Asthma sufferers?

[akaemmafrost]

Can you tell me how often you need to use your blue inhaler? On a weekly basis? How often does your asthma wake you up.

If your asthma is caused by allergens does taking an antihistamine help relieve your symptoms?

Do you cough and sneeze much?

Do you get headaches very often?

Does it feel tender sometimes when you breathe in deeply?

I am just trying to get a feel for my symptoms and when I should be worried and what I should be asking for from the doctor etc. I've been diagnosed with Adult onset asthma and it's all very new to me.

Thanks very much if you find the time to answer my lengthily list of questions .

Funnily enough I'm awake having an asthma attack, this is a fairly rare for me thankfully

I cough a lot during an attack, get lots of headaches but they are unconnected to the asthma ( I have neck problems )

Yes, when i breathe in deeply during an attack my chest does feel tender (never noticed before )

I have had asthma from the age of 11 (34 now) and it varys greatly how often I use my reliever.

Sometimes I need to use it several times a day and ot doesn't work well other times just once or not at all.

The biggest things that trigger my asthma are people smoking and temperature/atmosphere changes.

I never used to sneeze a lot until I was pregnant, now I don't sneeze as much as I did during pregnancy but definitely more than prior to ds....I can't think why!

I can't like any headaches and I don't take antihistamines. My chest does feel tender sometimes when taking a deep breath.

Has your gp said why this has possibly happened at this time to you?

My asthma tends to be wheezy and difficult sometimes but I don't have attacks as such. In the past I feel it has been more panic than attacks and it is hard not to panic. People trying to help/fuss can make it worse. During the night tends to be the worst time for that, everything always seems worse at night anyway. Very shallow breaths and not trying to take deep breaths are what helps me and the peace to focus hence people fussing not being helpful.

Thanks so much for replying its very helpful.

I've used my inhaler 4 times over the past two days but before that not for over a week so I suppose that's normal then.

I too think a lot of it in the past has been panic, I get bad panic attacks too, funny how it goes hand in hand.

Haven't really got a handle on the causes yet. It came on suddenly in early September and the Dr says it was probably exercise induced that has stepped up, used to be a runner, haven't run for weeks now though .

TMI but I cough up a lot of stuff too it various colours yuk! Is that normal too?

Hi there....I've had asthma since a child. I take a brown reliever every day am and pm and have a blue inhaler if I find myself wheezing over and above that. If, like now, I have a chest type cough/cold I find I take the blue more frequently. I always have it on me.

I also find, like other posters that certain things trigger it - stress/change of temperature/exercise/too much time in the warm central heating/going in the loft (!) and clearing up in dusty places/ being around animals and then I need my blue inhaler more. I hoped that I'd grow out of the asthma thing but it wasn't to be. I also found I was quite bad during pregnancy and ended up having to have a different inhaler for a while.

I find if the brown reliever runs out and I've not managed to get another one straight away that I turn to my blue inhaler much more....It's something I've lived with such a long time I don't really think about it.

Does that help ? Do you have a brown inhaler too (the reliever ?)

PS, I think the inhaler loosens the phlegm a bit and can make you cough it up after the blue. Although do you have a bit of a winter bug ? I'm coughing up alsorts at the moment but have had coldy thing.

Hi there. I actually only developed asthma a year ago (I'm 26!!!)

I've actually found that since using the brown inhaler in the morning and evening I have rarely had to use the blue one.

Although I must say since the onset of winter I have had to use it a few times more than normal

I cough a lot too, it is a common symptom. I don't usually spit up unless I have a cold too...maybe something to ask.

I can doncertain excercise without it bothering me but running I find impossible but like swimming it is meant to expand your lung capacity.

Do yo have a preventor inhaler? I've had a few different kinds and on budesonide at the moment but I don't really feel it helps. Flixotide was great but it used to make me retch so much and sometimes I was sick.

I was also told with preventers that they can cause thrush so I always rinsed my mouth out afterwards just incase. I don't
know if they all do or just the ones I had but worth keeping in mind.

You get to know the triggers and what to avoid...although for me it is difficult to avoid cold weather living in Scotland!!

I've only recently been diagnosed so at the moment I only have a blue inhaler but it does the trick. Also rinse my mouth after as I don't like the taste.

At the doctors today actually to try and take it further. They kept giving me antibiotics until I saw one who said this sounds like asthma and gave me the blue inhaler.

I can't do any exercise ATM I don't know if it's in my head but just don't feel able to till I feel more under control with it.

Looking forward to school holidays so I can get extra sleep. My sleep is very disrupted at the moment, keep waking up coughing and that goes on for an hour or so unless I take my inhaler.

It's just so rubbish I've never felt so not myself. They kept giving me antibiotics to begin with but obviously they do nothing.

The asthma uk site is good for info when you are newly diagnosed. Mine was diagnosed about 18mths ago after suffering with increasing hayfeverfor about 3 years. I was started on a blue reliever (ventolin) and quite quickly increased to brown steroid preventer twice a day. At my last asthma review the nurse changed my inhalers to Seretide which combines both drugs , as I was using my ventolin at night and occasionally in the day too. I also use a steroid nasal spray and take Loratadine from about jan- Oct.

My triggers are wood dust, damp, dry heat ( as in sunny holidays) and all pollens from about Jan which is tree pollen through to late Oct.Having a headache when I wake is a sign that my asthma is not very well controlled but this has been alleviated by the Seretide.

Most GP practices have a nurse who has done the asthma diploma and consequently they are very up to date on current treatments. Would it be worth getting an appt with your practice nurse to chat about

Arse pressed send too soon :)

....to chat about your current treatment? She might suggest recording your peak flow for a period of time to get an idea of when it is a problem for you and what helps it.

Well I've been referred to out community respiratory clinic for further investigation now so hopefully that will sort it out. GP mentioned today that ideally I should only be using blue inhaler about 3 x a week so it's likely I will be started on a preventive one after my clinic appointment.

Hi, I got asthma as an adult too. You said you wake up coughing, are you careful with your pillows? I get new (cheap) ones regularly and have anti-allergy covers. I struggle when I stay at other people's houses, I think my mum keeps her pillows for about 20 years