Asthma without wheeze

Hi Kate,

Treat yourself as you would do for your son, if you're worried get help, no questions. Yes double up your inhaled steroid is the recommended thing, and hopefully you have a volumatic spacer somewhere, if you're struggling to breath, just put upto 10 puffs of ventolin into that and that will act as an effective neb substitute, but do seek help and go back to your GP tomorrow if you don't attend A&E over night and get the doc to check you over.

Chris

Hi Chris

Fab idea,did as you suggested and had a go on the neb,thats what I would have done for my Son. Wow feel 50% better already. Going to have another before bed and if I still feel yuck tomorrow, back to the gp if no improvement. It's funny how you can deal with familiar situations and freak when it's something out of the blue.Not used to lungs feeling this yucky, been fairly good since I've had kids (last 12 years)Had severe problems before.

My Son had a problem with chlorine in the pool Monday,was assured chlorine problem sorted and Son would be fine in the water,Son got in and had severe attack after 2 lengths, had to call an ambulance. This set my asthma off big time, dealt with my Son but should have sorted my self out soon after.Son comes 1st every time.

Thanks for advice

Kate

Hi Kate,

So glad to hear that you feel better, just watch that you may have some weird side effects from using so much ventolin, headache, dizzy, palpitations etc, but not sure what ICS you have but beclometasone, flixotide use those through the spacer as well, much more effective and beclometasone above certain doses are essential to use a spacer, but I use mine all year long regardless of dose. Asthma is weird, you can be fine for years such as yourself, then find it returns, so do look after yourself, I know your little man will come first, but he needs you as well, you shuld be able to use the same principles of knowing when to double up as your son. I'm like your son, fine unless ill, and for many that appears to be the case.

Sorry your son had problems with the chlorine, I had same problem on Friday and had to get out, short of breath and tight chest, or be draged out and carted off if I stayed. Few pointers, cooler the water the better and also the air temperature, but also don't use the pool if it's really busy, that raises the combined chlorine level, which is the harmful one, you could also ask the pool to give you the two chlorine readings before he goes in. The combined level should be below 1 part per million, ideal is 0.3 but most are around 0.5-0.7, then the free chlorine is the other figure, and usually between 1 and 3 parts per million, but should ideally be never more than twice the combined figure. The pool I use has free chlorine of 0.7-0.8 and a combined of 0.4-0.5, but then it has UV filtration and was looking at ionic treatments, but legal things put paid to that.

Chris

Hi Chris, thanks for that, I will check with the pool next week,I was told Monday more people in the pool would bring chlorine level down, it was really busy as all the swim classes were on. Was really annoyed as was being cautious. Matty finishes his classes in 2 weeks (fed up with having to swim 20+ lengths a week, wants to do athletics again instead)

I feel loads better, knew I just had to get control back and didn't need neb before bed. Sometimes I leave the neb as a last resort but in truth if I had done it a lot earlier wouldn't have used so much ventolin inhaler.Sometimes more is less. I always use a spacer as I know it works better.(got a large handbag!). I only feel shaky and faint after first dose of ventolin in the day,had about 20+ yesterday!

many thanks for your help

Take care

Kate

HI Kate,

The pool was partially correct in that more people means less chlorine, but which sort? Some pools are really cagey about giving out those figures. Luckily the one I use the manager is a really nice guy, and I'm friends with the two deputy managers and few staff members, and they're all swimmers who know a clean pool is a healthy one, but some places are more of a leisure pool, warm and don't care and it was that type that done me in originally, manager there even said it wasn't a swimmers pool, and although he lied about some things, was honest enough to say that the aqua class before caused the chlorine figure to temporarily raise, but by more than he said when I checked, but those figures changed when officially examined, um!

The free chlorine is the good one, and keeps the pool clean, so more people would lower the amount of free chlorine, but this get corrected every 20 mins usually.

The one you need to watch is the combined, and that's the nasty one, lots of bodies raises that figure, as it's the free chlorine mixed with bodily fluids and cosmetics etc. The lower that figure is the better which is why a quiet and cool pool are best.

If the pool has the water level with the surrounding deck then that's a help, as the sunken type the chlorine vapours tend to sit on the water level and you get to breath those in.

At lest weather should start to improve, so your son can escape the pool, I love it and happily do 64-128 (1-2 mile) lengths at a time, sometime bopping along with the MP3 player.

I can not over emphasise that you should not use nebulisers unless you have been prescribed them. Not only is salbutamol a powerful drug it also can mask other symptoms and lull you into a false sense of security. Please I beg of you do not do this again, if you feel the need to use a nebuliser go to your local A&E and do so under contolled conditions.

Bex

Hi Bex

I really understand where your coming from but I have very little faith in our A+E department, long story but they missed my Son's pneumonia after paramedic spotted it,18 hours later he was fighting for his life, and I had a stroke which was missed, sent me home in a taxi (lost use of left side). I do let my Doctor know about neb and I very rarely use it (twice since we've had it), only when the ventolin inhalers fails. I have other health issues and have been on strong antibiotics for over 2 years.My Son only uses it when everything else fails and we have spoken to the consultant.

Asthma is a lot better, just a few blips but using ventolin inhaler now.

Hope your ok too

take care

Kate

im sorry to hear your feeling rough but im interested to know theres another one with asthma who doesnt wheeze as seen doc recently even though have asthma and told im just hyperventilating!!!!

but i get that with chest gets so tight its a struggle to breath.

heyy im new to the web but not to asthma i barley ever wheeze and only wheeze during the early moring and late at night i also had a moderate asthma attack but the hospital refused to even give me an inhaler or any other meds just because i was not wheezing????(i am with diagnosed asthma) and WHEEZING is not the only symptom of asthma and yes you can have an attack without wheezing i hope this helps also do you think it was right for the doctor to refuse me medicine just because i was not wheezing my pulse was 120 bpm and my oxygen levels were 90% ???

I dont wheeze either which led to a very late diagnosis even though i'd had a cough for 4 months, broke 2 ribs due to it and couldnt breathe and kept going blue! Luckily a locum gp spotted it when i went back to my gp after a walk in centre nurse thought it was my heart and ordered i see them for tests! A&E can be hit and miss.....i had a TIA a few years back and despite collapsing unconcious and not being able to feel my fingers and toes on one side they sent me home saying i was too young for anything serious (i was 20 at the time), my gp was very angry that they didnt give me a scan! But on the flipside i was admitted in march with an asthma attack and the consultant found i had a systolic heart murmur (click murmur) and ordered a heart echo through my gp that found i have a floppy heart valve which although minor has caused me problems for years which other docs ignored despite me having a permanent high heart rate (average 110 -120 bpm resting which ive always had), getting pains and fainting since my teens!) so some are good...some are ignorant in my opinion.. the doc thinks if it wasnt for the ventolin they wouldnt have discovered it though...salbutomal can give heart palps which made my heart murmur more prominent to be heard. without developing asthma i may have never known i had a click murmur!

Wheezing is only one symptom of asthma. Coughing is a symptom as is tight chest and shortness of breath. You do not have to have them all you can just have one!

Plumie

If I had a penny everytime I was made to fight for help because I wasn't wheezy, I would be a rich woman. Is it me or should there be better awareness in the UK about the true price of asthma.