Asthma?

[Tavuzzi]

I was diagnostic with lung infection and took 12 days of antibiotics (5 days amoxicilin 7 days clarithromycin) the mucus did go away, I've never had fever or felt tired. After this the only thing that I feel is a wheezing when I take deep breaths. The doctor told me to try inhalers a brown one for prevention and a blue one in case I feel breathless. The thing is : I never felt breathless or with a pressure/pain on my chest, is only the wheezing. This is the first time I got sick (really, it's also the first time I took antibiotics in my adult life) I never smoked and i do exercises. Can a 'health' person develope asthma like this? Also, when I'm wheezing am I having an asthma attack?

Thank you and all the best to everybody.

[donewithasthma]

Hi Tavuzzi. I am sorry you're struggling with this. Have you had an asthma challenge test? It's called a Methylcoline Challenge Test and it will determine if you have an airway problem. Perhaps that would be the next step to determining the root of your difficulty. I have wheezing with asthma but only when I get a bad cold that won't resolve. To fix that, I take a tapering dose of Prednisone + an antibiotic + Atrovent, Pulmiciort, and Ventolin as a rescue inhaler as needed. I do not have chest tightness.

Best wishes to you.

[Tavuzzi in reply to donewithasthma]

Thank you for replying. I haven't done any test yet, the doctor prescribe me inhalers to check... but even when I'm wheezing when I puff the blue inhaler it don't see to go away, and I have wheezing almost every day, it makes me so annoyed, I don't have anything else, just the wheezing, when I don't have wheezing I can practice exercises normally, I run and i'm fine, I don't know what causes my wheezing, probably some allergy, I noticed that at work the air conditioner makes me wheezing. I'll book an appointment and request exams. Thank you and all the best.

[donewithasthma in reply to Tavuzzi]

Hi Tavuzzi: There is a blood test that will tell your respirologist if you have allergic asthma. It's called IgE. In addition to Pulmonary Function Tests and a Challenge Test, blood should be drawn for IgE. This should provide your specialist with a more complete picture than just throwing inhalers at the problem. I was hospitalized in November for a severe cough and wheezing although my chest never got tight. On a regular basis, however, I inhale Atrovent, Pulmicort, and Ventolin as a rescue should I need it.

[Hidden]

Hi Tavuzzi, As you are a normally healthy non smoker it may be that you had a virus which then developed into a secondary bacterial infection ( the mucus). Which your doc treated with antibiotics. Viruses can leave a type of wheeze that seems to go on and on. I have just had one.

I suggest that you keep an eye on yourself. If the wheeze hasn’t resolved in a few weeks go back to your doctor and insist on proper investigations, not random treatments with inhalers etc which are specific to diagnosed respiratory problems and can do harm if used long term in healthy people who don’t need them. I do hope that you feel better soon.

[Tavuzzi in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for replying. I'm sick since April :/ The infection did go away but the wheezing still here. I don't thing I have asthma as I can run normally, and don't feel breathless, but I don't know things, maybe I have allergic asthma.. I'll book an appointment and request some test, let's see if they will accept my request as I seem fine..I did request a referral to see a private specialist but they didn't provide me as they think I'm fine... But I need to know if I have asthma or not.. anyway. Thank you and all the best.

[Hidden in reply to Tavuzzi]

If you want to see an asthma specialist to confirm whether or not you have asthma you do not have to pay to go private. Your GP cannot refuse to refer you whether you decide to go NHS or private. They haven’t resolved your problem nor have they been able to answer your questions. Find the specialist that you want to go to on the internet. Take the name to your GP and INSIST!

This way you will have answers. If you have asthma it will be treated. If you do not have asthma you will find out why you are still wheezing.

I’m afraid that we have to be our own advocates and very vociferous in sourcing the treatment we need. I do hope that you get to the bottom of this.

[Superzob in reply to Hidden]

Sounds like good advice. If this was a serious infection, then the immune system will have destroyed quite a lot of the respiratory system and it will take some time to repair (which is why people get sore throats and coughs for weeks after a URTI). It is certainly possible for an infection to trigger an auto-immune or allergic response, but the lack of reversibility with Salbutamol does seem to make asthma unlikely. Given that Tavucci is otherwise fit and healthy, I suspect that this will correct itself in time.