Looking for help to manage this.

[Karenjaninaz]

I am a 79 year old retired nurse anesthetist. Asthma really didn’t happen until I was 59. I just thought it was “getting winded” From scoliosis chest restriction. After corrective scoliosis revision surgery (age 60) I was told by the anesthesia team that” you have a bronchospastic component.”

I never cough or wheeze out loud; I just feel “tight”. No phlegm whatsoever.

The Two weeks after my senior flu shot in Sep My chest felt congested. My O2 sat went into the 89s and I rode ambulance to the hospital. A 4 night stay with mega steroids helped but I needed O2 to go home. So here I am.

[kdr112]

Hello!I’m a late onset asthmatic. Diagnosed at 64. I have eosinophilic asthma and take Nucala monthly. I eventually went to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. There I got my life back! I was on steroids every 4-6 weeks. As of this month I’ve been off oral steroids for a year. Of course I use a steroid inhaler but they don’t cause the havoc on my body like the oral or IV steroids. Please don’t give up! Get a second opinion like I did. In fact, mine was a third opinion. Went to Vanderbilt also.

[Karenjaninaz in reply to kdr112]

Thank you for your response. In the last year I’ve joined a new pulmonary group. They seem to be really on top of things. Because of Covid my earlier visits were video. I did go in for a pulmonary function test. But it didn’t seem to suffer like I do now. So this is a new turn after my flu shot. I was getting the senior flu shot every year with no problem. But this year, in the two weeks after I got the shot, I had increasing shortness of breath. My O2 sat was gradually going down to 80s -not acceptable. I had no trouble with the Covid vaccine/ Pfizer. In addition to the asthma I have reduce lung capacity because of a scoliotic chest. I had four surgeries but there was residual deformity nonetheless. I found chest expansion exercises via Sloan Kettering and a Canadian pulmonary site. Those are actually helping. It depresses me that I’m on oxygen. I was tested for the eosinophil problem but I came out negative. Buteyko breathing program has helped in that it helps me control hyperventilation if I get nervous or tight. I have other medical issues: recent recovery from polymyalgia rheumatica for which I was taking steroids. In the end I was taking low doses and tapering gradually. When I had this exacerbation of the asthma and put in the hospital for four nights I got megadoses of steroids.It was a taper where you go down from 40 mg, 30 mg, 20 mg, and 10 mg. This is an seven day intervals. When I went down from 20 mg to 10 mg I started to feel worse again. So I had a video talk with another doctor in the service and he said to go back up to 15 and that really helped so that’s where I am today. My previous, long-term pulmonologist, said we reach the end of our medical options. So I changed Pulmonary practices.

Yes if I don’t get some kind of control on this that sticks I will definitely consider the mayo clinic. I live in New Jersey. The problem is I cannot breathe in a plane the air is too thin for me. I have a portable concentrator but it only goes up to 3 L a minute I’m not sure that will be enough on a plane. Might have to drive. But that’s getting too far ahead. Thank you so much for your feedback I will keep it in mind.

[kdr112 in reply to Karenjaninaz]

Do you mind sharing your new pulmonary group? Yes Mayo is a distance to drive but I found it the best option for me. I drive from Tennessee and it is about a 14 hour trip. I am an RN and find I am my best advocate! Good health to you!

[Karenjaninaz]

My doctors are in New Jersey and associated with Atlantic health system. This is associated with Morristown Medical Center. I’m just thinking: I have a feeling the doctors have learned an awful lot From treating Covid.