Dysfunctional breathing

[Casey_87]

Hi

I have been told I have dysfunction breathing, I have had asthma for a few years but it’s not been well controlled until now. Has anyone else had this? I have been referred to a respiratory physiotherapist.

[twinkly29]

Yes - it can be a mimic for asthma or can run alongside it. Mine was alongside and the physio was really good - useful for both elements actually.

[Casey_87 in reply to twinkly29]

Thank you, I’m just waiting for a referral to physio. Iv been having breathing issues for nearly a year now. They’ve tried all kinds of doses with different inhalers and nothing worked, so I’m having my dose and strength altered to a lower dose. I still have high blood pressure so assuming my gp will know how to treat this as they wouldn’t do anything until my respiratory results came back. Just be nice to be able to breath properly again and enjoy exercising x

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador]

Hi

Not sure if you’ve seen this but it has some info on BPD/DB and there’s also some links to exercises you can do at home whilst you’re waiting for physio; healthunlocked.com/asthmauk...

I had a DB which cleared up once it was pointed out and I was given exercises 😅. Hope this helps

[Casey_87 in reply to EmmaF91]

Thank you, I will have a look at this. I’ve never heard of it so the more information the better

[MMBJI]

Hi, I am currently being treated by a respiratory physio myself, for BPD. I have had allergic asthma for 40+ years. I had an attack November 2019, which I haven’t recovered from. I have gone from fairly well controlled, physically fit and strong to struggling to speak very much or move around very much. The BPD diagnosis has kinda floored me, to be honest. It’s left me wondering how I distinguish between asthma and BPD as it feels the same to me. ( For years I have felt that salbutamol hasn’t helped and I haven’t wheezed since childhood.)

Anyway, I was very sceptical to begin with, but I am dutifully doing my breathing exercises and I am starting to feel an improvement. I am 3 appointments in to the process and the Respiratory physio is very confident that she’ll have me running around before too long.

The way it was explained to me, for my situation is that, the part of my brain that controls breathing, which acts like a thermostat, has got stuck. This means that I am over breathing all the time. The breathing exercises are helping to reset it.

Having tried all the medications and had all the tests, to no avail, I was prepared to try anything. I am now almost comfortable at rest for the first time in 15 months. I even read a page from a book to my children the other day!

I really hope that you get seen soon and that they can help you.

Good luck!

[Casey_87 in reply to MMBJI]

I’m just waiting for an appointment to come through, Iv had breathless for nearly 9 months and they are going with this diagnosis. I had a virus in December 2019 that’s lasted 3 months and then all of sudden my asthma became uncontrollable and the breathlessness got worse, I had stays in hospital with suspected blood clot but all came back normal. They think a virus may have cause this as I was perfectly fine and had well controlled asthma. I was quite shocked to hear of this dysfunctional breathing I’d never heard of it before. How are you getting on? Have you found it helpful? I just want to be able to breathe again x

[MMBJI in reply to Casey_87]

Hi, sorry for the delay in responding. I just had my 4th Zoom meeting with the Respiratory physio, who can see an improvement in my breathlessness. I agree with her, I am able to move more freely and can bring my breathing back to a more comfortable state after moving around. Talking is a significant trigger still. Resp physio says my symptoms all fit with breathing pattern disorder. I am really struggling to get my head around it all. I cannot distinguish between the symptoms (as it feels to me) for what is asthma and what is BPD. Resp physio says asthma, BPD and vocal chord disorder are all interlinked. The symptoms which present are all quite similar but the physical process taking place inside our bodies is different and therefore requires different treatment. My breathing has improved over the last 3 months, since doing the breathing exercise. (Which is essentially to breathe through the nose, small breath in, longer breath out - doing it as much as possible.)

I definitely have allergic asthma too - raised Ige, and I know that I flare up if exposed to dog/cat/smoke/dust etc. I just can’t distinguish between what I have felt previously and how I have been feeling for the last 15 months (during which time I have shielded for almost a year, and allergen exposure should be minimal - obviously I can’t say what floats around in the air outside.)

I am going with the recommendations from the Respiratory Physio, I’ll try pretty much anything! Like you, I just want to breathe again.

Hope you have some improvement soon. At least it’s starting to feel spring -like outside (assuming you’re in the UK.) A bit of sunshine to warm the soul. 😉

[twinkly29 in reply to MMBJI]

Unless spring air is a trigger ha ha! (But still nice to see weather being nicer!)

Seriously though, what a fab update to read. Having been there with the trying to decipher it in the past, it is really hard and really confusing. And ongoing. Ugh. But the way you've had it explained, and explained it here, makes sense to me (looking back to my past). It's good to read that, while ongoing, it is helping. With mine, the BPD physio stuff helped day to day but, in acute asthma, they don't. It's not an easy way to say absolutely yes it's one or the other (even years on) but deep down I know when something isn't being helped by the physio etc. Does that make sense?

I think many many people who've had covid need this input. Many milder asthmatics (or not necessarily mild but not affected routinely) are going to be very much focused on asthma having got worse etc after covid - but I think in most cases it's not asthma worsening, it's breathing pattern issues that are caused and managed very differently. Sorry side tracked there!

But thank you for sharing how your physio. etc has helped (and that your teams are working together!)

[Casey_87]

I have just had my fostair reduced from 200 with blue reliever 4 times aday to 100 but finding I’m coughing more, I have another review in 4 weeks so hoping it settles.