Hard to breath! asthma or anxiety or hayfever?

[Ainteasybeingwheezy]

I had bad seasonal allergies/hayfever and was taking antihistamines- they helped with my eyes and nose but I felt like my chest was really heavy and it was hard to get a good breath, so I went to the doctors. They gave me stronger antihistamines and listened to my chest- they said it sounded a bit wheezy so I got a ventolin inhaler.

that was a while ago and I didn’t ask as I was keen to get out quickly, and I’ve tried to phone a lot to ask but can’t get through, but I’ve just realised I don’t actually understand what I’ve got. Is it a blue inhaler for hayfever? Or is it asthma? I’ve never had asthma before so presumed it wasn’t that.

i have been taking the inhaler every time I get the heavy/tight feeling, but I’m taking it quite a lot! Now I don’t know if I’m taking it when I shouldn’t be, and maybe I just feel tightchested from anxiety or something and I’m mistaking it as wheezing

so for the last few days, I randomly felt really tightchested, as if I had an elastic band around my chest. I could breath normally but it wasn’t ‘good’ breaths and eventually I felt a bit breathless/like I’d been holding my breath and my heart was fast, and I had to actively make myself take a good deep breath and I can only do that by sort of pushing up my shoulders and my chest and really working hard to get a deep breath. I took the ventolin and it helped but then it started again. Breathing normally is sort of working but eventually I feel like I’ve been holding my breath and I have to really work to take a decent breath, but then I feel like the elastic band is tight on my chest again. I didn’t have any wheezing this time and I didn’t sound any different whereas when I was wheezy I could hear it, it just felt like there was a band round my chest and it was tight

if I take my mind off it altogether, I just breath normally and then eventually feel like I’ve been holding my breath and I have to take a deep breath and that’s when it feels really tight. The inhaler has helped but then the symptoms start to come back and it’s tiring, but like I said I don’t have any wheezing this time so I don’t know if this is just anxiety

I’m really not sure what to do or whether this is normal, and I can’t get through to the gp to ask. For context, I’ve not got any history of asthma but I’ve always been breathless- I work out a lot and play sports but I have an appalling stamina and get out of breath so quickly

Just giving this a quick bump.

I think you should make another appointment. It is possible to develop asthma as an adult, you might need a preventer inhaler rather than just the reliever.

I've got exactly the same as you - Hayfever / allergies & always used to feel out of breath - I was then diagnosed with asthma. Go back to the doctor & say that although you've found the inhaler helps you seem to be taking it a lot - There is a max you can take in an hour or something.
They will probably give you a brown inhaler as well to help get it under control.

Call your doctor now. If they won't see you today, call 111. You should not need to take a blue inhaler that often. If it is asthma then they need to get you a steroid inhaler to control it properly. It's dangerous to carry on like this if you have asthma.

If you aren't taking your inhaler properly (most people don't) or if you take to much salbutamol, then you will get heart palpitations. These aren't usually dangerous, but could contribute to the tight feeling in your chest. If this is anxiety rather than a respiratory problem, then heart palpitations are only going to make your anxiety worse.

So, one way or another, they need to see you again. Not just fob you off with an inhaler and no information.

Go back to the doctor

Thanks, I’m trying to get an appointment but the phone lines are so busy and it’s so hard to even get through at all. There’s no online appointments system or econsult or booking in-person either unfortunately so the only way to book is on the phone, i’ll just keep trying to get through.

Thanks, I actually know what you mean about the blue inhaler making your heart go fast, when I take it it definitely helps the wheezyness and tight feeling but when I have to take it a lot it sometimes makes my heart go fast but only for a very short time so it’s never really bothered me.

I’ve just been noticing over the last 2 days that there’s an elastic band feeling round my chest but there’s no wheezing or noises like before so that’s why I wasn’t sure if it was just anxiety. If I breath normally it’s fine but it doesn’t feel I’m taking ‘good’ breaths and then it’s as if my body NEEDS me to take a big deep breath because it feels a bit out of breath/as if I’ve been holding my breath even though I haven’t, it’s just that the breaths haven’t been very good. But then when I try and take a deep, good breath it’s hard because of the elastic band feeling and I feel like I have to actually use my back and shoulders to get a good breath and it has to be through my mouth. Then I take my inhaler and it makes everything better. Then it all starts up again with the ‘not very good’ breaths.

it’s not bad enough to stop me doing my daily things it’s just annoying and I’m definitely noticing it. But then maybe it’s just anxiety because there’s no wheezing this time. It’s so confusing! I’ll keep trying to get a doctors appointment if I can

If you can’t see the doctor, ask to speak to the asthma nurse. If it is asthma, you need to put together an asthma plan. You can get a blank one here www.asthma.org.uk/advice/manage-your-asthma/action-plan/

Also, get a spacer for the inhaler, it will make sure you are getting the actual dose instead of just coating the inside of your mouth. You can get it from the pharmacy. Get them to show you how to use it too.

i was diagnosed as an adult and the stuff I wasn’t told would fill a book.

Don't hesitate to go to urgent care if it gets really bad . Personally I'd go in person to the GP tomorrow and ask for an urgent appt. As it's breathing difficulties they should see you as a matter of urgency. If you have a blue inhaler it sounds like you could do with a brown daily preventative one.

Sounds like how I got my asthma diagnosis as an adult except I was tested as a child and declared borderline but not actually asthmatic so no treatment, despite symptoms.

Got diagnosed in my 20s after a chest infection. Like you I was given inhalers for something else and found they helped.

You need to see a GP or an asthma nurse. If it's asthma you need a preventer inhaler too.