My daughter is constantly in and out of ED unable to breath with asthma and stridor she is currently on steroids and doxycycline

[Taekwondo]

My daughter has a long history of problems related to her breathing when she gets to the emergency department she has 100% oxygen yet she is struggling with a tight chest this sometimes turns into stridor which after having nebs seems to go after about an hour. Doctors often say its anxiety that causes her breathlessness bit this is something that comes on slowly over days/weeks before it turns into a situation where she needs nebs. Can anyone help the doctors have said the stridor is inducible laryngeal obstruction where he vocal cords close but it's clearly asthma as usually the salbutamol inhaler works up to a point . Sorry for long post but at a loss and doctors seem clueless so wonder if anyone had similar to this

[Hidden]

Hi Taekwondo, I have had some terrible breathing problems over the last couple of years, I have emphysema though, one of the problems I have had which sounds very similar even familiar is the high oxygen but struggling to breathe, took some time to work it out, the problem was in my diet, 2 things were happening, one was reflux, this can actually cause bronchospasm and asthma like symptoms, my second problem was food allergy/ intolerance, I have problems breathing if I eat Soya or anything that contains the stuff, just ideas for you, try notice if things get worse after eating certain foods, we can have intolerances to all kinds of foods, even deodorants or washing powders can cause us breathing problems, all worth thinking about, I really hope you get things sorted for your daughter soon...

[NLGA in reply to Hidden]

that’s very interesting

[eleanordigby]

Just to say, oxygen saturation is usually irrelevant in asthma, which affects the large airways, whereas the oxygen transfer happens in the very small ones. Unless she has a severe attack lasting many hours, her sats are unlikely to drop, so the fact she’s at 100% doesn’t mean it’s not asthma.

[Troilus]

Hi Taekwondo, Yes and no. The only time I have experienced stridor is when I choke on nothing/ swallow the wrong way when I am not eating or drinking on anything. A good thump on the back tends to stop it. I sometimes have a dry cough following it which salbutomol sorts out. It only happens rarely but is very frightening . I do have asthma but the two things are not related in my mind.

How old is your daughter? Has she ever been tested for asthma? Do you keep a record of her peak flow? Does she have a preventer inhaler?

Sorry for all of the questions. If you do keep are record of her peak flow I would mark on when she has ended up in trouble and see if there is a pattern. If there is show this to your GP. Explain what is happening and ask what your daughter can take to prevent this happening again.

If you don’t keep a peak flow chart then start one. If her peak flow starts to drop visit the GP and ask what you can do to stop it dropping further. (An action plan if you like)

I mention this because you say you can see these episodes building. Sometimes the medical profession don’t take us at our word and prefer to have numbers to work from.

Another thing that crossed me mind is, is it possible that bronchospasm can induce laryngeal obstruction ? Worth asking the question?

[knitter]

hi , I have three asthmatic daughters , my late mother had asthma too , as do I

My three daughters are much better now ….they had allergy tests . …allergic to cats , dogs , horses , small mammals , grass , pollen and some nuts. Cleaning products , air fresheners exacerbate too. Birch pollen affects me .

My wheezy grandmother came out in hives if she ate eggs , and she kept chickens !

My cousins got stridor with croup.

I have made the stridor noise a few times with really bad asthma attacks.

Some asthma medications make my chest tighter , so it’s been trial and error to find one that works .

Has your daughter had allergy tests ?

A spirometer test before and after Ventolin

Does she use a preventer ….I am better with a single steroid preventer rather than a combination one .

Anxiety , breathlessness , anxiety can get into a cycle …anyone would get anxious if they had breathing difficulties . Has she tried gentle , gentle nose breathing with relaxed diaphragm and belly at other times…meditation exercises to calm . At the same time you have to keep awareness of when she needs help.

Gentle , gentle nose breaths to help prevent hyperventilation …nose breathing to help warm and filter the air .

Peak flow chart , …I used to make a graph of the results to try and find a pattern .

Sputum test to see if antibiotics working .

Sending best wishes .

[Hidden]

Why don't you get your daughter to a specialist consultant in difficult asthma. Each time she goes to the ED she will be seen by whichever doctor is on duty. Their job is to patch her up and get her out of there. They are by no means respiratory experts. Neither are GPs. She needs specialist help in order to manage this. Look for one, take the name to your GP and insist on a referral. We really do have to be pro active in our own interests and vociferous in sourcing the right treatment.

[Caspiana]

Littlepom is right. The emergency room are only there to get her through for a couple of hours. To get to the root of it and gain some kind of control she needs to see a specialist on a regular basis. I am so sorry for your difficulties. Take care.

[Patk1]

Such a worry 4u.there are controlled pursed lips breathing technique which do open the vocal chords - pls do read up and u can practise with her.anxiety adds to any breathing problem.itll help her to remain calmer too.she does need to be seen by a specialist and a camera put in to assess probs in throat x

[poppit1946]

I have had the same but they sent me to lung function test and now I have to learn to breath differently. All good still use inhalers but not so often nebs now

[Ergendl]

Further to mymouse's reply, my late husband Bob developed problems with bleached flour products and cows milk products in his 60s. Flour worsened his asthma, milk made him swell up. We identified it after a stay on Rhodes in the 1980s where flour was golden and milk was from sheep or goats, and he dropped about 8 inches from his waist in a 2 week holiday.