (whether they have asthma or not) need to eat a sensible balanced diet (so complex carbs, good fats, protein, fruit and veg) and drink enough fluids.

Googling eating for energy should bring up all sorts.

Regarding diagnosis, if asthma is suspected, the usual method is to treat at such and see if it helps. This was also the case before Covid. Yes tests are used but they shouldn't be the only measure and results can be normal anyway because asthma is variable. So if you have had and are having no treatment (for anything suspected) while you're waiting, I think I'd ask the GP what's going on.

[Road_Runner1984 in reply to twinkly29]

Hi twinkly29,

My hospital’s Asthma Nurse Dietician who I also saw on: 05/05/2020 would disagree with you there and so would I especially because I have been given and are following the asthma diet sheet to the letter and amazingly I have stopped losing allot of weight without even trying, as thankfully I have managed to put back on: 11 stone but it did take my body: 8 months to do so, so as you can imagine I celebrated: January 2021 with more than just a glass of champagne.

But I do agree with you when you say ”People who want to eat for energy (whether they have asthma or not) need to eat a sensible balanced diet (so complex carbs, good fats, protein, fruit and veg) and drink enough fluids.” because this is in addition to the asthma diet. Thanks for the advice twinkly29 it is appreciated as I did Google: 'Asthma Diet eating for energy' hence the reason for mentioning and asking about the superfoods which can increase all asthmatics energy if they have an energy problem just like I do and when I can get enough energy I will create a different thread to share my asthma diet sheet with everyone on here which I was given by my hospital’s Asthma Nurse Dietician.

Thank you for your concern about how I am being medicated since: April 2020 really twinkly29 because on my: 10th week of what I thought was an innocent coughing cold, I asked my doctor for two different types of: Antibiotics just in case I had some sort of bacterial infection left over from my coughing cold but sadly that was not the case, then I was put onto the maximum dosage of the Ventolin (reliever) inhaler and 2x 50mcg, twice daily dosage of the Qvar (preventer) inhaler, after being triaged at my hospital I was given a short course of: Prednisolone (steroid tablets) to help me to recover from my first attack and just since: 11th March 2021 my dosage of the: Qvar (preventer) inhaler was increased by: 2x 100mcg, twice daily as I had another attack which lasted: 1 whole month from: 05/02/2021 hence feeling exhausted! so I am being looked after well by my doctor's Surgery. It is very interesting to hear that the diagnosis of asthma is not just based on a Spirometry Test and other tests even before Covid-19 because as you put it “asthma is variable” so thanks for that additional information.

[Echoblue]

Could be worth considering looking into reducing histamine rich foods with such a propensity to allergies? Good luck. I know I am certainly knowing we are in tree pollen season at the moment! 🙄

[Road_Runner1984 in reply to Echoblue]

Hi Echoblue

Thank you for your very intuitive insight and answering the question that I had at the back of my mind because although I have been partly diagnosed with having either bronchitis or asthma at a hospital since: 05/05/2020, I have been getting more asthma than bronchitis symptoms. Especially because from: 05/02/2021-11/03/2021 I have been getting more prone to having deep coughing fits, so it would not even surprise me at all if it was the tree pollen that is still triggering my asthma symptoms a little bit now, but thankfully my doctor has increased my Qvar (preventer) inhaler dosage; but it is still early days to find out if it will get rid of my horrible continuous cough completely due to pollen!

That sounds like a great idea as I shall consider looking into reducing histamine rich foods with such a propensity to pollen allergies by using our best friend Google Search as what would we do without that person hehe. Thanks I wish you good luck too as having a pollen allergy is nasty isn’t it especially when it can trigger your asthma, I bet you also wish that if only we could bag and bin the horrible pollen so that it would no longer affect us but sadly the particles as far too tiny to catch.

