Hi everybody, just reaching out to see if anyone has any information that may be of help to me.
I was diagnosed with COPD in 2015 and have been managing fine till this year. I was put on the shielding list as I also have other co morbidities that according to NICE means my COPD is classed as severe. I’m may I had my 1st telephone appointment with the copd clinic and they arranged for blood tests for allergies as I’m really suffering when it gets hot, chest X-ray and chest CT scan. In the middle of July I had my follow up telephone appointment and the consultant confirmed that I do have allergies which he thought was either hay fever or asthma and the CT scan confirmed that my COPD was more widespread than they first thought and due to this I wouldn’t be offered Kung reduction surgery as it wasn’t confined to just one section of my lungs and there was widespread smaller pockets of copd present. He arranged for me to have a lung function test at the hospital.
Today I had my lung function test and although I wasn’t able to get the scores as he said he would have to do all the calculations before writing to my consulting he did confirm that I did have asthma as well as copd, at one stage he stopped the testing as he could tell that my chest was getting tight and stopped the test so that he could give me the nebuliser earlier. He said there was an improvement after the nebuliser which confirmed the diagnosis of asthma. He stated that my copd was moderate to borderline servere with the asthma too.
So my question is anyone else in the same boat with having both copd and asthma and will my treatment and medication change. At present I take ventolin and fostair nexhaler and also carbocistene tablets. The consultant did say I’m July that he would request my gp to also prescribe spirivera inhaler but my doctors haven’t received the request as yet.
Thank you in advance to anybody who replies it so very much appreciated.
Thanks Dawn x
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Happy321
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I don't have asthma, but regarding your consulting advising your surgery about spiriva I would chase that up, phone up the consultants secretary about this.
Also if you are not already prescribed anti histamine, ask consultants secretary about this too since allergies were suggested and also safety with other meds etc. or just ask your GP about them, I do find personally citirizine (prescribed) makes me really sleepy so I am purchasing the Loratadine myself as I need them. Allergies definitely do exacerbate symptoms.
Thank you for replying it’s really appreciated. I did ring the consultant secretary on Friday as apparently my consultant is know for taking too long to write to doctors to implement medication changes.
I didn’t even think that king reduction operation would have been an option so was surprised when the consultant said I wouldn’t be able to have it now .
I will either ask my consultant or doctor about prescribing antihistamines or specifically one that I can purchase over the counter that won’t contradict my other conditions and meds.
Hi Dawn, I am slightly different I have bronchiectasis, severe asthma. I was first diagnosed with COPD and asthma, my consultant has taken off COPD from my diagnosis. I take airfluesal which is the equivalent to sirdupla or serivent. I take Spiriva which helped and ventolin. Montelukast for inflamation, carbocistine and Azithromycin. Azithromycin I think, correct me if I am wrong, is for bronchiectasis. I hope others can help with the medication who are exactly the same as you.
It is such a shame you couldn’t have the lung reduction operation. Lets hope you are prescribed the spiriva quickly as it should help you, and anything else which may help also.
Thank you taking the time to reply it’s very much appreciated. Glad your medications are helping I think that’s half the battle is finding something that works. Fingers crossed I won’t have to wait too long for the spiriva to be added to my meds. I’ve only had a nebuliser twice , once when I had a severe chest infection which led me to being diagnosed with copd and yesterday and I found that really helped with relieving any symptoms that I had yesterday . Not sure whether they offer them to many people now I know my mum used a nebuliser and she had severe asthma and used to suffer with bronchitis and it used to be a great help with my mum.
Hi Dawn, I have severe COPD and Asthma and this year have had hay fever....probably due to shielding and spending lots of time outdoors!
My inhalers are, ventolin, Symbicort and Spiriva and I also take Uniphyllin (theophylline) tablets twice daily. When I was first diagnosed and prescribed Spiriva and Symbicort, they gave me huge relief to symptoms. I’d definitely chase up the request from your consultant. Having said that, I think I waited about 6-7 weeks to receive my follow up letter from my consultant as they are fairly backed up. Worth a call though 😊
Thank you Lynne for taking the time to reply I really appreciate it. I contacted the consultant secretary on Friday and they have emailed the consultant as he is working from home at the moment, so hopefully I will get something soon. The pulmonary physio did tell me last week that this consultant needs chasing regarding letters as he’s known for taking ages.
I’m sorry that you have both too I always thought it was one or the other and not that you could have both. My daughter has asthma , hay fever and eczema and my mum was severely asthmatic So unfortunately it does run in my family.
Hopefully they won’t change my meds too much as I’m happy with the ones that I am on as they do seem to work although my gp keeps cancelling my ventolin prescription as apparently I use it too much !!!
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the consultant send the letter soon.
