Fun night in A&E last night with acute hyperventilation attack , possibly from asthma????

[melsy]

NOT

Went to a dinner at friends , Ive been coughing with some virus for 7 days and continued to cough and cough and cough all night. Gp thinks I may have mild asthma and has given me a symbicort inhaler this week.

So we left their house to go home, all calm , nothing to be panicked about. My coughing fit continues in the car and then suddenly Im finding it really hard to breathe and speak. Im trying to deep breathe and calm it down , but I started to hyperventilate , I used my inhaler and the coughing stopped , but by that time it was too late for the reaction to acute hyperventilation.

cue 10mins later and Im strapped up to a pulse and heart monitor after dh has carried me in under the arms (sliding me accross the floor !!!!) as I locked up completely, couldn't speak and my hands went into claws and my legs went rigid.

After calming down , they sent me out to the waiting area to wait several hours to see the doctor. Came home eventually at 3:30 am and tried to sleep , not easy after such a weird night, (on top of which saw someone being carried out in a body bag ).

He gave me another toy to add to my new collection , which was a reliever inhaler and wouldn't say one way or the other whether I had asthma or not. The one relief was that he said it wasnt anxiety or panic disorder related , but may be brought on by the coughing related to asthma.

I know , you see the melsy name and think grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrroaannn not all her lot again!!!!!!

bumping for anyone else whos experienced these things with asthma.

Its all new to me and it would help to talk to others about it.

hi melsy

no experience, but what you describe sounds like it was to do with the hyperventilation, i have a friend who is a nurse who described what you have described....rigid, hands into claws, the person suffering it had had a panic attack.

if he is giving you inhalers, surely he should be more sure you have asthma> if it not, then he needs to diagnose what the problem is

the feeling of not being able to breathe is very frightening, could have been a combination of the coughing and then panic

poor you

hope you get a more restful night

panic attack and hyperventilation. hae had this once, is very scary. once you start to worry about now being able to breathe then it all gets worse. have had the start of it recently again with a tight chest but tell myself its just the start of panic attacks and not to worry.

I agree totally with what lulumama has written.

I would get a second opinion. Same happened to me.

Hi Melsy - I have had some sort of coughing thing for a few weeks. I am also asthmatic but haven't had an attack for a couple of years. This last two weeks has been awful though - coughing like you are never going to be able to breathe again. I am now on antibiotics and back on full asthma medication.

I haven't had a reaction like yours but I can imagine how it could happen because the coughing is quite frightening. I do finding my reliever inhaler helps though so hopefully for you this will too when the attacks come.

This happened to me as a result of my asthma getting much much worse. I would ask to be referred to an ENT specialist who deals with asthma. I was taken to hospital in an ambulance - one of the most frightening experiences of my life - so I sympathise entirely. When I feel myself panicking now about not being able to breathe I breathe into a paper bag and it really helps. Am considering yoga to learn how to breathe properly. Have also joined a choir to teach me proper techniques.

Let us know how you are getting on.

I have had panic attacks in the past, but theyve been brought on my really severe PTSD and PND. They were severe enough to be in backs of ambulances/psyhce untis and have diazepam, but I havent been that way for a loong time. They did however make me hyperventialte, fit and convulse and make me spasm all over. Ive worked through that now since being pregnant and had lots of therapy and help.

Im am however going through another severly stressed and anxious period,(have several threads on that all) and this has been ongoing and Im just about managing it withought medication and seeing a gp every 2 weeks. Im on a 6mth waiting list for CBT and anger managment with MIND. Ive had a few very mild panick attacks the last 6mths , but theyve stopped quite quickly and been nowere like what happened lastnight.

This followed a very calm relaxing evening , so it was very strange to experience it this way and it sorta made me feel better about myself with the doctor last night saying it wasnt an anxiety related happening.

I have another appt with the gp at the end of the month for both anxiety and asthma.

I dont quite know were or whats going on now !!!!!

melsy - I started to feel out of breath and panicky after DD's birth - I was diagnosed with asthma.

I personally think I suffer some kind of panic disorder. My symptoms are feeling breathless, shaking, sweating, feeling of not being THERE iukwim. This indicates to me that I suffer Panic attacks and I know 100% I suffer anxiety - I break out in sweats when in social situations.

I often question whether I have asthma or not(Idon't think I have) the symptoms I had were panic attacks/anxiety.

Hello - just a quick comment, I kept having episodes a while ago where I wasnt ble to breathe, went clammy etc etc (turned out they were to do with what I ate and stress) the results of whch were an asthma type reaction - dr gave me both a preventative and reliever inhaler (not because I had asthma but to treat the symptoms which were similar to asthma) ie - perhaps your dr is treatig the symptons in the first intance and will wit till you re under conrol to find the cure....