Tight chest/ache but peak flow about the same

[Fraggle1234]

Good morning,

I am looking for advise for my 16 year old daughter please. She has had asthma since she was 2 years old. For years she was using Clenil ( Quvar 50 in lockdown) and used Ventolins.

In Jan and Feb of this years she had a couple of mild asthma attacks which normally could be controlled after by increasing her Quvar 50 morning and night. However this time it didn't seem to improve things. She had an asthma and is now on a new inhaler and her peak flow reading are consistent. However she says that her chest feels tight (pretty much all the time) and it seems to be worrying her a lot. At first we thought it could be just because it had taken several weeks to find the right inhaler so maybe she need a bit more time to recover.

She has taken her ventolin to see if this helps, which it does a little. I ask her to do a peak flow before but again this is where we would normally expect to see it. There is no wheeze just this constant ache / tight chest.

Is this normal / is there anything else that can relieve this pain / are there any triggers that could be setting this off?

Any help would be much appreciated.

[Chip_y2kuk]

Pollen is terrible at the minute... however if its been going on for a while and doesn't appear to be going away it's probably time to call the doctor and be persistent for an appointment today.

I don't want to freighten the life out of you (but I'm going to) .... I once (more than once, but I'm stubborn) had chest pains/aches the first time I ignored it and it only got worse until i couldnt ignore it (i couldnt breathe very well either), the second or third time I got to my GP and he wasn't impressed; ventolin wasn't lasting 45 mins at that point and I had wheezing all over.

It could also be a chest infection, which doesn't always cause a massive/much drop of peak flow.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

Hi, do you mean her peak flow isn't improving after the Ventolin and it usually would? A tight chest (and it can be achy) can be from asthma - no wheeze needed. Might be an idea to get in to the GP in the next day or so as an urgent appt to see what's going on (and be firm on the lack of wheeze if you have to as sometimes they get hung up on it).

You could alongside that call the nurses on the helpline: 0300 222 5800 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm) WhatsApp helpline for asthma at 07999 377 775

If she starts feeling too breathless to speak, eat or sleep then ambulance/A&E.

[Patk1]

Welcome to the forum 👋

It maybe worth her using ventolin 5mins prior to steroid inhaler,to dilate Airways and hopefully better absorption of steroid/anti inflammatory,see if it helps.also, does she need to use salbutamol a bit more often while symptomatic,as per her individual asthma plan? We've found sometimes,it's back to basics + it's helped.but if continues aft cpl days,I'd speak to gp xxx

[peege]

Hi, all I can add is to please call the helpline from 9.15 on Wednesday morning for some professional guidance. I do hope your daughter gets sorted and soon poor thing. ×××

0300 222 5800 uk office hours

[Mushypea15]

No help whatsoever but I've been getting the same. My chest has been feeling feeling painful and tight but my peak flow is the same. My inhalers aren't relieving it and it hurts to take a deep breath. I had a bad asthma attack a week ago. I think it's just spasms for me but the less I worry about it, the less it hurts. I think on previous occasions when I've felt the tight painful chest with no other symptoms, I have been given steroids tablets for a few days and they have gotten rid of it.

[crille]

Hi, I think that you should get some expert advice for your daughter's condition. It is easy to get lost if you try by trial & error. All the best!

[Mandevilla]

I hardly ever wheeze - chest pain/tightness is how my asthma usually makes itself known.

Ring the helpline - they are brilliant. Even if you are planning on calling the doctor, I'd ring the helpline first (unless, of course, you need an urgent appointment) as they often have helpful advice on the best way of approaching the doctor to get the right results.

[Patk1 in reply to Mandevilla]

0300 222 5800

[76RL]

Has you ever had advice about antihistamines as they are very helpful, there are several on the market that the doctors have availability to for prescription. Plus as she has been treated for so long bless her I wonder if there is possibility that she maybe building some immunity to their effectiveness. Might be worth a chat to the GP or consultant. I wish you and your daughter well. 🙏🎨🤗

[76RL]

Has you ever had advice about antihistamines as they are very helpful, there are several on the market that the doctors have availability to for prescription. Plus as she has been treated for so long bless her I wonder if there is possibility that she maybe building some immunity to their effectiveness. Might be worth a chat to the GP or consultant. I wish you and your daughter well. 🙏🎨🤗

[LittleMissFaffALot]

I'm not going to disagree with any of the very sensible advice you've already been given here, but, I'm going to go a bit rogue. Are her symptoms definitely being caused by her asthma? You mention she's 16, is there any chance there's an element of anxiety / stress / worry about GCSEs etc? Only that you say the inhaler isn't helping much when it usually would and her peak flow is normal. Maybe something else to consider

[ellamental in reply to LittleMissFaffALot]

I was thinking anxiety as well. Lets face it.. not being able to breath on top of everything else would make anyone anxious! I don't really have much to add as everyone has covered it really. I would see a GP as it must be awful to have chest pains and asthma meds not working as they have in the past.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to LittleMissFaffALot]

I'm not sure if this is foolproof but I have an idea that tight chest related to anxiety is located differently and feels different? I'd say at the front and higher up, or some people feel it like a band, but I can't be sure someone with asthma doesn't feel it this way so it's not perfect! And of course someone could have a mix of anxiety and asthma.

But Fraggle1234, may be worth a discussion with your daughter about how exactly it feels and whether it feels like her asthma usually does or something else. I think we as patients don't get or give ourselves enough credit about our perceptions here. It's not perfect but I do think when we're used to asthma we have an idea of what feels like asthma and what doesn't.

I always feel an asthma tight chest around bra strap kind of level, and it feels like a snake squeezing me, or a tight corset, or someone squishing my ribs from the sides with giant hands. Other people say it feels like an elephant sitting on them. I personally find with asthma it's a later symptom and shows things are more intense, but may be different for others.

This post looks at some of the differences and overlaps between asthma, anxiety, and breathing pattern disorder (also a possibility and often confused with, and experienced alongside, asthma and/or anxiety but not the same thing.) healthunlocked.com/asthmalu...

[Fraggle1234]

Thank you for all your replies, this has been very helpful. She is going through her exams at the moment, so there is potentially an element of anxiety involved.

She does also have hay fever, so will ensure she keeps on top of taking her antihistamines. She has a spiro test next week (following on from the issues earlier this year and changing inhalers) so will have a good chat with the asthma nurse then too.

Thank you again.