is anyone struggling to breathe even if the peak flow doesn't drop much? My best is 550 on Symbicort plus Spiriva and I find that the peak flow doesn't drop below 470-500 even if I struggle to breathe with tight and burning chest?
Sometimes even with confirmed chest infection and wheeze across chest as per stethoscope my peak flow sits at 500.
Anyone else knows why? Is it asthma or likely something worse like copd?...
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That's a question to ask yr dr re diagnosis.mine drops but as its low anyway,small drop makes a difference.i think everyone's different + pf is justv1 aspect.hope u r well x
Mine sits about 350 -380 and drops if I’m out of breath or wheezy Afraid I can’t answer your question. Hopefully your dr can help with an explanation. Good luck x
I used to be like that too but after starting to use Spiriva (or a LAMA) I find my peak flow is no longer representative of how things are with breathing
I have the same issue. My peak flow only drops a little but I can be struggling a lot. I've learnt to take notice and will tell Doctors that my peak flow isn't representative so they use my symptoms to diagnose infections.
Tight and burning chest? I would see your clinician as you may have fluid in the pleural cavity. Providing you lungs are in reasonable order and your ribs and diaphragm are OK then you may well manage a good peak flow but if it hurts that is a different problem.
I think it might be worth, as some of the others have suggested, to get another diagnoses. I have had this issue in the past - with Symbicort - and my lung consultant put me on Fostair a few years back, which really helped me in this area. My husband has had the same problem recently, with Symbicort and he switched to Fostair and has been better with it since. It will be different for everyone, I appreciate, but at some point Symbicort just stopped working for me and changing medication helped.
I actually switched from fostair to Symbicort 😃 but maybe I need another inhaler now. Whatever I take it's just not enough, I seem to be wanting a lot of steroids!
Your peak flow is much higher than mine at 310 but you may be a lot younger than me... I've turned 70.I go more by my oxygen sats (with pulsometer on finger)...
If its between 92% and 96% it's OK...
On moving about it often drops below 90% since I had pneumonia last summer.
I use Spiriva (Tiotropium?) which lets me breath better and able to lay flat...
I don't have any side effects from this.
My chest conditions are Asthma, COPD and bronchiectasis.
I wish you a smooth journey with your medication...
Yep I blow 550-600 ,Yet i get spells where basic tasks leave me breathless. 6 years ago I could walk 10 miles these last few years I get days where going upstairs is to much
I now have AF but many people do it seems very few get breathing issues like me
I have had lung x rays/ echo on the heart / ct scan
It's really interesting. Have they ever done a laryngoscopy with you? To check upper airways?
I'm planning to do one as consultant suspects ILO but what goes against that idea is that steroids are helping a lot during my breathlessness episodes.
But probably like you say if beta blockers help then it's some weird interaction thing between heart impulses and lungs. How good are you lung function tests?
there's no good or bad reading, it's all relative to the individual's normal reading and lung capacity. What's normal for one is bad for the other. And no, my condition is not mild, I'm under severe asthma clinic, suffering from chest infections every 3 weeks or so.
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