Hi
I was diagnosed with asthma about 8 years ago and have been on Fostair, Spiriva for the last 3yrs after trying a number of other inhalers and montelukast, but over the past year and half I have had chest infections every two months which has taken at least 2 course of antibiotics and steroids each time to clear until it starts all over again, I just wondered has anyone else been in the same position and has any advice please
Hi Arna95969909,
That sounds hard to deal with and is a lot of chest infections!
I think this is one you need to take to your GP to find out why this is happening so much. Point out it's not just a one off, it's happening a lot with not much of a gap in between!
It's also worth calling the helpline nurses before your appointment to see if they have any specific suggestions or questions to mention to your GP. The number is 0300 2225800 or WhatsApp on 07999 377 775 Monday-Friday 0915-5pm.
Thank you for this, yes I am in touch with my GP regularly and I am waiting to be seen by a specialist but I will contact the Nurses helpline
Yes! For me this went on for three years before a decent GP noticed and referred me to a consultant. During that time I also had pneumonia 5 times. Looking back it hadn't occurred to me that in seeing an emergency gp each time none of them would read previous notes on my medical records. Now I know better we gave to be proactive in learning about our own triggers & asthma and take precautions. For me that's keeping cold damp air away from my airways plus vitamins/minerals to boost immunity......oh and avoiding little grandchildrens snotty, germs and bugs. You really must sort this our with your GP. If s/he isn't helpful then see another one in the practice and as soon as possible
PS I now take a prescribed antibiotic from November to April on three days per week , this has helped enormously in preventing infections
Thank you for your reply it's so frustrating ☹️
Have you been referred to a specialist... I would ask for a dynamic chest ct to rule out TBM/EDAC .... the tell tale signs of which are unexplained breathlessness and/or constant (regular) chest infections
Yes I've been referred but I will mention this Ct thank you
I'd ask for a chest ct scan to check nothing else going on.have u been putting sputum samples in b4 antibiotics start to determine bug? If not,I'd clear it with Dr to do this & also few days after antibiotics to be sure it has actually gone
Hi
Agree with Patk1….
What bugs culture from your sputum?
Maybe you need a more targeted antibiotic?
Your GP should be checking this every time you get an infection, to see exactly what bacteria are causing you problems.
👍👍
Thank you
Hi Arna
I was diagnosed with asthma about 38 years ago and am also taking Fostair. I have had a similar experience. I had many chest infections over a period of 2 years. Ultimately I was having one about every 6 weeks. My GP after I demanded investigation eventually arranged for a CT scan and I was then diagnosed with a condition called Bronchiectasis. This a lung condition that causes the airways to widen and thicken leading to a build up of mucus. The mucus, if not cleared, can become infected in a similar way to Cystic Fibrosis. The treatment is to clear the mucus daily using a special technique taught by a respiratory physiotherapist.
I found that since I began this treatment about 9 months ago I have had not had any chest infections.
I am not suggesting that you have this condition but that an investigation of your issues is vital to discover a cause and find a treatment.
Thank you every piece of advice is appreciated
I was just like this and was diagnosed with bronchiectasis then changed hospitals and another ct scan and they said there was no sign of it. I have asthma and currently on biological injections which seem to be working well
Yes I was like this for a couple of years, but in the end realised it wasn't always a chest infection and it cleared up with just the steroids. I am now on biological injections and haven't needed steroids for 12 months now and no antibiotics either.Hope you get sorted 😊
Hi. Not much to add as it has all been covered. I find GPs or hospitals give you a short course of antibiotics that start to help but it never quite goes because I need two weeks and not 3 days of antibiotics. I hope you are able to sort it out and feel brighter soon. Oh and the flu jab.. could it mean less chest infections... I don't know if this would help. Just a thought. Take care.
