No Idea whats going on with my asthma

[Polly44]

Hi everyone any advice appreciated, so my asthma has been totally controlled for about 15 yrs (before that I had servere asthma and was in and out of hospital all my life until I was put on montelukast ). about may last year I got a chest infection waited to see if it cleared up on its own, but then ended having 3 lots of antibotics, then was put onto predislone for 5 days after, ended up going for a chest xray as felt like I couldn't get enough get of that no air feeling (if that makes sense). xray came back fine and they said they thought id had bad case of bronchitis and it would take a few months for my lungs to go back to normal.

I probably 70% of the time still had the couldn't get enough air feeling still soI saw the asthma nurse in november who said to take my clencil inhaler twice a day (which is what I had been doing anyway).I started waking up wheezing which I had not done in 15+ yrs, I spoke to my local chemist who said it sounded to her like my asthma is not controlled anymore and she recommended I ask for long acting steroid inhaler. Since just before christmas I have been on flutiform inhaler twice a day and that feeling of not getting enough air has gone 99% of the time, but then I started to wheeze when I lay down at night, at first I just took 2 puffs of vetinlin inhaler and that did the job, but in the last week or so it sometimes takes 3 puffs of ventilin to settle and Im wheezing during the day on and off also, I have had 2 nights that i have not wheezed at night this week.

Yesterday I felt fine all day, then by evening start to wheeze chest got bit tight (no coughing at all ). I had my second dose of flutiform inhaler and by the time I went to bed wheeze had gone . I felt like the wheeze/my asthma was suppressed in my chest before I laid down to sleep but I didnt take the ventlin as there wasn't a wheeze, but woke up at 6 this morning wheezing. I have been having small amounts of clear phelm at times, couple times I have thought is the wheeze in my nose or throat, occasional sneeze and bumble bee feeling in my nose so thought is it alergy to something, at times I feel Im heading for chest infection eg chest tight/ache in back, and have brought up yellow phelm only a couple of times the last couple of mornings. . Im 44 never smoked but could this be copd. or is this just my asthma, also could the flutiform still need a little time to work properly? (im going to try antihistamine today to see if maybe alergy effecting my asthma. sorry for the stupidly long essay just hoping someone can advise me. thanks Polly

[risabel59]

Hi Polly,

This sounds like a classic asthma! It can take months to get better from a chest infection, particularly if your lungs are really inflamed. Sometimes, particularly in severe asthma there is airway re-modeling, and tiny pockets of infected mucus get stuck in the lungs, leading to a long term low grade infection. It could be that you still have a low grade infection. If you are having the symptoms you are describing you need to go back to the doctor. Be very clear to explain your long term asthma history. Sometimes it is very hard to get good sputum samples and test will come back clear because the infection site is deep in the lungs. I would talk carefully to your doctor about that. Obviously you have mentioned a possible allergy and taking an antihistamine is a good idea. Also have you thought about a steroid nasal inhaler? They can have a dramatic effect if your asthma is being triggered by post nasal drip.

I have Bronchiectasis caused by asthma and take Azithromycin, in order to kill/prevent the pockets of mucus this has been a fantastic drug for me, as and antibiotic it also reduces inflammation, I now take it 3 times a week all the time. I would say that this is not for everyone, and I am not sure that many GP's would prescribe this. My consultant prescribes it and we review it every 4-6 months.

Please be hopeful that you will improve again, it may take a while to get to the bottom of this flare-up, my last flare-up lasted best part of 10 months!

good luck

R

[Polly44 in reply to risabel59]

Hi risabel

Thank you for the advice, My doctor has not taken a sputum sample he just listened to my chest last april/may and gave me the antibotics each time, the 3rd time when he gave me the predislone he said if that didnt help then I would need to have a chest xray. A week after I finished the predislone and the ventilin was not helping with the no air feeling I took myself down to the local hospital,they said my lungs everything looked clear but said the same as you could have small pockets etc and that could take a few months.

I have only since christmas been bringing up the clear phelm and not even sure when the night time laying down wheeze has started (but I think over christmas) but do feel the flutiform has helped with the no air feeling, but this wheeze has definatly got worse as its during the day as well as when I lay down. I definatly feel this last week I have got worse and the ventilin is not working straight away with the night time wheeze or during the day. My local chemist said put it down to this time of year the weather. I will see if this antihistime helps at all, but think its defiantly another trip to the doctors next week . He said the next course of action is lung funtion test.

[Hidden]

Sounds like asthma to me.

[Polly44 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks Ben, thats actually good to hear/read, sounds silly but my asthma has been so controlled for so many years I honestly have forgotten what its actually like. When the laying down wheeze started I started googling it and reading things like start of heart failure started freaking myself out ha ha.

I know its just my asthma not controlled anymore but after they put me on sertide in December then now flutiform inhaler( sertide did nothing), flutiform seems to help with no air feeling, but day to day Im up and down with symtoms in the last week especially. I can feel fine then chest feels tight and wheeze a bit, the ventilin seems to help after a few minutes at times but I have noticed the more the evening sets in then i get worse again, when i take second dose of the flutiform It seems to ease off but I almost feel the symtons are suppressed but still there if that makes sense eg chest feels tight but no wheeze.

In my head Im like whats going on. Apart from the odd chest infection for 15 years I have been lucky enough to even forget what its like to even have asthma. I suppose that chest infection/broncitus i had back in may/june has taken me right back.I just need to bite the bullet and get back up the doctors.