peak flow meaurements when phlegmy!!! - Asthma Community ...

Asthma Community Forum

21,679 members24,466 posts

peak flow meaurements when phlegmy!!!

5 Replies

Just a quick clarification needed please

If I were to take a peak flow reading, but in the process the phlegm 'rattled' would this affect the reading? Would it make it falsely higher or lower?

I'm thinking I should discount the value, but at the moment I can't take a reading without it happening, and I'm keen to monitor is as I'm currently only achieving around 55-60%

Read more about...
5 Replies

Um - wouldn't it stand to reason that if you are too phlemy to get a clear reading, then you are having pretty bad symptoms? I'd count the value and see it as a signal to bite the bullet and call the GP, or at least the nurse.

Hope you feel better soon!

I guess you're right Beth, as I put in my other post, I will get an emergency appointment tomorrow afternoon especially as I only managed 300 earlier and my best is 570!!

I get the same thing when I go through phases of having lots of phlegm in the back of my throat, which stops me from taking a good peak flow. Every time I blow I make a choking kind of sound. When I'm like this I also have trouble breathing from it, which is different from my normal asthma symptoms - I will have little fits of gasping and choking where I can't breathe in without making a horrendous sound, and can't swallow without coughing and choking. Like Beth, I would see this as a general issue affecting breathing and especially if I couldn't actually do a single peak flow without doing it would think that meant I needed to do something.

Thank you for your reply spookymilo. I haven't experienced the choking and gasping you mention, it sounds awful for you, I just find it rattles on the exhale which irritates and causes me to cough, then my chest tightens so when I repeat the blow my values get lower and the rattle gets worse.

Yes, I get what you are describing if I'm ill and it has gone to my chest. The current stuff is more in my throat and is hayfever related.

You may also like...

Confused re peak flow

What is a normal peak flow reading?Used it first time and max.170 is this good or bad?Looked up...

Peak flow higher in the evening

noticed his readings are always lower in the evening. Everything online says they are normally...

peak flow

what other asthmatics out there normal average peak flow is , mine used to be 380/ 400 and I was...

Probiotics and Peak Flow Improvement

having with taking probiotics, which has been hugely beneficial to me. I started taking probiotics...

Peak Flow doesn't always drop despite being symptomatic.

I was reading Lysteria's post about taking your details to take to A&E etc. She mentioned that...