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Strange breathing.

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My daughter's breathing is loud not wheezy, but loud enough to be able to hear clearly when the TV isn't on. She had a doctors appointment this evening and got told that her airflow is nearly non-existent towards the bottom of her lungs and is complaining that she can't empty her lungs properly; when she says she manages to, she coughs a lot with it. She doesn't appear to be in any sort of distress with breathing, but it looks strange; the skin around her lower neck appears to be indented when she inhales and her chest seems to get pulled in and her ribs become visible. She has no blueness at all and she refuses to go get checked over again, even though she says her chest is really tight. Her pulse is a bit fast, and her blood pressure is low, which she assures me is normal when she's had her blue inhaler. Does it sound like something we can wait out till tomorrow, or does it need seeing to tonight? She refuses to go to A&E on a Friday night when I say it myself. Hope if someone else says she needs checking out, it may convince her otherwise..

Thank you.

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32 Replies

Didn't like to leave this without a reply - yes I think it would be worth going to A&E. I wouldn't have thought she would be able to sleep if her chest is that tight anyway? I thought that tugging around the throat and ribs was one of the warning signs that needed to be checked out urgently...

Oh please go to A & E even if you have to drag her kicking and screaming, this really doesn't sound right. Life is precious, and she sounds poorly, please tell her not to risk her health not worth the trauma and worry should she lose control of the situation.

i hope you have taken her to be seen by now... if you havent please do...

it may not be asthma related but another respiratory illness like chest infection but those are signs of inadequate/ strange breathing. please get her checked out and hope she is okay :)

take care

xxx

yaf_user681_15459 profile image
yaf_user681_15459

How are things? How's your daughter doing? I agree with the others that she needs to be seen ASAP as it sounds like she has quite pronounced recession going on.

Please let us know how she is.

Take care,

Emily

Thank you for the replies.

She took herself off around 2am after waking up short of breath and with tightness, ended up on back to back nebulisers and oxygen. She got discharged around half an hour ago, as a parent, I feel as if she has been discharged too early. She is saying she can't breathe out properly, complaining of a burning pain across the top of her chest and has a nasty dry chesty cough, which is causing her to nearly vomit. I know professionals are meant to know best, but she doesn't seem right..

Thank you again.

take her back...if you are at all concerned. If that is not possible ring upOOH doctors, NHS direct or the A and E department and ask for advice explaining all your concerns...sometimes they can discharge too quickly and you end up going back. I have had this happen a couple of times. Was she seen by medical team or just A and E docs...? I find medics seem to be much more knowledgable and cautious and would have in that situation with me kept me in...

As a parent you have every right to be concerned have just asked my mum who us with me today and she said even at my age she still worries about me...

She had a severe attack about 6 weeks ago, her oxygen levels wouldn't stay higher than 93%, she got admitted at midnight, and was discharged at 8:30 the next morning, ended up in resus with 83% oxygen levels 25 hours later unable to breathe with coughing. She is stubborn with it, would rather struggle at home than get any help. Will ring NHS direct as she has vomited through coughing and seems unable to catch her breath afterwards.

Again, thank you.

Sorry I'm late coming into this post - I hope that your daughter has finally gotten the help that she so obviously needs. Please keep us informed.

Thinking of you both.

Rach. xx

I rung NHS direct, who put me through to our local out of hours surgery, who have said she could be waiting up to 6 hours for transport, and to ring for ambulance and go to A&E if anything (even slightly) changes between now and then.

Thank you for the replies, I shall continue updating if anyone is interested?

yaf_user681_15459 profile image
yaf_user681_15459

Thinking of you both x

how is emma doing?

x x x

angievere profile image
angievere

Hi Emma's mum, Sorry but I have come in on this late, and very sorry to hear about Emma. She certainly has a tough time of it. I hope things have improved. Thinking of you and please let us know how things are going.

She ended up in A&E as she had strict rules (if she had to use inhaler more than 4 times in an hour, then back to A&E it was for her) got xrays done, found out she has a nasty infection in the bottom of her left lung, got a course of antibiotics. If she ends up in A&E again with her breathing while she's on them, she needs admitting to keep an eye on her, as she can get unwell with chest infections. Out of hours doctors was treating her as if she had an infection, doctor she saw in the A&E said that her chest sounded clear in terms of infection, but sent her for xray anyway. She's had a lot of infections and a lot of antibiotics over the last 6 weeks, but hasn't coughed anything weird coloured up. Is this normal when had a lot of infections?

I hope Emma is feeling better, poor thing.

some people dont always have temp with inf or cough up anything nasty, whilst others do

x

Thank you.

