I woke up this morning and fell like i'm in the middle of having phnemonia ,wheezing ,coughing and it's a total struggle to breathe at times , i've been awake for 5 hours and have had to use my ventolin 4 times so far .Yesterday i was great , had been for a few weeks .My PFM is 225 today and yesterday it was averaging out at 425 , ( i should be at 500 ish for my age but it's rare).Nothing has changed in my enviorment to make me this way ......any clues or hints please ?I'll cross my fingers that i wake up tomorow feeling like yesterday but i doubt it . :(

Hey - sometimes this happens to me. Actually, I guess it's usually when I'm coming down with a cold - just goes to my chest in a matter of hrs, one moment fine the next feeling so blah...

I know it's not much help - you should ask your doc about starting pred given your current peak flow reading - I know my GP or lung doc would have me on it in a flash with numbers like yours. Also another thought that comes to mind could you have picked up the flu and that's what is triggering your asthma?? If it's possible, see your doc cos' you don't sound well atall.

Take care - dolphins.

I woke up this morning and fell like i'm in the middle of having phnemonia ,wheezing ,coughing and it's a total struggle to breathe at times , i've been awake for 5 hours and have had to use my ventolin 4 times so far .Yesterday i was great , had been for a few weeks .My PFM is 225 today and yesterday it was averaging out at 425 , ( i should be at 500 ish for my age but it's rare).Nothing has changed in my enviorment to make me this way ......any clues or hints please ?I'll cross my fingers that i wake up tomorow feeling like yesterday but i doubt it . :(

Well..I hate to be the one to tell you this..I'm supposed to be up around 450-500 also and and my doctor told me at 300 I should head for the ER. At low 300s (350 and lower) I'm supposed to do a Xopenex treatment, and if that doesn't help to head for the ER. Do you have a nebulizer?? If so..maybe you should use a short acting bronchodilator in it, if that doesn't help, well..consider the ER. Sounds like you need some prednisone too..I know we all hate it and it's horrible but ..it really does help. Do you have a fever? Classic of pneumonia..if you do, it can be very dangerous for the asthmatic..had it last month it was the most miserable time of my life, almost hospitalized, home for a week..

I think you should consider giving your PCP a call and maybe not asking for pred yet (delay it as long as possible) but consider an inhaled steroid burst. For example, if you're on Advair 250/50 consider going to 500/50 for a bit. If you're on Advair 500/50 already, consider adding supplemental flovent 220. Or something to that effect. If you can stave off the oral steroids, it will be much safer for you. Have you been exposed to the flu or pneumonia? What about a cold? Any type of allergy?

For me, sometimes I just get tight. Unexplainable, I know, but that's why I'm intrinsic. Sometimes, I jsut don't find a trigger...

It's pneumonia , i went to to doctor and had the usuall round of chest xrays . I really have no clue how it came on so quick , neither does he . Anyways thank you all ,i'm off to bed now ( doped up nicely from all the perscriptions he gave me ).

Feel better!

Hi Everybody
Just wondering........don't know where you all are but don't you get an immunization against pneumonia? Asthmatics & all over 60's are offered the Pneumovax vaccine where I live - free of charge. It lasts arround 10 years apparently too.

Get well soon enginneer!

Lidia :wave:

We, in the US, have the option of getting the pneumovax but it only protects against streptococcus pneumoniae. Unfortunately pneumococcal pneumonia only accounts for 10% to 25% of all pneumonias.

Hi engineer1961 - I am very sorry to hear you have pneumonia :( - I do hope you are feeling better soon.

lidiajamjar - I didn't know asthmatics were supposed to get the Pneumovax vaccine - though I have only had pneumonia (Apr 03) once, plus had infected alveoli many yrs ago (Mar 99). Much to my Dr's dismay I skip my flu shot every yr - had the flu shot once in 98 - that was the yr after I had the flu, first time ever - asthma started afer having the flu. I know it's a bad idea, but if I am correct, I think a lot of asthmatic (+ those who need the flu shot) don't get one.

Thank you all , i'm starting to feel a bit better( after several days in bed)and no I haven't had the flue or pneumonia shot ,my brother had a bad reaction to the flue shot so i figured it was best just to avoid them all together (and i do hate taking things that i'm not sure what's in them ). My old doctor used to beg me to get the pneumonia shot but i just am not comfortable with the idea (i've had pneumonia 15 times in the last 14 years ,it useed to skip a year then come on but in the last few years i seem to get it atleast 2 times per year .......not fun ). Anyway back to be for me :) .

(((((engineer1961))))) Sure hope you continue to feel better. Anyway as you've been lots of bed rest, fluids too.

Take care, dolphins. :angel: