Just been diagnosed and feeling quite daunted

Hi - I've just been diagnosed as having adult onset asthma at the tender age of 51 but all the items I've read refer to tight chest and wheezing. I just have breathlessness as if I've run upstairs, just doing everyday things like emptying the dishwasher or feeding the cat. My tight never feels tight and although I'm out of breath, I never have the feeling that I can't breathe - does that makes sense? I find it all very daunting at the moment and was wondering if the feeling of being out of breath is actually asthma. I've had my heart tested and that's fine. I'd be grateful for any comments - thanks

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Hi Linda,

I hope others will be along to share their experience also. I've had fairly mild/ well-controlled asthma all my adult life, perhaps some worsening in my mid to late thirties, in terms of bad reactions to colds etc, but age 52 a sudden worsening brought on by that very cold winter last year, and perhaps menopause, perhaps a multitude of factors and I haven't really picked up since. My symptoms were more the kind of type you don't have - more wheezing and coughing in reaction to specific triggers, but now sometimes it feels difficult to identify a trigger, and there's a more persistent reactivity (I am not sure it ever got calmed down properly after last year's flare and so my lungs remain hyperactive). Like you I have found it all a shock and daunting, and am still learning to adapt my lifestyle. Currently, I know at least some of my breathlessness is down to anxiety (about breathlessness), as a kind of over breathing I am thinking, and so I am doing some breathing exercises to try to control that better. So that might possibly be one of the reasons you might feel out of breath. The nurses here are very helpful, perhaps you could give them a ring?

I do hope others come along. There's always plenty of folks lurking judging by the post-read counts, so hopefully some of them may come out of the woodwork.

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Hi

I get the breathlessness but also a tight chest. Improves with reliever but I think sometimes I unconsciously panic even when my chest isn't tight thanks to the inhaler and end up over breathing. Maybe this is what is happening to you? Do you feel dizzy? If so you might be in respiratory akalosis. I was on steroids for sometime after my last episode to calm the lungs down. They were twitchy!! Hope you feel better x

[yaf_user681_51802]

Hello! I am similar in that I am adult onset. Was diagnosed at 49 and 50 now. Mine is set off by cold air, exercise and colds and flu etc. This winter just gone, I had my first dose of prednisone. I'm currently on flixotide, seretide and respigen, as well as omniprazole. I'm from the UK, but currently live in New Zealand. I was sent to see a specialist by my GP and she's lovely. Also from the UK. The specialist gets me and my GP tries hard, but doesn't always know what to do. I have also started the menopause, so possibly connected. I'm currently not too bad, but spent a weekend at a very cold house recently (no central heating here) and my ribs have been aching ever since. It is wearing off a little now. It's taken me a long time to link all the aches and pains with what I've been doing and the asthma etc. Asthma is PANTS. ? X SUE

[yaf_user681_51802]

Forgot to say, I cough a lot due to cold air and my chest gets tight, as does my back in the centre. When I have an infection, I feel like I've been kicked in the chest. ?