She has been treated in hospital 5 times since just before christmas because of infections. Personally, I think its due to her not coughing anything up, or having any symptoms other than sleeping a bit more than normal. She's not happy about having another infection as all her recent ones have led to admission as it triggers her asthma. She's having a few difficulties breathing at the minute but refuses to get checked over as she has a college interview and had to rearrange it because of an infection and hospitalisation. This is the third time she's had treatment for a chest infection since the 15th of may, she's had pleurisy between infections too. I don't know what to do with her, obviously I'm not her, but its clear to anyone that she's annoyed with it all. It seems that she can't recover from one infection before she develops another one.

While this thread is open; has anyone heard of not being able to be on nebulisers if pulse is higher than 140? Paramedics said they couldn't put her on them last night due to her pulse been 138bpm at the lowest, doctors in A&E said the same too. She's been refused them when her pulse has been 260+ which is understandable, the first time she needed ambulance out, her pulse was around 130 and she got put on nebulisers in the ambulance. Totally forgot about asking last night as she was really unwell; coughing, vomiting, ect..

personal update -

took ages to get to sleep last night, kept coughing & nearly throwing up with it, not easiest thing to try sleep through. :( at the minute feeling like i did when i had pneumonia, really tight & difficult to get a proper breath, resp rate seems to be slower than normal, a little bit confused about but heyho. mums got doctors at 10 so may ask if doctor can give me a quick check over then. on amoxocillin (spelling?) 500mg for a week so hopefully they'll start taking effect soon & breathing'll be back to normal. woke up early feeling like someone/something was crushing my ribs & chest felt heavy. got college interview tomorrow, ended up missing last one due to been in hospital with asthma so not wanting to give up any time soon with it, if needs be, i'll be as happy as u get about getting admitted afterwards.

if your asthma is very bad then you should get help...you may miss college interview but you can get another...if asthma very bad it can lead to severe complications...as it says on the AUK website some people don't always survive an asthma attsck, sorry to be blunt, but if you feel very poorly as you say you do then you should get help...please.

Mums been hitting my back around my lungs in between drinking tea & seem to have shifted some stuff, its a bit weird, its not feeling asthma tight as such. :S

Please get checked out if having problems and reliever not helping you,

hope you feel better soon love glynis xxx

Hi, How is Emma doing? I hope she is getting better?. xx

Diane,x

She's on IV fluids and IV antibiotics, just came home from bringing her some stuff down and she seems better in herself already. She's on saline nebulisers which seem to help her clear her lungs, spoke to doctor on the ward she's on and got told she should be home within a few days if she continues at the rate she's going. Not much to update on, really.

glad to hear she gave in fianally!! and she is improving :)

she be home fit and well soon before you know it nagging you again!!

send her my love and best wshes, been messaging her

xx

Just an update on Emma.

She's not doing great, had a rough night last night, irregular slow breathing and low oxygen levels. Still on IV's and isn't on saline nebulisers as often as she was, but is on salbutamol ones often has she has low peak flow and has developed a wheeze. She spent last night with nasal cannula in and obs done every couple of hours.

Due to her breathing last night, we have been told there may be a delay in her discharge.

havent updated on here in ages.

got taken off IV antibiotics last night, on 2 courses of oral antibiotics. infection spread but seems to be coming looser than it was, got lovely chesty productive chest [always a good thing], sleepy as hell, feeling a bit rough but saw my xrays, half of my left lung & bottom left corner of right one looks nasty. oxygen levels are a bit low 94-95%. hopefully should be home later on, breathings not gone weird again since the other night. feeling sick & fever-y at the minute. erm, not a lot more to say really. ill post once i know anything more, been keeping people updated by PM & forgot about the thread.

discharged today, told to have mum keep a close eye on my breathing & if it gets irregular or slow again to ring through to CDU & probably go back down. :(

Hi Emma,

Glad to hear you're home. Take it easy and I hope you're feeling much better really soon.

Shy1 x

things are sucky. going really downhill again. been coughing up fairly big bloody things, wouldnt say clots, its defo bloody, but its like mucus instead of pure blood if that makes any sense, really tight, coughing a lot, feeling wheezy, dizzy, lightheaded & generally ergh. hopefully body'll behave itself. >.<

yaf_user681_32991 profile image
yaf_user681_32991

emma, i know you've only just got home and don't want to do it. but please, PLEASE will you take yourself back to A & E. coughing up blood sn't good..

Geina x

i've told mum, she said she's gonna come to a&e once pop star to opera star thingy finishes. not expecting her to drop everything because stupid body misbehaving. breathings not too bad.

as not pure , fresh blood, sounds like the blood is cos of all the coughing and strining of airways and tummy cos of all te coughing u been doing hun, but best get that checked out, especially with all other symptoms babe x

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