At the moment it’s hard to do what’s best as my gp and consultant are giving conflicting advice. My doctors are saying use the fostair as a preventive measure but also as a reliever as and when I need it and my consultant is saying to use the ventolin as a reliever which is what it is for then if that don’t work or I’m still breathless then use the fostair as a reliever. So I am hoping that the spiriva will make all the difference when I get it.
I was diagnosed with Asthma about 10 years ago, and was using Relvar; I was diagnosed with COPD last November, but had to change my inhaler recently as the Relvar wasn't working. I now have Spiolto Respimat, along with Salamol easy breath.
The Spiolto Respimat seems to help more than the Relvar did, but it's difficult to tell at the moment as I seem to be suffering from post-viral symptoms after have the Covid virus back in March; some days are not too bad, but on other days my breathing is difficult and chest feels tight.
Thank you for taking the time to reply. I’m sorry that you Have had covid and that you are still suffering the effects of the virus. Hope you get better soon and start to not to have to struggle so much with your chest being tight and difficulty in breathing xx
I have relvar and Incruse inhalers in the morning (and ventolin to use as and when), antihistamine (Cetirizine) once a day and montelukast.
This year my hay-fever has been the worst for years which hasn't helped. I understand this is also a problem for the general population and thought to be brought about by the changes in pollution levels.
I find that I am worst when the ozone level is higher in this area.
It might help you to sign upm for Air Alert messages and also check the DEFRA air quality site as I have found that shows pollution by post code and is as near to me as 1 mile.
I can't remember now how I signed up for Air Alerts but I think you will find it on Google without any trouble.
Thank you for replying it’s much appreciated sorry you are also struggling when it’s hot my breathing is definitely worse when it’s hotter and it’s a struggle to keep the breathing under control.
I have fans everywhere trying to keep cool. But there have been times where I’ve just laid in my bed as my feet and ankles have swelled and I need to keep them elevated and my breathing becomes erratic.
As for checking the air quality my pulmonary physio signed me up to the new app for copd called my health it’s a really good program all the people involved in my care can access it and add notifications, change my meds etc and I then record all the times I have used each medication and I can also watch videos for inhaler techniques and breathing excersies to help with breathing techniques. There’s loads on there and it also has a section for air quality and weather for my area so I do tend to check that daily to see what the air quality is. I’m not sure how long they ha e been using this app but I was given access to it as the pulmonary rehabilitation is closed at the moment so that are using this app instead, my area was given access to 100 of the apps to give to people that they feel may Benicia from it, I’m finding it really helpful . Xx
Hi! The App sounds really good. I wonder if they are going to roll it out for everyone. Will keep an eye on that!
Yes this heat is getting to us all, I think, even those with no lung conditions are finding it a bit much. It's the sort of heat you usually get when you fly off somewhere into the sun and don't have to do anything but lounge by the pool! Difficult for those who are still having to work and I pity the poor folk in masks and visors all day.
I don't blame you for lying down - it's the only thing to do sometimes, isn't it?
Hi Happy I have severe emphysema and asthma. I was diagnosed with emphysema about 25/30 years ago and then diagnosed with asthma as well a few years later. I take Bricanyl, Spiriva and Symbicort daily. I also have a nebulizer (supplied by NHS) and I use ventolin in it when my chest is very tight or I have a chest infection. I would definitely chase up the Spiriva as it is a great help. I don’t normally have a cough or any phlegm except when I have an infection. I cannot take Carbocisteiene as I react badly to it. I hope this helps please feel free to get in touch if I can help you further. Barbs x
Thank you for taking the time to reply it’s useful that everyone Is giving the details to their meds as then if the ones that I’m on aren’t working I will know of different names that people have found helpful and be able to ask my doctors about them if necessary. What I have noticed from the reply that I have had is that spiriva seems to be quite a good inhaler and others have found it very useful. Xx
Thank you for your reply I agree with you that once you get a combination of inhalers / medication that work then that’s half the battle. I am happy with the fostair it is working and I like the nexhaler rather than a normal inhaler and you know that you are getting a full dose as you get the powder at the end that shows that you have had a dose my ventolin is the same I can’t remember what that ones called but you suck rather than push down and use the spacer. Mine I just open and suck and then same as the fostair I get powder indicating that I have had a full dose. I have these ones as I have limited movement/strength in my hands so these are better for me.
Hopefully when they ad stage spiriva then I will see a marked improvement. Xx
Reading the comments it does seem to be that it is quite a regular occurrence my copd nurse and the doctors has always said it’s either copd or asthma and has never hinted that some people may have both. Thank you for your reply. X
Hello thank you for your reply. I was diagnosed with copd after a prolonged chest infection that wasn’t controlled as my doctors didn’t have an appointment for 3 weeks and I ended up going to our Walk in centre as I couldn’t breathe i couldn’t even speak enough to tell the receptionist my name.
