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NEW MEMBER. ASTHMA AND A LOT OF DOUBTS

miquelet1981 profile image
11 Replies

Hi there.

I am from Spain. I've been diagnosed with alergic asthma when I was 4-5 years old. Now I am 37.

I also have anxiety, and my nose it's most of the time blocked in one of both holes, or both sometimes. Using Avamys for this, but don't seem to do anything. A nasal band aid works better for me...

My treatment was: Seretide 25/125 + ventolin on demand + singulair 4mg. Cetirizine in the case of alergic. I started seretide in 2011.

But my problem is that usually I have a lot of mucus from my chest. I don't have cough, but I use to cough in order to expell the mucus when having a shower. However, I suffer chest infections constantly. Last 6 months, I had 3 bronchitis with yellow/green mucus.

And 2018, and 2017...And they don't seem to care about.

The doctors give me antibiotics and prednisone, and then it's goes away. But suddenly, appears again a few weeks later. They have made me 2 chest radiographs in two diffent occasions, and everything seems to be fine.

I starting to think that the use of steroids is causing to me the infections.

However I feel that I need those steroids in order to avoid the crisis. When I was younger I had 3 crisis per year. But from 2011, I never had a bad crisis (to be hospitalized or be unable to breath, or a red line peak flow), and I reduced the use of my ventolin, mostly the first years of treatment.

I don't know if it's important to comment, but sometimes I have gastric reflux (sometimes I experience shortness of breath after eating)...

My height it's 168cm with 75 kilograms (I was 100kg 1 year ago...I lost a lot of weight going to the gym). And my PEF it's 525 (my best). I don't know if it's good or not. I am not a tall guy...

When I have a crisis, my PEF goes down to 400-450. It's not dramatic (still on my green/yellow line) , but I feel a lot the variation. Sometimes I think it's part of my anxiety, about the sensation. My Oxygen it's always fine, 96-99%.

My doctor has changed my treatment a few times, upgrading the seretide to 25/250 2-0-2 puffs, and then the last month to 50/500 with 1-0-1 puffs.

But viewing that my breathing sensations were not very good for me (and I have to use my ventolin too much), now I am starting with Symbicort. I am not very confident about, because the dosage its Symbicort 80/4.5...It's strange for me to go from the stronger seretide, to the lower symbicort.

They told me that it's possible to use it like the ventolin if I need, like a reliever. The normal treatment is 2-0-2. In that case, I don't understand the medical prescription inside my public health card. In the chemist they give me one symbicort per month...So, how it works if I have to use more than 2-0-2?It's supposed I should have more than 1 symbicort per month, right?

The 22/08 i have to make a test blowing a machine, spirometry (I made it one when I was a child, ages ago)...and then I want to visit a neumologist. But here in Spain, all the tests, everything, it's too slow...Meanwhile, here I am suffering...I am not in a critical condition, but I am not happy at all with my life due to that. I use to go to the gym, run (not a lot really, half an hour, with a moderate intensity), and I was improving my phisical. But everything it's blowing away because of my asthma.

Thank you for reading me.

P.D: I never have smoked.

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11 Replies
peege profile image
peege

Hi, welcome to the British Lung Foundation patients forum.

So sorry, I'm just going out so can't reply now but I will when I've more time.

There are also forums for anxiety and asthma too. P

HungryHufflepuff profile image
HungryHufflepuff

Hola y bienvenido. I don’t really have any answers to your questions. But getting the mucus out is good, there are some videos somewhere on here that various people have posted showing huffing techniques. Maybe your doctor would prescribe you a muscarinic antagonist inhaler which reduces mucus production. And reflux seems to be a big problem in people with respiratory problems, I don’t understand how or why but it seems so. All of which doesn’t really answer your question.

miquelet1981 profile image
miquelet1981 in reply to HungryHufflepuff

During all my life, my body seems to produce a lot of mucus under any circunstance. If I get a cold...then my nose it's like a sprinkler...If I have a flu..then my chest it's like a lake..Always has been like that. And normally I don't have a lot of difficulties to get out the mucus. But the fact to have to be like this, it's quite annoying..

And always I had reflux. I remember that I had the condition when I was a child and I didn't tell nothing to my parents because I tought that was normal. I don't know the real importance of that matter with my asthma...but there it is.

skischool profile image
skischool

Hola buenas noches,Somos todos amigos aqui,you have quite a complex history of Asthma here but your spirometry testing will be very useful in determining how you respond to your inhaler medicines and perhaps the respiratory consultant armed with that information will be able to develop a care plan that makes you feel a great deal better and enables you to go back to your healthy training regime.

Los mejores deseos para el futuro,sorry i cheated on the last sentence,my Spanish language is not very good.

