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No wheeze, oxygen levels 100%. Is it an asthma attack

Mort77 profile image
18 Replies

Hi 😊

I've been suffering with a cold for a couple of days, then tonight symptoms got worse

Difficult breathing, tight and aching chest, tightness and aching in throats and aroundd collar bone , unable to speak or move properly, dry cough.

Had to have the peramedics out, only to be told that it's not an attack as no wheeze and oxygen levels 100%

If feels like asthma attack, everything is tight and lungs feel full.., it feel like I'm wheezing if that makes sense

Can anyone help

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Mort77 profile image
Mort77
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18 Replies
Jenhcat profile image
Jenhcat

Yes it is an asthma attack. It annoys me how they just go on o2 sats. You are probably having to work really hard to keep the oxygen up but maybe the co2 levels are also too high and they don't measure them. Some people hardly wheeze at all until they're nearly at deaths door. It sounds like it's in the smallest tubes of your lungs and the wheeze there would be inaudible. Get help if it happens again. I was once sent home from A&E with a flea in my ear only to be off work for 12 weeks and more ill than I've ever been. Good luck. Hope you are better.

Jenhcat profile image
Jenhcat

Just realised this is happening now. Please get help again if necessary or go to the doctor immediately if you can last till morning. You need steroids. You might need emergency admission.

Mort77 profile image
Mort77

Thank you jenhcat

Still feeling really tight in chest and neck After your advice booked in doctors this morning

Jenhcat profile image
Jenhcat

Hope you saw the doctor and got some steroids sorted. The middle of the night can't breathe situation is horrible. Feel better soon.

Mort77 profile image
Mort77 in reply to Jenhcat

Seem the doc this morning I've got antibiotics for upper respiratory infection. No steroids, I tried to tell him that I thought I needed them... but chest is clear so he doesn't think I need them. I have a feeling I'm going to be phoning paramedics out again tonight as chest is still tight and hard to move around without coughing... peek flow is down to around 70% . Until I read on here I really thought it was me panicking because that's what they've all told me. He actually told me to try soother and lemsips

-Butterfly- profile image
-Butterfly- in reply to Mort77

Why don't they listen?! We know our bodies better than anyone!

Make sure you do can 999 if you need to, hopefully at least one paramedic knows you don't have to wheeze to be having an asthma attack!!

Skigoddess profile image
Skigoddess in reply to Mort77

This happened to me last weekend. Had finished antibiotics but no better in symptoms. Choking ,coughing all night worse in morning but no wheeze picked up by doc. Choking/asthma attack Sunday morning rang out of hours! Fantastic paramedic picked up minutest sound and peak flow reduced so started me on steroids , gave me a spacer to use with ventolin and brown inhalers. Miraculous! Now keeping a full record of peak flow readings until off steroids ... and beyond! Good luck !

-Butterfly- profile image
-Butterfly-

Sorry you've had to feel like this, hopefully your gp saw sense and got you sorted.

I unfortunately have this issue, long story but 4 weeks on, 4 x antibiotics 2 x steroids and chest no better. Saw yet another locum who seemed promising, she ordered chest xray checked blood pressure, lung sounds and oxygen sats. Peak flow at 65% for 4 weeks, use ventolin every day so I said do I need more steroids ..... 'no because your sats are fine at 98% and you're not wheezing'!! Grr

So I'm waiting to see what the xray comes back with.

Mort77 profile image
Mort77 in reply to -Butterfly-

Sorry to hear you're not well, I really hope u get it sorted out. It's do frustrating...

-Butterfly- profile image
-Butterfly- in reply to Mort77

Thank you, me too 😊

Mort77 profile image
Mort77

I've also been told to use my neb with water??? Has anyone tried this? Does it help?

Pantani profile image
Pantani in reply to Mort77

I had saline solution in a nebulizer when I was in hospital.

Jenhcat profile image
Jenhcat

Hope you are feeling a bit better. I got out of hospital yesterday afternoon. They called me an NHS taxi after I said I would get the shuttle bus back to Huddersfield. I nearly keeled over just getting good to the main entrance and outside. 6 puffs of ventolin! 2 more getting into the house! Luckily pf is now 75%. Hoping for a better day.

Mort77 profile image
Mort77 in reply to Jenhcat

I really hope u feel better soon, I will keep my fingers crossed for you for a better day

Lisa_G profile image
Lisa_G

Hi hope you are feeling a bit better. You sound exactly how I am when I have an exacerbation. SO many times being told my chest is clear so not asthma, was sent home from A&E with cough linctus !!

I saw a specialist respiratory consultant this week and I mentioned this - they said that you don't have to be wheezing for it to be asthma. My problems are usually upper respiratory infections as well which do also need steroids.

Hope the antibiotics start to help soon but if not don't leave it - go back to your GP.

TheOriginalSim profile image
TheOriginalSim

I've had this happen so many times. Haven't had an attack since around March but the majority of the time my sats and even peakflow are fine but inside I'm clearly not. As said above its always best to go doctors the next morning to get checked out.

Hope your feeling better soon.

Unbelievable really, they don't know that much about asthma and its diversity..it is such an individual thing really,but as you say we know our own body. You were lucky.

I had that business of being thrown out of hospital in the middle of the night..they released me at 4 in the morning and said your stats are fine now you can go home..shameful!

Tess007 profile image
Tess007

I've had this so many times I decided to buy my own oxygen , my daughter called an ambulance one day and because I wasn't wheezing. They said I wasted their time ,I couldn't get off the couch for 7 hours ,I thought I was a gonner , why do these people not get it ?

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