Asthma with no wheeze?

[k5715]

My daughter is six years old. She has had severe food allergies and asthma since birth. Her tiggers are food eatin, food particles fine enough to inhale(steamed milk, or smoking beef) and viruses. My question is: does anyone else have asthma attacks but there is no wheeze before or after the attack. She simple coughs uncontrollably very suddenly and throws up mucus until she gets albuterol and then the attack stops. She will spend the next few days clearing her throat of mucus. But she never has a wheeze. The doctors will say “her lungs sound better than mine” literally right after she is treated for an attack.

[TJRN1959]

I wish I had a pound for each time I've had a Dr say to me "but there's no wheeze"! It is perfectly possible to have asthma and no wheeze. I think it's more usual for a child especially to have a wheeze, but it's not compulsory. I'd suggest having a word with the Asthma UK nurse, and get advice on how best to take this forward with your GP. The Asthma UK nurses are brilliant, and know far more about Asthma than do most other healthcare professionals.

[Hidden in reply to TJRN1959]

So true. For decades "wheezing" has been synonymous with asthma, but anyone who lives or who treats those with asthma will tell you that's not always the case. The fact is, asthma symptoms can manifest in different ways. Some people cough, some people wheeze, some people do both, some people don't do either. One symptom ALL asthmatics experience is shortness of breath and difficulty exhaling. Wheezing or not, the important thing when listening to an asthmatics lungs, is that you hear air moving around. During a severe flare, the airways can tighten up so much, that wheeze cannot be produced. This indicates a true emergency.

[Daringtobreath]

I rarely wheeze with attacks. When I have an attack my chest will feel very tight, I start coughing, use my inhaler, cough up all this mucus, then feel better.