Asthma confusion - any expert patients I can chat to?

[MrsBradleyCooper]

I had asthma quite bad as a child - probably from about 6-7 until mid teens, and then it started to gradually get better. I probably had one or two instances of feeling short of breath/tight chested a year from then until about two years ago, and these were well controlled with a couple of puffs of ventolin.

About two years ago (after the birth of my ds and having put on some weight) I started to get some mild symptoms again, and then one day about a year ago I had a bit of an attack. I managed this with one puff of ventolin every minute for 20 puffs as advised by out of hours doctor over the phone. This seemed to work and the next day I was fine. I saw the asthma nurse shortly after and she prescribed me Qvar to be taken morning and evening.

Having felt reasonably well most of the time, I suppose I haven't been that great at taking the Qvar, though in the past few weeks I have taken it religiously.

Then this week I started to have shortness of breath on and off for a few days, and on Tuesday it was all day long causing me a lot of discomfort and difficulty talking. I went to A&E and they were great - had a great understanding doc and he decided to try a 5 day course of Prednisalone steroids. Apart from keeping me up all night, the steroids worked amazingly and the next day I felt like a different person - in fact I felt like I could take a deep breath in for the first time in years !!

But last night I started to feel short of breath again and this morning I was feeling so uncomfortable that I took myself back down to A&E in tears. At first the triage nurse said that I didn't look short of breath and that as I was crying it couldn't be that bad. The thing is, I know that a lot of people have worse than me, and I suppose that is why I am posting on here - to get some perspective - but for me this is really really bad. In the end I got seen by a doctor who decided to put me on a nebuliser - this didn't really make any difference. Also got a chest x-ray and then they sent me home as they said that I wasn't bad enough to be admitted from an emergency point of view.

The thing is that with me I tend to just get a really really tight chest, not so much wheezing or coughing. In fact if I were to start coughing it would feel better because at least things would be moving - I just feel like my airways are in spasm.

When I got back from A&E I went to see the nurse at the surgery and she has prescribed me symbacort to replace the Qvar to see if that makes a difference.

I suppose I just feel so confused. It's been a long time since I had symptoms like this - a good 20 years, and my mum used to deal with making decisions on my health then.

They always say not to worry about causing a fuss and to go back if you feel worse, but I just don't know how much worse???

Sorry for this long and rambling post - I am not really with it today and could just use a chat with someone.

In my experience my asthma was bad after the birth of both of my daughters,not sure if there is a hormonal trigger. It sounds as though you need a good preventer to take daily to stop breakthrough asthma attacks. I am on seretide which is a combination of a long acting broncho dilater and a steroid inhaler.
I would definitely advise you to go back to the gp for a review.

Thanks

She prescribed me Symbicort Turbohaler today which I think is a preventer - she says the Qvar isn't really that effective.

I've just had another episode a few minutes ago where I was finding it really hard to get breath in and out. I took two puffs of ventolin and seems to have calmed a bit but I suppose I just thought that after 3 days of steroids and a nebuliser today that it would have calmed down. It just feels so out of control .

Are you sure you're not panicking and hyperventolating, OP? I'm asthmatic and its frightening not being able to catch your breath (or in our case, expel it properly!)

That may be why your drugs are not helping as much as you need them to. Are you in a position to be able to swim regularly? The breathing disciplines are great at helping to settle asthma - and are akin to the russian breathing tenchiques that are sometimes taught to help control severe asthma. (Ask your doctor first though!)

Try and be calm although I know it is difficult!

Just as a double check, although it definitely sounds like a medical cause, it couldn't be anxiety could it?
A few years ago I was happy, enjoying life when I kept getting different symptoms, including the feeling of not being able to get my breath. Which is a horrible feeling. Couldn't believe it when someone told me it might be this as couldn't think of a reason for them, but once I felt sure it was this, I learnt to manage them.
However this is just a thought, and it is definitely worth going back to you're GP for a full asthma review.

I think I am panicking a bit, but I felt exactly the same in the hospital when I was in the best place and should have felt safe IYSWIM?
I do have some sort of virus at the moment, ds has a bad cough and cold and my glands are up and I woke up with a really sore throat this morning. Im pretty sure that's what's causing the inflammation.

I spoke to one of the doctors about it being anxiety but he said he thinks it's my chest making me anxious rather than the other way round.

Does anyone know if there's anything else I can do or take to soothe this? Ie menthol or cough medicine or could that make it worse?

Have you got an asthma nurse at the surgery? I find they are good for this sort of thing. Perhaps you could ask if they have one and make an appointment?

Do you have a peak flow meter?

Yes there is an asthma nurse who I have seen a couple of times. The nurse I saw today asked me to make an appointment to see her, but last time I tried I had to wait weeks.

I really feel like I am just not coping at the moment.

I can't get comfortable enough to relax.

No I don't have a peak flow meter - used to when I was a child but no idea where it went. I think I'll ask the asthma nurse when I see her.

Hi mrsbradleycooper, I have had mild asthma since I could remember I have also had bad anxiety, I am on qvar and ventolin as required. I have been back to my very understanding gp on numerous occasions complaining that I couldn't get a breath, he has given me serevent to be taken along side qvar but this did not make a difference, I also seem to have a constant cough/clearing throat kind of thing which I have thought was my asthma, but I recently got a nasal spray and this seems to be helping.

I always do my peak flow and know when my asthma is flaring up. I realised about a year ago that although I do have asthma it is very rarely the problem and the problem is more anxiety related, I reason with myself that my peak flow is good for me, usually about 500 and if I am not waking during night to cough and manage to busy myself and forget about it.

DD is an asthmatic and so am I, for both of us coughing and tight chestedness are our main symptoms, we seldom wheeze. DD is on a raft of meds as she's quite severe but I am very mildly asthmatic and only use ventolin (and sometimes a reliever if I have a chest infection). Can you drink some hot blackcurrant or orange with some honey? That can help. So can sitting with your bum back on a chair, feet flat on the floor, knees apart and elbows resting on your knees. Don't allow your back to curve or slouch. DD also finds relief sitting in a steamy bathroom.

Agree with hellhathnofury. I know it sounds daft but I find a hot drink (usually tea) really helps if I'm in the early stages of an exacerbation. It calms me down enough to let me take my inhalers properly.

Sitting with my back straight supported by pillows helps too. If I'm really sitting on. Kitchen chair the wrong way round and leaning slightly forward over the chair back is the most comfortable way to rest.

I used to have Symbicort but my practice switched to Fostair recently.

Thank you everyone.

I've had a bowl of soup, a black coffee and the Symbicort and I am feeling much better.

Have also enlisted my husband for a back and chest massage which he was more than happy to oblige with!

It's funny you say that hellhasnofury - as a child I was so bad that I had a few longish stays in hospital and even then I don't remember wheezing. On one of my worst attacks I just got more and more tight chested and then vomited. I just remember going to the toilet in the hospital and having blue lips. It's hard to put it into context now though because as a child you don't worry do you - you just leave that up to your parents!

I've got some lemon and ginger tea that I've been taking with honey so I might try that later.

Think I'll get off to bed soon seeing as I am more relaxed but I'll check back in the morning.

Thanks again so much for all your input - it has really helped.