Asthma, or c.o.p.d.

[Leonidas74]

Hi Ive had asmtha mist if my life, but the last two years, I've gone from running every day, and doing a 359 mike bike ride over 5 days, to getting out of breath walking up steps, not being able to play phsyical activities with my son , I must have been to the doctors maybe 12 times this year, each time a new inhaler , two years ago I just used the blue ventolin 2 to 4 times a day, .the doctor said I shouldn't be doing this , and told me to use the preventer, is beclomethesone 100, so I tried it, didn't like it, two months later I had a bad chest ,first time on steroids, so I started using the brown one, .but even when my chest was better month later u still needed the blue one , maybe a little less,. Is ,2 timed instead if 4,a day. 6 months later winter I get bad chest, tell him brown doesn't do anything , and now the blue isn't as effective, so he gives me purple one" makes u feel like your Gavin a panic attack all day ", but doctor says no side effects ,bull. And on it goes, purple doesn't work, gives me green,...horrible, and doesn't work,. Then oral steroids, headache, even worse chest, then capusule one, I forgot, in thus year I've had two chest xrays,. All the time I keep asking for a spirometry test. Then they give me a pink one, and then a seritide , then I give up with them and stick to blue and brown, not that I want brown but my Kungs are now dependent on them" I've tried going without ", too dangerous. Sorry if UAM going on but this is how pathetic the doctors surgery s have become. Guess what happened next? Well my doctor joined with a larger local practice, so I seen another doctor this being last Feb, I'd been I'll with chest infection again, for over a month. So I went to him, he gave me steroids n antibiotic, and u tried to tell him bout all the different inhalers ud been give . but he ignored me and said I need to go in the purple one , u tried to tell him it didn't work, but he checked his records, which hadn't been updated and told me , I hadn't used this, " by this time I felt like the invisible man. I left, got over chest thing in late april used my inhalers blue n brown.seen doctors and asna nurse they gave me a pink one. October time not iced my blue doesn't work as effectuve and wheezing even after use if brown or blue, Nov ember doctor puts me on steroids and antibiotics, week, they don't work another week and longer with steroids, I feel like I'm suffocating all the time, i take that many puffs on my blue that I have chronic anexity and shakes, can't excercise anymore, execercise used to keep me OK. I've started using the pink one out if desperation, it kind of work s but I'm still out of breath, and the side effects are horrible tired arms legs, anxiety, I can feel something in my chest , but I can't cough anything up, I'm at my wits end, what should I do.

[Hidden]

Hi Leonardis. Enough is enough. All of this is exhausting and getting you nowhere. Insist that your doctor refer you to a good chest consultant. They will give you a proper diagnosis and tell your doctor which drugs to give you. Don't take no for an answer!

Good luck!

[Leonidas74 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks, I will

[knitter]

Hi Leonidas, first thing if you are really struggling to breathe I would suggest a visit to A and E ....if you live in the UK ring 111..

They can give you a nebuliser, oxygen and steroids and monitor your 02 levels.

Your blue rescue inhaler is obviously not working now, so you need help.

I have been in a similar position to you....I have tried many inhalers, and some make me worse.....but I have resorted to shouting at one GP 'nobody ever listens! ' ..I told one doctor that one inhaler made me worse to be told ' that doesn't happen to people of your age, only to babies' .

In the past when my breathing was bad I was given a much longer course of steroids , tapering them down very slowly. I take a steroid preventer inhaler as well .

You say you cant cough anything up, but have you had a blood test to see if you have an infection.

I think the advice is if you need more than three puffs of Ventolin a week you should be taking a preventer. I know one of my daughters refused the brown inhaler and she got much worse. I have asthma myself as have my three daughters so I have know how frightening it can be.

Please get help today, you sound as if you are really struggling . If not see a doctor tomorrow, and if you live in the UK both Asthma UK and the BLF have a helpline...I have used both in the past.

Take care

[Mardi]

I'm having 24 puffs ventolin a day - through spacer - seretide 500 night and morning- I have asthma and mild bronchiectasis and it's a pest to move the phlegm. Yes go to ER if you can't breath. Also have minimal atelectasis ( tiny air pockets that fill with fluid) -with each chest infection these pockets gradually multiply. I started physio this week in Canberra Australia- with the student led physio at Canberra university-2 hours assessment and individual exercises cost only $20