Asthma

[Cr20]

Anyone on this have asthma or suddenly just developed asthma and what was your symptoms. I’ve felt breathless really easy and sometimes get chest pain and heaviness. Will just come on suddenly aswell and feel it’s more irritated in the winter ?
I really just don’t want to be wasting my doctors time

Asthma is sneaky and you can develop it in later life. It does sound like it, at the same time it's hard at the mo to know if it's Covid. I think some very anaemic people can feel like that too?

I found I could be out of breath for no reason when talking on the phone. Cold would make me cough or chest tighten as if someone sitting on it or strangling me. The constant change in air at the time of year is irritating as is humidity for me (after a shower). But people are different.

I'd speak to your Gp though.

Some Gp surgeries refer all asthma stuff to asthma nurses though. I found diagnosis hard as they're used to patients already being diagnosed if that makes sense? I ended up speaking to asthma uk who suggested speaking to the asthma nurse directly.

@NeurotrashWarrior

Its literally been on and off for about a year and a half but it's started getting really bad as before it was manageable but been coughing up phlegm for months on end and then will go away and always get chest infections and inflammation in the ribs.
I have a 2 year old and I'm literally whipped out after 5 mins. This isn't something that hasn't literally came on like it's all built up and got worse the longer I've left it. I don't really see it being COVID as it's been like this since before lockdown and I end up having panic attacks because of it. I just feel like if I say I'm coughing up phlegm etc they won't see me for the simple fact that's a COVID symptom but I feel I need to get it seen to now incase it is something more serious. Better to be safe than sorry x

I got asthma after I caught H1N1 and it turned into pheumonia when I was in my early 30s. It was quite shocking. Best thing is to speak to your dr. There are lots of tests to diagnose it.

It sounds like you'd do well to have an appointment with an asthma nurse. If it is asthma it can be controlled and you'll have the security of your inhalers. If it's not its still something which needs to be addressed.

Make the appointment!

@NeurotrashWarrior

Also I was anemic but they says about 2 months ago everything is back to normal now.
I literally hate phoning the doctors and the reception asks on the phone why do you want to see the doctor 😑 I know it's their job but I literally just wanna keep that private

@Sohardtochooseausername
Oh god that's horrible! Did they give you antibiotics for it or were you hospitalised!
I hope your doing better now ❤️

@TheBabyAteMyBrain

So would I phone the doctors or is there a number for this ? I genuinely never knew about this. I just assume you phone the doctors for everything and they just refer you if anything 😅x

Just phone your doctors, the gate keepers will probably take a run down (Stress the length of time it's been an issue so it's not put under possible covid) and make you a telephone appointment or in house appointment. Take it from there.

I imagine you'd see your gp first and if they diagnose asthma you'd then go under the asthma nurse.

I don't really know the procedure tbh, I've had it since I was wee and just get called in yearly to puff out a peak flow, chat and prove that after 30 odd years I can in fact take my inhalers appropriately 😂 if I need help in between it's always the gp I see.

Ah it sounds like asthma.

I found a hood chat to asthma UK really helpful and then phone Gp.

All gps are different; it might have just been mine that was a bit clueless!

I asked if I could have a telephone chat to the asthma nurse after speaking to asthma uk (and a friend who was also trained in asthma.) she brought me down for the peak flow test.

Exhaustion was also a factor.

Often coughing or waking at 2 am with a tight chest can be too.

Also mine came on after my first child very mildly but got worse with every chest infection.

A particularly bad croup virus finished me off which is when I started having definable mild attacks where it felt like my chest was being squeezed after laughing etc. My main symptom was coughing; I think I've only ever wheezed twice.

I had a chest X-ray which showed nothing, which I now know is what you'd see with asthma.

Lots of runny clear fluid from the inflammation.

When you said does it come on quickly, I thought you meant an attack, but low level untreated asthma hangs around all the time, for me from sept to May. Then there's exacerbation on top.

Speak to asthma uk about how to get around the Covid thing.

I had a lot of antibiotics and was off work for a month. And then I had a lot of chest infections over the next few years. Took a while to try different asthma drugs. Had a cat scan eventually and the infections had scarred my lungs. I’m fine now. The asthma is under control (I take a combination inhaler every day) and I took up running a couple of years ago. I think running has been the best thing. My peak flow (the thing you do to check how you are) is a 3rd higher than it was 10 years ago when this all started.

Update*

Phoned the doctors at 9 o'clock this morning and basically they aren't taking any appointments only phone appointments which I've told him my symptoms to fingers crossed he will refer me to somewhere if he thinks I do

@TheBabyAteMyBrain
I phoned this morning and told the receptionist that I've had it away back since last year and it's progressively getting worse as I leave it and I'm very phlegmy all year around and sometimes worse than others. He says the doctors aren't seeing anyone atm due to numbers rising again but has scheduled the doctor to phone me. Don't really know where it will go from there but I'll tell him I can't wait any longer

@NeurotrashWarrior

I'm exhausted all the time running around after a wild child 😂 but this has got worse , it'll literally catch the back of my breath and I'll start a coughing fit trying to catch it again. Also I've been working up during the night choking on my saliva again catching my breathe. It's manageable but I don't want to leave it any longer as it's literally been a year

When Dr calls you back, if they think asthma they'll probably start with salbutamol inhaler to see if that improves symptoms...

