In being surprised adult can get asthma?

[shesalady]

Just been told I have adult onset asthma after X-rays and blood work.

Everyone I've mentioned it to said it's not possible to just suddenly develop it as an adult and it's something you have from a child.

I've been referred to an asthma centre next week to test for allergies and discuss treatment. Treatment?! I'm a little in shock and don't really know a thing about asthma. Googling it briefly scared the living piss out of me!

I've got a horrible suspicion after having cats all of my life I've just become allergic to them.

Anyone else have adult onset asthma? Or suddenly develop an allergy to their beloved pet?

Dh is being really 'oh well it's not anything serious at least' which is pissing me off a little as I feel it might be and I'm going taking steroids for a few months in the best scenario.

@shesalady

Seretide (purple inhaler) is a God given gift. After 10 years of suffering wheezy, sleepless nights, (half the time,) and not being able to walk uphill for more than 2 minutes without having a 10 minute rest; my friend was given this, and after 2-3 months of using it, now feels like she hasn't got asthma. I have heard this from several others too.

THIS is the inhaler.

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Don't settle for a cheap alternative. Several people I know have had the doctors try to palm off cheaper alternatives to save money, and they are no good! If you haven't already, ask your doctor for it! It's brilliant for asthmatics, and virtually clears up the symptoms (as long as you're using it twice a day!)

That’s the inhaler I have too Shinycat. Amazing stuff.

I was diagnosed in my 30s when I was trying to up my fitness for a military promotion course! My doctor reckoned that I didn't never met my trigger for it before; chest problems, excema and hay fever run in my family and I have had excema and hay fever for most of my life. I had to have a preventer, protector and reliever inhaler, used with a spacer at first. Now I use a combination preventer and protector, supposedly twice a day, but usually only once... I've relievers stashed everywhere but they tend to go out of date before being used much. I have steroids in the house in case of a chest infection in the winter but haven't needed them for around two plus years. I also needed a represcription of my daily inhaler and didn't have it for nearly a week to only a bit of a tight chest. I didn't find out about the rumoured problems with ibuprofen for a few years and my doctor just shrugged and asked if I'd ever noticed any correlation and, if not, carry on. It's been about 20 years and mine is so controlled now that I tend to forget I have it.

Oh, leave the cats a while. I live in a farm cottage with six hairy dogs and two cats; the place is never dust free and I manage without symptoms from them by taking an antihistamine every morning for several years, and a second one in the evenings if I get any symptoms. I get a bit sniffly and chesty if I get a new animal but it settles back to normal once I get used to that animal after a couple of weeks. Don't rush into anything. Keep the cats. I would rather be more sniffly and coughy than be without mine - I even sleep with a minimum of three dogs without problems now the asthma is controlled! 😂 I suspect I could have just shut up after being diagnosed except that the military random drug tests might have picked up the inhaled steroids.

I actually thought I was having a heart attack as I was having chest pains and couldn’t breathe so went to a and e and that’s where they diagnosed me and i came out with steroids and inhalers and saw the asthma nurse the following day. I’ve been on Seretide inhaler ever since and use the blue one as needed and it’s pretty much under control. The one thing I struggle with is that I don’t wheeze, I just get chest pains! But apparently that’s quite common with adult asthma. Drives me crazy anxiety wise!

This

I developed asthma at 39 and it was exactly like this. I don't wheeze, instead I get horrendous chest pains and also shortness of breath on exercise (or at the moment just walking downstairs, let alone upstairs) and a n absolute god awful cough. For me the triggers are cigarette smoke/environmental,pollution ( for example I often can't travel on the Underground in London and so spend a small fortune on cabs) and the cold weather. I'm luckily not allergic to my dog, but when he's moulting a lot I get a bit sniffly and need anti histamines.

I take seretide and increase the dose when my cough is bad - on the advice of my GP and then have ventolin with me when I need it.

It is very scary to develop asthma in middle age and it's actually pretty dangerous and something that needs to be taken seriously.

Good luck OP.

@Shinycat ducking hell I just looked that up and it's about £180 from a dodgy online website. Christ knows how much it'll cost legit.

My doctor did say he thought what I'm getting tomorrow would be £215-£285 per inhaler. Yes that's in pounds.

I hate how it’s portrayed in films/TVs show as a non illness or something to take the piss out of.

My Nan died at 47 due to asthma, I was diagnosed as a child, didn’t take it seriously ended up in hospital at 26 with a major attack. I now have a great inhaler (symbicort) and an asthma action plan, they are so useful & will help you feel more in control.

www.asthma.org.uk/advice/manage-your-asthma/action-plan/

Humidity is important as well, dry air can make asthma a lot worse, steamy showers are brilliant if you have a chest infection to get your lungs moving 😁

It IS amazing isn't it @fairylea

OP, I have been informed by my doc that the cost to the NHS is about £22. Don't go to the dodgy websites. What a terrible rip off!!!! Ask your doc or asthma nurse if you can start having them.

