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Asthma and feeling low and poorly

yaf_user681_6778 profile image
12 Replies

Good evening everyone,

I bet many of you are finding it more of a strangle now as the wet and cold weather has set in.

My asthma has really started to play up since Saturday night when my peak flow started to drop. On Sunday when I took my peak flow it was down to 320 when my personal best is 450. So I started with 30mg pred but my chest is still very tight and pain with the need for lots of salbutamol. I have now been on pred for 3 days with not much improvement peak flow up to 340 this evening so still quite rough and no energy to do anything. I have been feeling short of breath, have been waking up in the early hours of the morning coughing and have had a tight and painful chest for the last few days.

It does not help with the weather the way it is and the school where I work got flooded at the weekend so the humidity is awful it is not very easy for me to work with my asthma playing up. The school has hired lots of industrial dehumidify to help with the damp problem but it is a nightmare on the old lungs. I am having a couple of asthma attacks most days but don't really want to take time of before christmas as I have only been in this job 3 months.

I don't really think I am bad enough for an ambulance or hospital treatment yet. But I am not sure if to ring 111 to ask for advice as I don't feel good or see if I can get an out of hours doctors appointment or maybe wait until the morning and make a doctors appointment at my own surgery. I am not sure what to do for the best!

My currant medications are as fellows: Salbutamol, Seretide 250,Montelukast 10mg, Phyllocontin 22mg twice a day and 30 or 40mg pred in accordance with asthma management plan. I take Fexofenadine and Mometasone nasal spray for alleges all year around.

If anyone has any ideas what I can do please let me know thank you.

Rachel

Sorry for the long post. I just don't know what to do for the best.

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12 Replies
TGreaves profile image
TGreaves

can u speak to the gp ? i go to the gp if i need quick check or just a neb anything to stay out of hospital

You might have a chest infection brewing so might need antibiotics along with steroids.

November was a nightmaire for me and 3 lots of antibs and 30 days on steroids....hope you feel better soon...lol glynis

yaf_user681_6778 profile image
yaf_user681_6778

Hello everyone,

I hope you are all well and healthy. I have just got over a chest infection which needed antibiotics and prednisolone. Which made my asthma play up

Now two weeks later I have a got a really bad cough and cold. I have been coughing up frothy white stuff which is sometimes yellow. My chest has been really tight and painful for the last few days so went to the emergency doctors last night as I was using the maximum dose of salbutamol but still feel as if I need more. Doctor did all the usual checks for asthma chest infection. He said my chest was clear but he gave me some antibiotics in case needed he told me to keep on with the upped dose of the salabutamol and to start pred if needed.

Peak flow dropped to 350 this morning so took 6 pred as in management plan personal best 450.

Chest feeling tight and painful still even with maximum dose of salbutamol. And all my other meds. Feeling very tired, more relunant to eat food and coughing a lot with shortness of breath after a lot of coughing.

Not sure what to do as I still do not feel right but doctor says my chest sounds clear! Please help.

Rachel

Do you think you need to see a different doctor? Or ask for a chest x-ray to make sure you haven't got an infection?

If you don't feel right and you are worried, the other thing you could do is go to A&E?

It is not unknown for doctors to miss signs of infection. I have been told my chest was clear in the past but when I was seen in the asthma clinic the consultant was horrified with how much I had deteriorated, GP just kept dismissing me.

yaf_user681_6778 profile image
yaf_user681_6778

Hello,

Hope this message finds you all as well as you can be.

I am start feeling very low with my asthma have have 3 courses of antibiotics in the last 6 weeks for chest infections including some of the strongest antibiotics you can have outside of hospital.

I still have a horrible cough with is causing my me to to cough up yellowy white phlegm which does not tast very nice. After I have been coughing none stop for a while I become very breathless and need my reliever. My chest has been very tight and I am feeling extremely exhausted a lot of the time. I am also been woken up at night and need to take my inhaler.

My partner and some of my friends are very concerned about my asthma and the coughing which is making me short of breath. My peak flow is starting to drop again and my lips and finger nails have a blue ting to them.

I don't know what any of this means please help! I don't know what to do?

Thank you for all your help

Oldvicarageba profile image
Oldvicarageba in reply to yaf_user681_6778

I think you should get checked for oxygen in your blood as soon as possible

Blue tinge=A&E/ambo NOW!

Sounds like you have an infection which is setting asthma off but if anything is going blue you really need to get some help right away and not delay wondering what to do.

Feel better soon.

no question about it you need to dial 999 and get emergency assistance.

yaf_user681_6778 profile image
yaf_user681_6778

Thank you for your replies.

I know I should really get emergency help but I am really scared off hospital.

I still feel like rubbish. Have woke up countless times coughing which was relived by my reliever., I have no energy this morning I also have a bad headache properly due to this fact that I have been coughing so much which makes me short of breath. I also think I may have another infection.

I have doctors tomorrow at 8am. I will go to hospital if I am sent.

Hi Sparkyrachel,

You asthma seems out of control so please get help .Blue tinge means lack of oxygen and your medication might need altering.

Don't put yourself at risk as any attack can drop fast .AnE. OR 999 or first responders .

Keep us all posted and get help....lol glynis

yaf_user681_6778 profile image
yaf_user681_6778

Hi,

I went to see the Doctor yesterday and she did all the usual checks. She said that my chest sounded crinkly and she could hear some wheezing so has given me antibiotics and has told me to stat pred for the chest infection. Which is affecting my asthma.

Last night I was eating my tea when I started having a really bad coughing attack which made me extremely short of breath, the coughing attack lasted 15mins and was relieved with lots of reliever. My partner and his family were really quite worried and the really wanted to get me emergency help. But I managed to say no I will ok.

The same thing happened this morning I have another really bad coughing attack which made me out of breath again. So I used my pulse ox which said my oxygen levels were 96% and I had a pulse rate of 124 beats per minute. My peak flow is now down to 270 and I am extreamly exhausted. I had to take lots of reliever and to ease the attack. I could not ring for help myself as I was to short of breath and I was on my own this time.

Rachel

Hi hunni, been reading what you've been saying for the last couple of days and I really do think that it's time to do something more, because the pred has had 24 hours to kick in and this really shouldn't be happening!! My suggestion would actually be going to A&E and explaining what's been happening. Don't worry about looking silly, you won't :-)

Also if you phone 999 (even if you can't really talk) and just say ""asthma attack"" they're able to trace calls etc, so again don't worry...

I really do think you need to do something though.. Hugs xxx

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