Ski's y Scruffy la gata

miquelet1981 profile image
miquelet1981 in reply to skischool

I passed my 1st day with my new inhaler, Symbicort 80/4.5. For the moment, it seems to work preetty good. During all day I haven't used my ventolin, but I have to say that I haven't test it more than walking to buy some bread 500 meters away :)

I've taken 2 puff in the morning (08 am), 1 puff in the afternoon (5pm), and 2 puff before to go to sleep.

It's a good improvement considering that with my old seretide I needed 2 puff of seretide day and night, and then in the middle 2 puff ventolin each 4-6 hours.

If I don't have a chest infection again (I will pray for that), the first impression is that could be a good inhaler for me (need more testing). But I have to sort the issue with the dossage with my doctor, because I don't want to run out of it...

Hacienda profile image
Hacienda

Hola Bienvenido miquelet, yo Tambien enscibar minimal en su Lengua, especialmente por Medicina. En Inglese entonces. When I lived in Spain, I too had Asthma until my condition got worse then I had the Same treatments as you which all worked. Now with COPD(Epoc) and was on the Lung Transplant List for 3 Years here in UK. My Best advice for you is to be referred to a "Consultant" I do Know they are top of their game in Spain and will do all the Necessary Pulmonary Tests to Diagnose your Condition. You have never Smoked which is Great, You have always been Fit. I cannot have any further Lung Procedures so I rely on my Medication Daily, Symbicort 400 every 12 hours Genair 12 hours also, Ventolin when needed, Carbosisteine ( Liquidise the Mucus, Works very well I Take a permanent Anti Biotic 3 days per week called Azithromycin, Wonderful Med, keeps me free from Infection ,( all these Meds are the same Name in Spain, Exercise as much as Possible I do Classes twice a week and at home, and stay with Positivity. I Take Vitamins also, I am always Looking to try New Vitamins, I have a List. As my Inhalers are Steroid based they work well, I only Need Prednisolone( Rescue Med) when I have a Chest Infection.( Not for 3 Years). Buen Suelte , Hace un Buen Dia. Carolina XXX

miquelet1981 profile image
miquelet1981 in reply to Hacienda

Thank you for your comment.

I am also trying to use vitamins. I bought some "multi" vitamins, but now I am giving a chance to the Vitamin C with a higher dosage than usual. I've seen some information about the Doctor Linus Pauling about Vitamin C...and I think that I don't lose nothing trying during some time. He recommends many grams a day, but for the moment I only use 1.5grs/day. I've been doing that the last month...for the moment I haven't noticed any kind of improvement of my condition :(

P.D: sorry for my written english, I do my best. I work as a Receptionist in a Hotel (Majorca), but normally I don't need to write it a lot, a medical terms are new for me :P

Hacienda profile image
Hacienda in reply to miquelet1981

Hola Majorca, Your English is Very Good and being a Receptionist, you do need multi Lengua. I do hope you can get your Condition Diagnosed Properly. I have taken Vit C (500grams)for many Years, mainly because I used to Smoke and Vit C is good for your whole Body. I also take Fish Oil capsules, Though I do maintain my Spanish Diet in the UK, eat plenty of Atun y Meluza , Oily Fish, with Ensalada Espanole. Buen Suelte y hasta Luego. xxxx

garshe profile image
garshe

I don't know if asthma is same as COPD. But I take Mucodyne,/Carbosteine which breaks up the mucus. Also use Sterimar Congestion relief morning and night which relieves blocked nose. Hope this helps. SHEILA

Hi Miquelet,

I was taken off Ventolin for a while but have since been given it again. All I know is if you are really worried speak to you Doctor. I have COPD not Asthma so not sure how to help you. I have reflux also and find certain inhalers are better for those with COPD. P

Val

Hi there,

I just wanted to share my experience a few years back in case it helps someone else. I have had asthma since I was 1 and am very used to how it affects me, which has not really changed a lot as I grew older. A yearly flu jab eliminated the crises I often had when I had a cold or flu, so i would always recommend that.

But a few years ago I had two years where my asthma just kept on getting worse and I was being given stronger and stronger drugs and more frequent antibiotics which would only help for a few weeks then I would go back to what felt like a low level infection with increased asthma and a phlegmy cough. Eventually I was referred to a specialist with queried COPD. After a routine sputum test he noticed that I had got an infection résistent to some antibiotics (the ones usually given for chest infections and those I had been repeatedly given). After an extended course of a Co-Amoxiclav, my chest was clear and my asthma was back to how it was before.

After this experience, I would urge anyone with similar problems to ask their doctor for a simple test for some antibiotic resistance.

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