Is my peak flow at 700 good or bad? I’m 5”10 13 stone.

[Lee_vee11]

Hi, I have bad anxiety at the moment due to being unwell with dry cough and not breathing great. My peak flow is 700 is that bad or?

[Graham07allen]

Thats very good, how old are you

[Lee_vee11 in reply to Graham07allen]

Thanks I’m 32, but as I said I’m struggling with very dry cough and irritation on the airways I’m taking lufrobec but it isn’t helping much.

[Graham07allen in reply to Lee_vee11]

Yeah 700 is geed for 32 mate, sounds like you might have silent reflux, iv had it for years, always clearing my throat

[Lee_vee11 in reply to Graham07allen]

how do I treat that mate?

[Bevvy in reply to Lee_vee11]

Go to your gp. IF you have silent reflux there is medication that can ease it.

[JazzySalmon in reply to Lee_vee11]

Luforbec caused me dry cough and irritation and the worst asthma attack of my life. Turns out it exacerbates my asthma and I needed to be switched off it immediately. Definitely see a doctor if you're struggling.

My peak flow is 350 at best lol but I am a 5'5" woman.

[Lee_vee11 in reply to JazzySalmon]

350? Haha wow

[DollyDutchGirl in reply to Lee_vee11]

I’m a 79 year old woman, who weighs in at 9stone 6lbs and stands at impressive 5ft 1 and a bit inches tall…. My peak flow at its very, very best (which isn’t often), is also 350..!! Pretty good eh Lee_vee11…😂🤣

BTW, being changed from Fostair 200/6 to Luforbec really made my Asthma super twitchy and, fortunately, my asthma nurse immediately changed me back to Fostair 200/6 - stating that the inhaler should not be changed without consulting my respiratory clinic consultant (who is on record as saying Fostair 200/6 has been the only inhaler to keep my Asthma steady, along with numerous ‘add ons’.) She also made a note on my records; ‘DO NOT CHANGE FROM FOSTAIR 200/6’

[Graham07allen]

There is no cure as such, just heal over time and get into a life style where you can manage it, look at videos of it on you tube and hear from other people who have it. Anxiety will pass and you will start living again

[SuziElley]

700??? Wow! Mine is 350-400 on a good day!

[ellamental]

700 is really good. Mine at best is around 400. Has been aa kow as 50. Ithi k drinkinglots if water might help the irritation the meds mght be causing. GP should be able to try a different med. hope you feel better soon.

[Superzob]

Hope this helps

PF graph

[Lee_vee11 in reply to Superzob]

700 isn’t even on that chart? Haha

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

Peak flow is individual. Your best is based on your height, age, and sex, and other individual factors. For example if someone was a committed athlete or a tuba player in a brass band as a teenager, their best is probably higher than predicted - even for someone with severe asthma. An ex-smoker might have a lower best even if they don't have any respiratory issues.

So 700 sounds pretty good but it still needs to be taken in context, just like 250 might sound low in comparison but isn't bad for a person whose best is 280. Peak flow is also just part of the picture.

This post on peak flow might help healthunlocked.com/asthmauk...

And this one on anxiety and asthma: healthunlocked.com/asthmauk...

Both are a few years old but still relevant (just more COVID chat than you'd get now).

[Mandevilla]

It doesn't matter if your peak flow is good or bad compared to other people - what is important is to know what your 'normal' peak flow is, and also if it tends to vary when you are poorly.

For me, peak flow is a very good indicator. I'm reliably 550 when my asthma is well controlled. Anything much below 530 and I know I'm headed for trouble. But for other people, they could be really poorly and their peak flow would still be unchanged.

It also helps to know what is normal for you as you may not fit the 'average' reading. It took me years for my asthma to be diagnosed, and every time I went into A&E with breathing difficulties, they'd do a peak flow and comment that it was a 'little' down from average but nothing to worry about. But I now know that my 'normal' is well above the average for my age and height (550 instead of 420!), so I can tell them that what they think is a 'little' low is actually VERY low for me.

[Lee_vee11 in reply to Mandevilla]

My best is 800 and I’m blowing 700 which shows that I’m not good. As I have a bad cough and Tight chest.

[Poshcards]

my peak flow is around 250 so 700 is amazing x

[Birthday60]

Sounds fine for your age, gender and height...try steam bowl and check out some breathing exercises as some prolonged coughing can be a habit strangely

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Birthday60]

Hi, can you please be careful about recommending steam inhalations as they can be asthma triggers for some people. May be fine for some but not for others. And especially if someone is already struggling, best not to find out it's a trigger and add to the problems they're already having.

Obviously different for those who already know it's fine for them and have already addressed everything else, including any asthma treatment needed.

[Dilly1958 in reply to Lysistrata]

Plain water steam was recommended by Asthma UK

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Dilly1958]

For treatment of phlegm clearance, yes. But it can still be an asthma trigger, which ALUK do mention on their complementary therapies page: asthmaandlung.org.uk/sympto...

Admittedly, the asthma trigger part should perhaps be mentioned on both pages (asthmatics can need phlegm clearance too). But I also wanted to flag it here, as not everyone is aware it can be a trigger.