If they don't suggest it, ask if they can prescribe a peak flow meter, and then see asthma uk site for how to use it and record your readings... after a couple of weeks you should have useful info to review with GP or asthma nurse.

If it is asthma, usually there are patterns in your readings, plus if you do take an inhaler you can see if it's helping as well as by noting changes to symptoms...

If they prescribe salbutamol ask the chemist for ventolin, it lasts longer.

Watch a YouTube video on correct technique.

Just another tip, if it's going to be your first time using inhalers, ask for a spacer. I've been on my inhalers 26 years and when things are bad I still use my spacer to help get the medication properly.

This time of year is always bad for my flare ups, I've been able to guarantee at least 1 chest infection and a course of steroids between September - December for the past 10 years. Change of weather can have a big effect

I've started getting breathless a lot this year and last year and coughing all the time. When I was in hospital recently they said they were certain it was asthma due to allergies and just to use anti-histamines. If I take 2 a day it helps but it doesn't go. I said to doctor and just got well hospital didn't write it down. Got family history of severe asthma on both sides and it improves when hoover up hay from pets so think its plausible but hate being so out of breathe all the time and coughing. So having similar issues.

@NeurotrashWarrior @Sohardtochooseausername @TheBabyAteMyBrain @putthehamsterbackinitscage @Fluffycloudland77 @downwithallthesenamechanges @HouseCats Thankyou so much for replying! It's nice to know that people are willing to help others out and take the time out to do so. It's made me feel a little more at ease and know exactly what I'm going to say to the doctor when speaking to him! ❤️

@HouseCats

Maybe go and get another test ?? I don't really know the ins and outs that's why I posted here but read everyone's comments it's really helped me a lot and the way I've been feeling , recently it's out an effect on my daily life and something I don't speak about as I feel I'm being over dramatic but I will panic that I can't breathe so I've bite the bullet and got seen to even if it's not asthma then they can chance to what really is causing the breathlessness x

Brilliant advice above.

What I didn't realise when I was given Ventolin for a bad cough pre diagnosis was that it takes about 10 mins to fully work and should show a good improvement on peak flow readings which should last 3-4 hours. (which how I was then initially checked by the nurse.)

When bad I often use it as soon as I stir in the night which helps avert a worse coughing fit.

Technically a trial of a brown inhaler for 2 weeks with peak flow meter and a diary is the best way to "diagnose" it as well as treat it. (And was the next step after seeing the nurse.) peak flow readings should gradually go up and stabilise if it's asthma.

The difference in energy was huge, and even better when I then moved onto a combination inhaler. As a pp said, exercise also helps (not if untreated though) and I think I managed very mild asthma for years in my 20s and 30s with swimming and playing a wind instrument. Coughs used to linger for months in the winter.

But definitely speak to asthma uk first; their advice was invaluable.

@NeurotrashWarrior

Just off the phone to the doctors , he says because everything has shut back down again I can't go and get a peak flow test incase it's something he could deal with but he did say he will get down to the bottom of things. He says he's going to work from the bottom on what he knows and if that doesn't help move onto something else he thinks it might be. He says it could be nasal congestion and I literally shot him down on that saying I've tried 2 different bottles and it never helped so it's deep not that and plus when my son had a touch of asthma he had some left in his blue inhaler and was advised during lockdown I could take that as it's harmless so he's going to put me on a blue inhaler to start me off and track it for 4 weeks everyday like my symptoms if they are getting better etc and then he will phone me 4 weeks time to see if that has helped. I will then get tested for allergies and a peak flow test. Really just get to the bottom of what the problem might be. He says he doesn't really see it being a heart problem for someone my age but he will start from the bottom and work his way up to what it could be.

Honestly what a great feeling and weight off of my shoulder now knowing that this is getting invested in as I've been panicking for months on end having a fear of dying due to shortness of breathe and multiple panic attacks in the house I can control but scary. Was to scared to go to the doctors but listening to yous on this post has really helped me reach out so Thankyou so much.
Least it's getting invested in now ❤️ @NeurotrashWarrior@Sohardtochooseausername@TheBabyAteMyBrain@putthehamsterbackinitscage@Fluffycloudland77@downwithallthesenamechanges@HouseCats

Oh that’s good.

I don’t think breathing problems is something you should feel bad about complaining about. It’s pretty non-negotiable that we need to breathe properly.

Ok, a start. Make sure you get a spacer as a pp has said, if not ring to ask surgery to do so.

I'd actually call asthma uk as I feel like you could have been given a peak flow monitor but that might be the next step.

See / record what symptoms are like before and after using the inhaler and how long it lasts. See what it's like with cold air and in the night etc.

I felt like a time waster though too so I totally understand. The Gp was puzzled as when I turned up i seemed fine, but asthma can be unpredictable and you don't necessarily see the triggers all the time. So diagnosis took a while and a bit of a battle. I'd lived with it for a long time and some symptoms I'd completely normalised.