The this year when it’s become really hot my breathing Deteriorates and I get chest pains it was quite frightening the 1st time it happened. I also have the Nasel spray which I use twice a day x
Understanding the difference between asthma and COPD will go a long way in improving the quality of life. COPD is a neutrophilic disorder and they respond well to LABA and LAMA (Spiriva) drugs. Asthma is an eosinophilic disorder and they respond well to inhaled corticosteroids (ICS). The modern (Trimbow) inhaler contains all of them so that it works for both asthma and COPD but you have to optimize them according to your requirement.
while the COPD exacerbation happens gradually the Asthma exacerbation can happen suddenly. So, If you have asthma and COPD you should also know the difference between maintenance drug (LABA)(fostair) and rescue drug (SABA)(Bricanyl, Ventolin).
Thank you for your reply the issue that I’m having is a doctor that says I’m only to use the ventolin when nothing else works and if I do feel that I need to use the ventolin for relieving my symptoms then I’m to use the fostair as a reliever inhaler and if that don’t work then I’m to use the ventolin, my consultant wasn’t happy with this advice and he is going to add in his letter that they have to stop cancelling my ventolin inhaler and I’m to use that as and when I’m breathless or if my chest is tight etc and if that don’t work then I’m to use the fostair as a reliever inhaler. So different advice from the 2 main doctors involved in my care . So fingers crossed that the spiriva gets added soon and that it works.
Dear Happy, I was diagnosed with COPD and asthma and did everything my doctors told me to do: the preventive inhaler twice a day, the emergency when I started wheezing while skiing, running, or cleaning, and it almost killed me! For 2 years I was catching a cold, had a cold, or getting over a cold, with a chronic cough. Finally I was bedridden just coughing up white foam for several months. I decided to go off everything and protect myself from my triggers. I wore a scarf across my nose and mouth, cotton or silk or linen on warm days and on airplanes to filter out pollution/dust, a thin merino wool scarf in winter to warm up the air I was breathing in. It took about 3 months before I could feel my lungs getting stronger, I could take deep breaths and blow out hard without coughing for the first time in 2 years, I could jog again without having a coughing attack. And that’s how it’s been going for 10 years. I know I still have it bc if I breathe in cold air for more than 3 breaths I get a heavy feeling in my chest and start wheezing. Exposure to the tiniest amount of dust sends me into a coughing attack. You’re actually lucky with your timing bc I looked like a weirdo walking around with my lower face covered but now masks are normal. I do recommend you get a thin spun silk (stretchy silk) mask that you can breathe through really well. The covid masks just prevent droplets from another person getting on your face - they don’t really filter the air - the air you’re breathing is mostly coming in from the sides of the mask. The stretchy silk mask will actually filter the air, and it will be comfortable enough to even wear around the house when you’re sweeping, or taking things down from a high shelf that might be dusty, changing sheets on the bed, shaking out dirty laundry, etc. all things that create particles that start an asthma attack. So I’m in favor of preventing your triggers rather than taking drugs that may or may not enable your body to deal with triggers. Just one other thing, after a few months when your lungs have rested a bit, you’ll want to push to your limit sometimes, like walk really fast until you’re breathing heavily, because you need to get in good enough shape that running up a flight of stairs isn’t really hard for you and doesn’t make you breath heavily which is a trigger. You want to get in good enough shape that normal daily activities, or whatever the things you like to do are, don’t make you breathe heavily anymore. I push myself to where I’m breathing heavily for 5 minutes but then pull back otherwise I definitely have an attack, it gets hard to breathe, violent coughing for an hour, phlegm ... Avoid and prevent the triggers: strenuous exercise, cold air, car exhaust/air pollution, and dust. Oh, and unfortunately, laughing really hard and very spicy food also trigger asthma attacks for me. In laughing you have a forceful exhalation and rapid inhalation from your mouth and that’s a trigger for asthma. Good luck!
Thank you for your reply at the moment the only trigger I’ve noticed is the heat as that what makes my breathing worse but then I haven’t been anywhere for the last 41/2 months as I was shielding. As for running upstairs etc any strenuous activity is a no go for me unfortunately as I have mobility issues and have a hip replacement which has really limited my activities as it’s worse now then when I had arthritis in that hip. I also have widespread arthritis all over my body. I don’t tend to go upstairs at home if I can help out as when I knew I was getting surgery for my hip it was initially going to be a knee replacement I converted my dining room into a bedroom and added an en-suite with a shower to aid my recovery from the surgery. Which had obviously had a Knock on effect to my breathing As I had the surgery a year before being diagnosed with copd.
I am finding Normal household activities are leaving me breathless I hoovered yesterday and my breathing afterward was really bad, things like bending up and down outing things in the washing machine/ dryer are leaving me breathless also . Bit hopefully I can find happy medium to help control my breathing. X
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