Shallow breathing for days

[CanadianBrit30]

Hello all,

I was diagnosed with asthma about a year ago right in the middle of lockdown at the beginning of the pandemic. What a stressful time for a lung condition to develop!

I've been okay since September/October but now, at almost exactly the same time as it originally came on, I'm experiencing quite intense symptoms. I'm now on day three of feeling really bad chest tightness and doing mostly shallow breathing. I'm not coughing a lot but feeling completely out of breath all the time and can't do anything more than a slow walk without feeling my breathing getting even harder etc. I'm still taking my meds but they don't seem to help in the least. I'm on Fostair which I've now doubled, and I'm taking brown inhaler at midday, and blue inhaler two times a day. For reference, last week I was running 3k 3 times a week! This has really knocked me off my feet out of nowhere.

Im so confused and just wondering is this what everyone else goes through too? Is this normal and just your average flare up or is this something I should be going to the hospital for?

I remember feeling this way last year but that was before I was on meds and everything. I suspect this is triggered by the onset of pollen allergy season and am seeking advice from a specialist allergist but my appointment is not for another week. Before last year I didn't have any allergies whatsoever and even now I don't get any itchy eyes or running nose like others, just this crushing chest pain when I try to breath in deeply and a feeling of being out of breath.

Any advice? Anyone else go through this? Should I just learn to deal with this and take it easy until it passes? Sometimes it seems like it will last forever.

[twinkly29]

Are you taking Fostair and a brown inhaler? Usually you'd just have the Fostair instead of the brown.

It does sound as though something at this time of year is your trigger. In the UK, tree pollen is likely - assume it might be similar in Canada right now? Taking a simple antihistamine should help - they usually work quite quickly but, taken regularly for a couple if weeks, you should notice a better effect.

Increasing preventer inhalers, while still done in some places, doesn't have an immediate effect as the extra needs to build up, a bit like when a new one is started and it takes time (though hopefully not as long as that!) But dealing with the trigger by avoiding (not really possible with pollen!) or taking treating (eg with antihistamines) should help.

[CanadianBrit30 in reply to twinkly29]

Hi there. Thanks for your reply. Dr advised brown at midday of things were bad so have only just started that today. I'm in the UK not in Canada so it could well be that tree pollen. I read that gras pollen season just started so maybe that's it. Does it sound normal to you to have this chest construction lasting for many days in a row?

[twinkly29 in reply to CanadianBrit30]

Grass pollen usually starts mid May ish I think. Tree pollen is mainly April and May but does linger a bit. Birch first/the most common culprit but then others join in. Oak has been in full force the last couple of weeks I think in many areas.

It might be worth a call to Asthma UK on Monday (AUK helpline - 0300 2225800 Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm) as adding in a brown inhaler in the middle of the day us rather odd advice, particularly as you've already doubled your Fostair and the new one will take up to 8 weeks to help. Not sure if you're doing peak flows regularly but, if so, what are those like?

This post has info in for newbies to asthma in terms of what should be happening for monitoring, inhalers, peak flow etc....

healthunlocked.com/asthmauk...

And this one deals with what help to seek when

healthunlocked.com/asthmauk...

Symptoms continuing - yes, if the trigger isn't removed or dealt with and the inflammation is still there then symptoms will remain. Depending on severity, this is when faster acting steroids may be needed (ie tablets not an inhaler that takes 8 weeks to work). Or antihistamines for example to protect against the trigger would be the most obvious thing to try first.

[Nmstoday]

definitely grass pollen started here yesterday - I felt awful, tight chest etc. There are pollen count websites that give very accurate counts for small areas and my area was high grass for the first time this year and I woke up breathless! This one is useful kleenex.co.uk/pollen-count

[Gareth57]

Hi, I had a couple of years with breathing problems at this time of year, ended up on pred until hay fever was suspected even though I had none of the usual symptoms, this year I started daily antihistamines which has so far worked, it seems to be tree pollen that affects me.

[Dee3506]

Hi there You can use your blue inhaler more than only twice a day. It will help to open your lungs.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Dee3506]

It's true that CanadianBrit can use it more than twice a day if they need to, and that may be necessary while working out the best meds for them. However, the aim is to need that short-term relief a lot less.

I realise you may already know this, but I wanted to reply to make that clear for anyone else reading who doesn't know it, since over-reliance on reliever without adequate preventer medication happens too much and is unsafe.

It is frustrating when there's unclear messaging from drs/nurses about when people should use the blue inhaler and in what situations to use it. It isn't like an epipen (since some people seem to have been told it's for extreme emergencies). And the sky won't fall/there won't be some massive dramatic overdose if someone uses it more than 4x a day or more than 3-4 times/week, but equally that's generally a sign of poor control and needs to be addressed.

I've also come across healthcare professionals who themselves don't seem to understand how it all works and think that the solution to needing your blue inhaler more than usual is just to take it less often. This seems to completely miss the point that it's about how often you need it, whether or not it's taken! If it's needed it should be taken.