hi. I've had asthma since childhood and for decades I've had constant chest infections every winter and spring. Catching respiratory infections from school mates and then workmates. Then lockdown came which had a massive silver lining for me in that I was well! Last winter I joined in with all the seasonal activities and got so ill I was threatened with hospitalization which I managed to escape by a hair's breadth. This year, I've had the usual flu and Covid vaccines and I've paid privately for the RSV and whooping cough vaccinations. I am on a self imposed lockdown and I am declining all activities that are indoors with little or no ventilation that involve a lot of people. I am finding other things to do such as outdoor swimming and going to a driving range, meeting friends at outdoor venues for a cuppa and walking. Not ideal but it's got to be done. I was started on a biologic 8 months ago so as this comprises immunity slightly, even more reason to do things differently. When I was working I couldn't have isolated myself like this, but now I can , I am ! If you can work from home and reduce viral load that way it could possibly help? I also keep my house warm and have humidifiers on as the dry, cold air is a trigger for me. I appreciate we are all different so this is just my way of dealing with winter respiritory infections. I hope you find something that works for you. Best wishes to you.
Sounds like you have covered. You have done well being vaxed with RSV and Whooping Cough. If I had known how bad Whooping Cough was and been told to vaccinate privately I would. How much was each vaccine privately?
Hi Allbranuser. I wasn't told to get the vaccinations for whooping cough and RSV. I researched if they were available privately and then I checked with my hospital team before I arranged to have them. The whooping cough was about £30.00 and the RSV was £270.00. Interestingly, my husband had a really nasty cold and cough a week or two ago (he doesn't usually pick up colds or respiratory infections). I would normally get it no matter how hard I tried to avoid it. However this time I didn't. Who knows why but it is of interest that I have ensured I'm vaccinated against as many viruses as I can be this year. So who knows 🤷♀️
Thank you. I like many including GP’s thought once you had Whooping Cough vax as a child you were protected. Only after catching WC have I realised this is wrong. RSV will have to save up!
yes. It's now said the whooping cough vaccine wears off over time. Definitely savoup for RSV! I've given up several things in order to pay for it but because I'm staying in over the winter I won't be spending any money so that helped with the cost. I think it's money well spent but that's just my opinion. Good luck with it all.
Last year I had 6 lots of anti biotics & steroids. I started in October & had one infection a month until March, when I was sent to A & E. The consultant put me on a longer course of steroids that decreased every three days. This finally seemed to work. I hooe you get it sorted out x
Masking and avoidance are literally the only ways to avoid colds/flu/rsv/covid etc in my opinion.
I agree. Hand washing and not touching your face at all too.
Has your GP offered you the pneumonia injection as this may help your immune system. I have a weak immune system due to ME/CFS and I know have to have my pneumonia injection every 5 years instead of every 10 to boot my immune system.
I was under the impression that the pneumonia vaccine was a once only jab?
It is for most people, but there’s a list of conditions with a recommendation to have it every five years - I’m coeliac, and that’s on the list.
It doesn’t seem to be very well known - at least not round here - the computer kept flagging me up as eligible for a pneumonia shot every time I had my flu jab, when we knew I’d already had one - wasn’t until the third year we worked out why!
It was my asthma consultant that organised a test for my immune system and he said I need the pneumonia injection every 5 years. I myself didn‘t know that you could have it more often I think it should be made known to people that some of us need it more often, and what/who is on the list that Singinglouder mentioned.
I agree. Even my asthma nurse at GP surgery said it was only ever needed once.
hi,
I had the same issue… I had 14-16 chest infections in one year, my GPs tried everything they could do. In the end, my GP referred me to respiratory at the hospital. I’ve been under them for 5 years, I’m now under 2 hospitals and my consultants are very good. They did all the scans and blood tests ect. I’ve had 1 infection in the last year and had quite a few further diagnoses while I’m under the consultants that explain some of it. They also placed me on antibiotics 3x a week over the winter, this is my second winter off of them.
It’s worth giving the GPs a bit of push.
Chest infections
Recurring chest infections and phlegmy cough
Fostair/chest infections
Recurrent chest infections 
