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Original poster

Sudden wheezing and coughing attacks

59 replies

Nortam · 26/08/2023 19:00

For the last, I'd say, 9 months, a year maybe, I've had these random episodes where I've started wheezing with no obvious cause. (Literally sitting on the sofa ect) not felt breathless or anything and a slight cough. Normally this disappears after a few hours tops.

Today I had the same except I had a huge coughing fit, wheezing very loudly and struggling to talk as my throat was so irritated. This lasted about 20 minutes and slowly eased until I was just wheezing. Wheezing completely stopped within 2 hours. It was quite scary as I had to cough with every breath.

I never took much notice if the episodes I previously had but this one was a lot lot worse. I'm being investigated for.another health issue at the moment so I don't want to go to the GP unless absolutely necessary. Does anyone know what this could be please?

OP posts:
Annaishere · 26/08/2023 19:37

Asthma

Original poster
Nortam · 26/08/2023 19:51

I'm 32 though. Can you just randomly develop asthma?! Every time I've had these episodes, I've never been doing any exercise.

OP posts:
fivelilducks · 26/08/2023 20:10

Yes you can get it at any point in life

fivelilducks · 26/08/2023 20:11

And lots of things cause asthma attacks, not just exercise

Quinque · 26/08/2023 20:13

It does sound like asthma. It could be an allergic response to something.

Jellycats4life · 26/08/2023 20:13

It does sound like asthma, possibly exacerbated by allergies?

My husband was only diagnosed with asthma after a severe attack that landed him in A&E on a nebuliser (although he only went to A&E after I shouted at him that I didn’t want him to die in his sleep - he wanted to go to bed despite severe wheezing and breathlessness).

Annaishere · 26/08/2023 20:18

Yeah I got it after having Covid then a few chest infections in a short period of time

Original poster
Nortam · 26/08/2023 20:22

Thanks all. Clearly I need to do a bit of research on asthma! I honestly didn't realise you could develop it in adulthood.

Sorry if this is another stupid question but do I need to see a GP or is it something you can just live without being diagnosed? Like I said before, I'm having tests done for something else and I don't want to seem like a hypochondriac!

OP posts:
Original poster
Nortam · 26/08/2023 20:23

@Jellycats4life that must have been scary! I hope your husband is okay now.

OP posts:
Jellycats4life · 26/08/2023 20:25

Asthma attacks can kill, so if you do have it you need to be diagnosed and treated (inhalers etc).

off · 26/08/2023 20:25

You go to the doctor. Untreated asthma results in cumulative damage, and there's always the chance that one day you'll have a serious attack that doesn't get better on its own.

Annaishere · 26/08/2023 20:36

Yeah you should really get inhalers. I had breathlessness but then one day a couple weeks ago I just had a massive attack where I couldn’t breathe properly even in hospital for hours

gingeristhenewblack43 · 26/08/2023 20:52

You need to see your GP who will refer you to spirometry for lung function tests. That will determine whether you have asthma. The tests are nothing to worry about, just blowing into a tube while a machine measures your output.

StillOrSparklingMadam · 26/08/2023 20:56

gingeristhenewblack43 · 26/08/2023 20:52

You need to see your GP who will refer you to spirometry for lung function tests. That will determine whether you have asthma. The tests are nothing to worry about, just blowing into a tube while a machine measures your output.

Yep do this.

I was diagnosed in my late 40s. The doctor thought I was a hypochondriac and said something like breathing seems harder at night because we’re more focused on it (?!?). I pushed for spirometry and turned out to have quite severe asthma. I now have a new doctor.

RadishAndTwiglet · 26/08/2023 20:58

Does this cough and wheezing come on shortly after you eat?

What is the other health condition you are having looked into?

It could be asthma but it could also be a symptom of acid reflux, eosophageal inflammation or hiatus hernia. Do you burp a lot or get hiccups a lot? Do you get a really phlemmy thoat and feel the need to clear it constantly? Do you get heartburn frequently?

Original poster
Nortam · 26/08/2023 21:45

Thanks everyone, I will call the GP Tuesday.

@RadishAndTwiglet I don't think it does come on after food. I had some toast about 20 minutes , maybe a bit longer, before it started. Can't remember the other times. Once it started in the middle of night while I was lying in bed.

No to all of those questions although I have just had a cold so have had a phlegmy throat that I've needed to clear since then.

The other health problem is pins and needles/sensory problems in my right arm and leg and extreme tiredness. I'm having an MRI on my head and spine through neurology. I have another thread on here about it for full details.

OP posts:
EmmaPaella · 26/08/2023 22:01

I was diagnosed with asthma in my early thirties (after staying in a room that had just been dusted and cleaned).

Original poster
Nortam · 26/08/2023 22:06

@EmmaPaella what were your symptoms if you don't mind me asking?

About 5 minutes before I started coughing, my DC got a very dusty wooden box from under the sofa and banged it hard on the floor next to me, causing loads of dust to fly into the air. I'm now wondering if that's what caused it this time?

OP posts:
cherryassam · 26/08/2023 22:08

Sounds like asthma and possibly a dust mite allergy

Judystilldreamsofhorses · 26/08/2023 22:33

I don’t wheeze but get cough-y and mucus-y due to GERD/reflux. I always feel like I have mucus in my throat, but certain foods make it much worse and I have had to cut them out of my diet (chocolate and tomatoes are particularly bad which is annoying!). I have medication - Omeprazole for my stomach and a spray for my nose - which help keep it under control.

EmmaPaella · 26/08/2023 23:05

Nortam · 26/08/2023 22:06

@EmmaPaella what were your symptoms if you don't mind me asking?

About 5 minutes before I started coughing, my DC got a very dusty wooden box from under the sofa and banged it hard on the floor next to me, causing loads of dust to fly into the air. I'm now wondering if that's what caused it this time?

Well that would definitely make me wheezy and also my eyes stream and nose run. The two ‘attacks’ I had, that weren’t a cough or allergic type reaction were. It’s after cleaning or hoovering, or somebody else had cleaned/hoovered. I became very breathless and wheezy, much more so than ever before. Was quite scary. My sister told me to try her reliever inhaler which worked so I went for an assessment. I was given a blue inhaler (reliever) at first but was later prescribed a brown inhaler (preventer). For me, dust is not the only thing I am allergic too, also mould. I now take the preventer every day and never need to use the reliever.

EmmaPaella · 26/08/2023 23:06

Sorry, ignore the It’s above!

EmmaPaella · 26/08/2023 23:11

Antihistamine would help a dust allergy too.

Original poster
Nortam · 27/08/2023 19:38

I'll try an antihistamine if it happens again before I see the gp

OP posts:
Sparkletastic · 27/08/2023 19:41

Could well be asthma. I developed asthma very suddenly when I was 40 off the back of a period of intense stress. Wheezing attacks but mainly just a dry cough. My thyroid packed up and I developed IBS too. Basically a load of autoimmune stuff can go down at once.