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Asthma

38 replies

Cr20 · 01/10/2020 16:35

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

OP posts:
WrongKindOfFace · 02/10/2020 12:37

You can buy a peak flow monitor online. Some pharmacies may also stock them. They’re about £10 ish.

You can also print off a peak flow chart. Might also be an app these days.

Cr20 · 02/10/2020 13:09

@Fluffycloudland77
Im just so scared of the doctors but best to get seen to x

OP posts:
HouseCats · 02/10/2020 13:09

Hope you can get some proper help CR20 When my breathing got really bad a month or so ago and also having chest pains my doctor told me to go to hospital and there they did chest x-ray (clear) and heart checks (fine) so they thought asthma from symptoms and that it improves when hay removed. So that was useful but seems strange its hard to get help via doctors atm and all I got told was avoid hay and take anti-histamines - atm they are OK but its worsening.

Fluffycloudland77 · 02/10/2020 14:30

I know some of them can be difficult but you’ve got to push through that fear to look after yourself because none of us exist in a vacuum.

They’d rather see a patient & it be a minor problem than see someone way down the line & it be a problem.

Sohardtochooseausername · 02/10/2020 17:40

It’s great that your dr is getting things started.

I would echo the advice to speak to asthma uk. The nurses on their helpline are amazing.

Cr20 · 02/10/2020 19:05

@HouseCats
What's hay ? Sorry I'm not to sure what that means ?
I think it's change of weather aswell I've felt rubbish for 2 weeks leading up to this but I can hear the phlegm in my chest when I cough 😑

OP posts:
Cr20 · 02/10/2020 19:08

@Fluffycloudland77

Yea that's really true , I'll just need to get over that fear! Even now I'm a mum of a two year old. I need to be healthy running around after him 😂

OP posts:
Cr20 · 02/10/2020 19:10

@Sohardtochooseausername
How do I get things started ??? Do I speak to them on the phone ? Like what happens ?x

OP posts:
Sohardtochooseausername · 02/10/2020 22:14

I mean your GP is getting things started - but they don’t really explain anything to you. The ideal thing is if your practice has a specialist nurse who will pick up your case - they know way more than the drs about managing asthma day to day. But for now it sounds like you could do with a chat with an expert so you could phone the nurses on the AUK helpline - info here www.asthma.org.uk/advice/resources/helpline/

NeurotrashWarrior · 03/10/2020 06:13

Us definitely call asthma uk.

IWishTheBishopWell · 21/10/2020 11:31

I would speak to asthma UK, I don't think your surgery should be refusing to see someone with suspected asthma for tests. If you have asthma you need to know so that you can be given treatment and taught how to manage it. If necessary I would buy a peak flow meter from the chemist so you can track your peak flow yourself.

I first went to the GP about possible asthma in 1999 aged 11 and was diagnosed in 2018 aged 29!

I went in 1999 as my new PE teachers at secondary school suspected asthma. I did an asthma test and saw an improvement of 11 after taking inhalers - GP said I needed an improvement of 12 for a diagnosis so I didn't get a diagnosis.

At this point I had a strong childhood history of chest infections and 4-6 week coughs after colds. This continued in my teens although I wasn't as short of breath.

In my early 20s I started getting shorteness of breath again. This was attributed by doctors to other conditions I have like fibromyalgia and ehlers danlos. It got much worse in 2016 and I raised the prospect of asthma with several GPs who all said I couldn't be asthmatic without a wheeze. This included the same GP who had recently given me antibiotics for a chest infection and had previously seen me when I was coughing up blood streaked phlegm.

In 2018 a new GP gave me a preventer and a reliever inhaler for bronchitis and she was the first to consider asthma. She told me to try the inhalers again once the bronchitis had gone to see if they helped.

I went on honeymoon to somewhere with high pollution levels a few months later and my symptoms were awful so I resumed the inhalers which helped. It was bad enough out there that we made a note of where the hospital was just in case.

That experience prompted the GP to refer me to an asthma nurse for tests. I had an improvement of 10 rather than 12 but this time I received my diagnosis - the nurse also took my symptoms into account, as well as my history of eczema and hayfever plus the history of chest infections and coughs.

So I now finally know I have asthma and am doing well on Fostair and Montelukast, the latter of which has been a miracle drug for me and made a huge difference to my difficult to control asthma.

I would push your GP to let you see an asthma nurse OP. I would also request a trial of a preventer inhaler as well as the blue reliever inhaler.

NeurotrashWarrior · 22/10/2020 20:27

several GPs who all said I couldn't be asthmatic without a wheeze

Seems to be so common not to wheeze. Especially if not allergic to things eg pollen and cats etc. Glad you're sorted now.

How are you doing @Cr20 ?

I noticed that the cleaner air in lockdown made my chest amazing for a few short weeks.

IWishTheBishopWell · 23/10/2020 15:25

My chest felt amazing in those early lockdown weeks too - much less pollution.

I wish more people knew that asthma can be present without a wheeze, especially GP's who are usually someone's first port of call about asthma!

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