Hiya,
I've been lurking for a year or so, so first of all hello, and thanks for all the useful advice thats on here. I had asthma as a child which I thought I'd grown out of but it came back quite persistently 2 years ago - after a period of being pretty unwell, I've been really well controlled since I started clenil mod and serevent twice a day.
I actually wanted to find out if anyone else has 'slow burn' asthma attacks - mine dont tend to be that severe but they do last a few days. I'm usually really well controlled on Clenil modulite 200 and Serevent but hayfever and/or sinusitis can set me off - had to get some pred to settle my chest in July during a really bad spell of hayfever.
I was wondering if there was anything I can try to settle asthma when it starts to get bad. Usually I dont wheeze but I do cough, my chest gets really tight and I'm really short of breath moving, and talking. Taking salbutamol definitely helps - but doesn't clear the symptoms. I've gone up to 10 puffs by which point the tightness clears but still feel a bit breathless and the tightness does come back eventually!
I've got a good GP who's willing to listen to ideas but he hasn't really given me any on how to head them off at the pass. I'm (when well) a really active person - I'm a long distance runner and play squash regularly so asthma doesn't stop me doing anything normally! I have been told to come in to GP when SOB as because i'm quite fit i've usually got myself into a bit of a state by the time I'm feeling it - I have been told i had poor air movement/ entry before, though I'm not quite sure what that means.
This weekend I felt continually 'asthmatic' but not so bad i needed to go to out of hours or A&E - but I was very out of breath walking up stairs etc. I saw a different GP at the surgery today who has doubled my inhaled steroid dose temporarily. I've never heard of this as an idea before but was worried as i'm already on 800mcg of clenil a day. Is this a normal thing to happen? Also, I was concerned that I'm still getting symptoms on Serevent, I thought that was supposed to alst 12 hours, I am taking it religously! It has sorted out my nighttime coughing beautifully so it does work!!
Thanks for anyone who's made it to the end of my enormous post, i'd appreciate some advice from some of you guys who seem to know everything!