Sharp intake of breath?: Hello everyone... - Asthma Community ...

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Sharp intake of breath?

Jasmine22 profile image
8 Replies

Hello everyone. I first posted about ten days ago when I was in hospital, following a life threatening attack. All a huge shock as I didn’t know I was asthmatic.

Anyway, I’m home and it’s a slow recovery. I’m not coughing much today or very wheezy, but every now and then I have a sudden sharp intake of breath. Do any of you experience this please?

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Jasmine22 profile image
Jasmine22
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8 Replies
floating_ profile image
floating_

Yeah, sometimes post attack, my Breathing Pattern Disorder acts up, and does stuff like this. Keep an eye on it and let whoever is managing your care know.

Jasmine22 profile image
Jasmine22 in reply to floating_

Thank you. I shall mention it on Tuesday.

Logo132 profile image
Logo132

Yes I have had this happen, but didn’t know why and didn’t realise others had experienced the same thing. I thought with myself that it was a psychological trigger. If anyone can shed any light on this phenomenon and how common it is, I’d be really interested.

alnew45 profile image
alnew45

I have this too. Think of it as a reverse sigh! Don't know why it happens though. Doesn't seem to cause any problem.

Mijmijkey74 profile image
Mijmijkey74

I also have it. Ended up in a induced coma due to a massive asthma attack and wasn't expected to survive. 3 days into my coma it was also discovered I had biventricular heart failure which was Ann unexpected shocking find for them. I was completely unaware of that obviously due to my comatosed state.

Do you have an asthma plan and upcoming appointments with a respiratory team who can you can mention this to along with your gp? And the respiratory specialists/nurses can carry out full on lung function tests on you if necessary.

I'm guessing you have been prescribed inhalers and possibly steriods/montelukast?

Jasmine22 profile image
Jasmine22 in reply to Mijmijkey74

Oh goodness. I’m so sorry for what you’ve been through. I have an appointment with the respiratory nurse tomorrow, but obviously not sure how much help she will be.I’m taking fostair and salbutamol. I’ve been on steroids which end tomorrow. I have no intention of not having a full plan of action and everything I need going forward. This is just something else to add to my list of illnesses and it’s hit me hard.

Mijmijkey74 profile image
Mijmijkey74 in reply to Jasmine22

Thank you. I am pleased to read you have an appointment with a respiratory nurse tomorrow. Personally find the respiratory nurse I see at my gp practice very helpful and hopefully it will be the same for you.

Our circumstances are very similar in that I used to have horrendous chest infections during my childhood and into my 30's when my asthma was finally diagnosed. Like you I went to A&E but in the back of an ambulance having had a massive asthma attack at home when alone and lying dying on my hallway floor, somehow I managed to call an ambulance and was by that point able with a little support to walk into the ambulance myself. I have since 2018 managed to piece together a lot of what happened that day and the day before I always remembered. I have no memory of arriving at A&E however do know in the ambulance I was sat up and talking but struggling to breathe still, I was expecting the traditional A&E asthma/chest infection treatment of nebuliser/oxygen/steroids and to be sent home hours later having recovered enough to go home, however for me that time nothing was working and my breathing inside that majors and minors cubicle was deteriorating, I was becoming. dangerously hypoxic and my heart was doing over 200 bpm, I was going to die if they didn't intubated me, I was still relatively aware but becoming confused and extremely exhausted too. They told me they were going to intubate me and I remember them bagging me to keep the oxygen following. A nurse held my hand until I was completely out for the count. I wasn't going expected to survive and prior to being intubated made aware that I may not. l had requested complete honesty. I was told to fight and not to be afraid or feel scared that I was going to be very well looked after and cared for by lovely ICU staff and that I should close my eyes and think of my happiest memories, or somewhere I like to be and imagine myself there. l did struggle with that but summoned up a beautiful beach scene and and remembered the joy of the birth of my child. Upon being finally woken from my coma I learnt they thought I was going to die right there and then, and that they thought in the ambulance I was about to go into massive cardiac arrest and they initially in the ambulance thought I was having a heart attack, I also found out at home they suspected when I was dying on my hallway floor unable to breathe which I do remember that my heart had briefly stopped but rebooted itself. The day before I had been told over the phone to 111 in a call back from a triage nurse to go to A&E I was so poorly sounding, and I knew I was incredibly poorly and did expect to be kept in that night and treated overnight. However the male nurse that saw me was horrendous and as soon as he discovered I had depression is when he became horrendous towards me, he listened to my chest just rest his stethoscope on the outside of a a very baggy woolly jumper I was wearing not even touching my chest over. the jumper or under it, he started mocking me telling me my chest was clear there was nothing wrong with me to stop making things up, it was all in my head and to stop wasting his time as he had more seriously ill patients to deal with who were in cardiac arrest and for me to not come back. to the hospital again. He was so nasty. We were in. a cubical with a curtain drawn around us, outside of that there were some nurses at a trolly or work station desk, the male nurse walked off I said aren't you going to listen to my chest properly I was told to come here by a triage nurse who called me back, he said as he walked off for me to - JUST GO! And that he didn't need to listen to my chest as it was clear and there was nothing wrong with me. As he left the cubicle leaving me sat there dumbfounded and incredibly poorly he moved the cubicle curtain slightly to walk out and he didn't think I could see but I did because of how the curtain was and he was rolling his eyes at the nurses about me laughing about me whilst putting both fingers to his temples doing the finger swirling crazy sign about me to them! 😡 The thing is had he actually bothered listening to my chest he would have heard it rattling and heard that my heart was doing 200 plus beats per minute and that I was one of those cardiac patients he considered more important of his time than mine. Just hours later the next day in the dark early winter hours on a very dark windy eerie night I was on my hallway floor alone dying and my heart had briefly stopped. I was told after my coma by the cardiac team that ultimately the massive asthma attack saved my life despite it leading to me not being expected to survive it led to chest X ray being done and my biventricular heart failure being discovered unexpectedly. The cardiologiists told me my body was slowly shutting down as my heart was failing and that I would probably have gone to sleep one night soon "back then" and died in my sleep. I was already asthmatic and they think an unknown infection/virus was the cause of my heart failing on me and it may have triggered the massive asthma attack too, though. that may just have been coincidental. as the day before I had called 111 due to my asthma and struggling to breathe and had a horrendous cough. Fortunately when taken by ambulance the next day hours later to hospital well before I was intubated I had told them about the day before and the male nurse and I told them in ICU when getting a little better and when I was finally out of ICU way to early sent to the most horrendous ward still suffering with delerium and unable to walk as I recovered more in there I raised a complaint against that male nurse after encouragement to do so and someone came onto the ward to start the complaints proceedings off towards him. He got in trouble I know that and was reprimanded but how severely I don't know and I don't know his name either unfortunately to find out. His behaviour almost cost me my life. He should have admitted me. And that is what the 111 triage nurse was expecting to have been done as she could hear over the phone just how incredibly poorly I was. That next day in majors and minors my condition worsened to the point I became to critical to be moved without being intubated. That would not have happened had that male nurse done his job properly and effectively instead of mocking belittling and making crazy signs about me to nurses whilst they all laughed about me. I was quite literally at deaths door and needed urgent immediate treatment and he failed due to his ego and biast to treat me with professional care.

DaveW27 profile image
DaveW27

I have the same but have no idea why, sorry can't be any help but it would be great if someone has the answer

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