All the very best and take care,

Road_Runner1984

[peege]

Hi, I agree with twinkly29, having had asthma for many years. The weight loss without trying is worry, have you informed your GP? If not I would, it might just spur them on to get your spirometry done ASAP which will show if you have COPD (which in the uk is the umbrella term for emphysema and chronic bronchitis). COPD is usually treated with inhalers, the same ones we use for asthma. When I was first diagnosed with asthma the gp prescribed a daily preventive inhaler & said if this helps then you've got asthma! Anyway she was right. You can't muck about with lungs as I learnt to my cost so now take all prescribed inhalers & medication properly, eat a very healthy nutritious diet - which doesn't include chocolate, cocoa powder or sweets - maintain a healthy weight. I try to maintain good fitness with Pilates, walking and breathing well. I do take plenty of vitamins and supplements as I'm older than you and need them for good immunity and because years of chest infections, 5 x pneumonia and all that go with those have left me Small Airways Disease (or bronchiectasis) and CFS.

I wish you luck with getting a proper diagnosis as soon as possible. Peege

[Road_Runner1984 in reply to peege]

Hey Peege

Thanks for replying to my thread and for your concern about my health as it is appreciated, when it comes to my unusual weight loss, thankfully my hospital’s Asthma Nurse Dietician who I also saw on: 05/05/2020 gave me an asthma diet sheet which I followed to the letter and amazingly I have stopped losing allot of weight without even trying, as thankfully I have managed to put back on: 11 stone but it did take my body: 8 months to do so, so as you can imagine I celebrated: January 2021 with more than just a glass of champagne.

Before I was even triaged at my hospital all of the doctors at my Surgery and the doctors and nurses at my hospital are still so scared of spreading the Coronavirus to their patients and vice versa that they are refusing to diagnose their patients for both asthma and as you put it COPD (which in the uk is the umbrella term for emphysema and chronic bronchitis) ‘Unless it is life threatening.....’ by using their diagnosis machines sadly, so this seems to be the new normal at this point in time.

When it comes to being prescribed medication I was and have been put onto the maximum dosage of the: Ventolin (reliever) inhaler and 2x 50mcg, twice daily dosage of the Qvar (preventer) inhaler. After being triaged at my hospital I was given a short course of: Prednisolone (steroid tablets) to help me to recover from my first attack and just since: 11th March 2021 my dosage of the: Qvar (preventer) inhaler was increased by: 2x 100mcg, twice daily as I had another attack which lasted: 1 whole month from: 05/02/2021-11/03/202 hence feeling exhausted!

You and your doctor are right as I personally have found the benefits from using the daily preventive inhaler but I have not found any real benefits in using the Ventolin (reliever) inhaler, but saying that if I did come off of it I would then probably notice a difference of some sort so I could possibly have asthma instead of COPD. Thank you for the friendly warning about what happens if you come off of the asthma/COPD medications, because of being a naughty boy

I know this may sound strange but I have always been able to manage to avoid eating unhealthy fatty foods e.g. all sorts of takeaways and I also avoid drinking beer and fizzy drinks so I have always had a very healthy nutritious diet thankfully. I include superfoods such as: dark chocolate, dark chocolate powder, hot chocolate, Flax seed, Maca Root and sweets in my diet because allot of asthmatics swear by these superfoods because they usually do give them extra energy.

Since being diagnosed with having either bronchitis or asthma I have been walking around my residential estate so that I can get some exercise without feeling exhausted afterwards, to be honest with you I do not think that there is an age limit when it comes to taking both vitamins and supplements as I first started to take vitamins as well for my health from the age of: 20 years old. I am sorry to hear that you have had chest infections, 5x pneumonia and everything else to go with it which has sadly left you with Small Airways Disease (or bronchiectasis) and CFS but at least you can say that you are a ‘Survivor of life!’.....

Thanks Peege I am counting down the days for a proper diagnosis but as things stand at the moment this will not happen unless the Covid-19 vaccines are affective, but at least I am on the waiting list to have a Spirometry Test at my doctors Surgery; because as you can imagine my hospitals waiting list is much longer due to the Coronavirus Pandemic in general!

All the very best and take care,

Road_Runner1984