I know someone who developed asthma in their late 50s after giving up smoking .

I'd be really sad to get rid of the cats so it'd be an absolute last resort. I'm going for a skin test next week.

My doctor is going to try to order my inhalers from Canada after this initial one as he says they're way cheaper. He also said he's going up there soon so will try to get me some. What a diamond!

I'm in the US @Shinycat

Omg is that how much you will have to pay per inhaler?!!

My Dr told me my inhaler costs the NHS £40 each, can’t believe how expensive yours is. That’s extortionate!

I noticed that having a sauna made it worse. I chucked a load of water on and it was like magic!!

Yes the few people I've told have been, oh you can't have or laughed. Wtf?! Three have said 'at least it's nothing serious'.

I am a member of an asthma forum on Facebook where the majority of the people there are in the us and the Seretide inhaler there costs about $300 so that could be it. It makes you realise how lucky we are to have our nhs really.

I think the seretide is some kind of steroid.....

Whatever, it's brilliant. My blue inhalers last 4-5 months now. (Used to last 3 weeks sometimes when my asthma was bad!!!)

Seretide... (from net doctor.)

Seretide evohaler and Seretide accuhaler are combined corticosteroid and bronchodilator inhalers used to reduce inflammation in the lungs and open the airways in asthma and COPD.

Oh gosh, In the US?

Not sure I can advise you. Maybe show your doc the pic I showed you ...

And this link...

www.seretide.co.nz/asthma/how-to-use-seretide.html

My cat allergy brings on all my hay fever symptoms at once at full force, it's awful. I'm not allergic to all cats, I'm told it's usually long hair cats that people are allergic too

I know. Luckily they had a spare nebuliser they lent me and 30 left over treatments someone else returned or those little albuterol things would have cost almost $300!!

Gah. Not to mention the sodding X-rays and bloods today probably coming out at around $2000 (£1500)

Maybe this will push dh in to getting us insurance (like I've been moaning about for years). Breaking my foot last year cost us about $10,000!

I felt grateful for the NHS for my inhalers only costing me a prescription but seeing those numbers I’m extremely grateful!

He said he'd be happy to prescribe a cheaper one for me but his honest opinion was with inhalers you get what you pay for.

I trust him as he's gone out of his way to get me generic or cheaper stuff before to save money.

@shesalady you are going to feel soooo much better when your asthma is sorted! I guarantee you will find loads of symptoms that prob date back to childhood that were asthma all along. I am also cough variant - I never wheeze - which I why I think it wasn't picked up.

Don't worry too much about what your peak flow is now as you really have no idea what your normal peak flow is. Yours may be normally quite close to 220 or loads better, but you will only know once you are properly treated which likely you haven't been in yonks.

For example my asthma nurse is mega-fit and her normal peak flow is 230 while I am an overweight couch potato and can blow 410. The important bit is not the number but whether it is reducing when you get tight and short of breath.

And yes, cold air is bad for asthma. Asthma UK has had a big campaign encouraging people with asthma to wear a scarf over their face outside in the cold.

My cats are part Maine coon and both extremely long haired. The dog is is bloody double coated so she has fur and hair.

Maybe dh will think it's more serious when he sees how much this will all cost!

I was surprised to be diagnosed at 27. Not a particularly sickly child. I do suffer from hay fever, exzema, urticaria and in general have very sensitive skin. I have it quite mildly, though found it was much, much worse when I was pregnant. Had a very bad attack at Kings X a few years ago and stupidly didnt have my inhaler on me, luckily a station staff member got one off of a passer by, but I had to go to hospital and suffered from really bad chest pains for the next week or so. Taught me a valuable lesson and I always, always have my inhaler on me now.

Thanks @AnnaMagnani it's probably worse here as it's so dry.

We run a wood stove so it's so dry the doors and cupboard actually warp in the winter. I run humidifiers everywhere but it still never gets about 20%.

It’s not the fur most people are allergic to in cats, it’s their saliva and skin

I’m allergic to so much now but not my house rabbit. I did react when we first got him but was ok after a few weeks.

I've had the "oh at least it's nothing serious" comments as well. They are incredibly annoying and demonstrate, at least here in the UK, that there's a sort of hierarchy in illness. For example my brother had a cancer that was diagnosed early and had a very good survival even at later stages a few years ago. He was diagnosed, treated and has now recovered and yet his illness is still seen as serious and life threatening even though he is fine. Whilst mine, which is serious and life threatening is dismissed as a mild condition that children have but grow out of.

Luckily my brother understands and supports me, but there are many people who I would wonder if they would actually help me to seek help in an emergency.