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General health

asthma question

16 replies

clarella · 29/04/2016 19:13

Sorry this is s bit of a wwyd!

I was diagnosed with asthma after a never ending cough. I'm a bit new to this! I dont know many people with asthma to ask either.

It's mild and only properly triggered by coughs and smoke. I've had some random wheezing and coughing at tea but not worked out triggers. It's more of a coughing sort; I've tuned into that as the main symptom. (I was in denial for ages!)

I've got my first cough - I can tell it's a bacterial bug but upper chest (vile gunk.)

I've doubled my brown inhaler and using the blue regularly - I notice a big difference if I do. Gunk comes up more easily and I don't have a tight chest or coughing fits.

The nurse said - see her for asthma, GP if I thought I had an infection.

The thing is now im confused! Peak flow dropped a bit - but, if I'm managing it, and seem to be of use blue regularly, should I see GP/ get abs anyway or fight it off like normal people (how I used to try to do it!!)

Twice in the last couple of years I've had deep down mild pneumonia type soggy breathing infections - it's not like that.

I'm not worried but I don't want to end up in the state I was before (and lots of time off work) through being 'tough'. Plus GP is closed now till tues! My OC health GP said I would be getting a pack of abs for infections, but I don't think it's 'that bad.'

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clarella · 29/04/2016 19:14

*coughing at times (not tea!)

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Custardo · 29/04/2016 19:16

asthma can kill. don't take the chance see who you need to - take steroids if you are prescribed them

its massively underrated is asthma

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clarella · 29/04/2016 19:28

I know - I just seem to be managing ok like this.

Is it a definite that if I think it's bacterial (had enough to know the difference!!) I should get abs?

It would be a walk in now. Via a taxi as husband is away with car.

Sorry this is a new experience under the umbrella of asthma.

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Custardo · 29/04/2016 19:31

see - I don't know about abs - for me - and I can only speak for myself - I do what you do - double up preventer - and blue one - if its stillnot right I go to the docs and then the next stage for me is steroids not abs. to get my lungs working.

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BigApple11 · 29/04/2016 19:31

I would go to a walk in, if you're coughing up nasty gunk that's from your lungs it sounds like a chest infection? Keep going with your inhalers too, that's v important (been asthmatic most of my life)
Is your chest painful? Does it hurt when you cough?

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clarella · 29/04/2016 19:34

Ah ok I see. That makes sense.

I'll continue like this and see how I am on tues. I guess the idea is to streghthen lungs enough to get it out. Which is what is happening with both inhalers. If the soggy sound starts I know I'll need antibiotics.

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clarella · 29/04/2016 19:36

Sorry replying to custard.

Yes they hurt a bit. But im used to baaaad coughs. It hurts when I talk and cough, I've been loosing my voice on and off. Feels like a pile of sand on my chest. (Actually this is starting to feel familiar :/ )

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Itscliffmas · 29/04/2016 22:04

I would go to the docs with what you have described, as someone said asthma is very underrated, I don't take mine seriously enough but had a wake us call at the doctors yesterday when he said he was referring me to a specialist.

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RunswickBay · 29/04/2016 22:07

Ring asthma UK. They have specialist asthma nurses on the end of the phone.
Massively more helpful ime than ordinary nurses who cover all manner of ailments.
You don't have to be a supporter of theirs.

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mineofuselessinformation · 29/04/2016 22:14

You need to se your GP for antibiotics. It sounds like you have an infection. You might also be prescribed steroids to reduce inflammation.

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mineofuselessinformation · 29/04/2016 22:15

And to add, if you can't hold a conversation without struggling for breath, you need help as a matter of urgency.

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NotQuiteJustYet · 29/04/2016 23:46

I second what everyone else has said, GP for antibiotics and a course of rescue steroids (prednisolone) just incase. Don't take for granted how quickly asthma can turn nasty.

Up until the January I had very mild exercise induced asthma (only ever had an attack in a spinning class etc). I caught flu, then a regular chest infection which became bronchitis, which triggered a god-almighty asthma flare up. I'm still signed off work because the air-con triggers attacks, I'm currently on ANORO which is a COPD inhaler, symbicort 400mg, montelukast tablets and regular blue ventolin; and awaiting a hospital appointment with the respiratory team.

As it turns out my locum doctors hadn't checked my medical records and didn't realise I was asthmatic, I didn't realise how serious asthma was because mine was so mild and a mixture of the two lead me to be repeatedly placed on antibiotics when I should have been on steroids - so by the time I saw someone who recognised what was going on the steroids didn't work and my lungs are still recovering from it now,

Honestly, better to be safe than sorry. If it gets any worse over the bank holiday weekend, go to a walk-in centre.

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clarella · 30/04/2016 07:40

Thanks for your replies. I guiltily phoned 111. A dr kindly phoned me just now. My peak flow really isn't that bad 370, normal is 400-440, and I haven't taken inhalers yet this morning.

She's made an appt at the local hospital to double check. I don't think there's any wheezing. I have major fraudplex! At the same time, the state my lungs got into last time (pre diagnosis) was appalling and like yourself not quite, took a long time to recover. I don't want oral steroids if I can help it. I hope you're better soon. They started to recover once I'd started the brown and took the blue 4 times a day for a couple of weeks.

I think what I worry about is that I don't think they'll hear anything in my chest, it's very high up. But the taste and gunk is vile! I'm so used to gps being very reluctant over infections. But I now think often id go and it was actually an asthmatic cough I was struggling with.

Talking at work has made it worse.

I'd have called asthma uk but they shut at 4 and I don't think open at wkend?

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user1469617289 · 19/10/2016 15:57

If you think your asthma is triggered by bacteria then an air puriifer www.allergycosmos.co.uk/air-purifiers would be a good. There are a lot of different ones and you can get them for any room size.

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38cody · 23/10/2016 02:24

Coughing up gunk is not a normal part of day to day asthma. sounds as though you have a chest infection - I left mine so late because I had flu and literally could not leave my bed for 4 days, now I'm on steroids and anti-B's and wish i'd gone earlier. The chest infection won't goon its own and you could go downhill rapidly - also a strain on the heart - please don't leave it any longer - you need to see a GP asap. x