roy66
01-19-2003, 07:22 PM
I've had asthma since I was 16 years old.Before that I had sinusitis and allergies.I recently moved to North Carolina from upstate New York.The first few months were fine.( I havn't had any problems for about three years).Around Thanksgiving, I had alot of problems breathing.Not like regular wheezing but tightness in the chest and inability to get a deep breath and hyperventilating.It has gotten steadily worse to the point where I was struggling for every breath.I went to the doctor and he gave me a peak flow test.I tested normal.He said I had a sinus/bronchial infection.I took antibiotics and felt better within a coupple of days.But now , a week later , I feel it coming back.I feel like I can't breath.I have to yawn repeatedly and my chest feels like it's starting to tighten again.There is no wheezing just tightness and shortness of breath. I don't have health insurance.I wonder if there is something in the air in N.C. that is bothering me.I was tested for allergies at the doctors' office and he said I was allergic to dust mites mainly.I bought a hepa vaccum and bought vinyl covers for my bed and pillows.I also bought a dehumidifier.They don't seem to help.Does anyone have any suggestiuons.I'm taking advair, flonase,zyrtec,augmentin(for the infection), and uniphyl.I also took two courses of prednisone which didn't seem to help at all.WHen I had problems before , prednisone always seemed to help.I was taking flovent when I first moved , then switched to advair.Ive been taking advair for about three months.Could this cause problems like I'm experiencing? I would appreciate any advice.
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charleyhorse
01-20-2003, 12:49 AM
You may be right about something in the air, especially if your symptoms have reappeared since you moved. How about something at work? Anything new around you? I got worse a few years ago after they brought in a new photocopier that put out a lot more fumes and ozone than the last one. Sometimes it doesn't take much to set things in action asthma-wise. Also, maybe the Serevent in the Advair is not agreeing with you. I'd check that out with your dr.
wrin
01-20-2003, 11:03 AM
Flovent and Advair have theh same corticosteroid in them -- making a switch from one to the other is unlikely to keep the cortcosteroid from working.
Just to be safe on the topic of the serevent, do switch back to Flovent for a time and see how you handle it. (You don't need to taper since like I said before, it's the same drug. Just take as close to the same dose as possible.)
If your PEF at that moment was normal ... doesn't mean it's normal all the time. But you're already on an antihistamine, so unless you've been on it for yearsandyears, I can't see it being an allergy? Maybe switch antihistamines too, and see how that helps.
Also, buy yourself a peak flow meter, and test yourself when you start feeling tight. If you're actually getting a significant degree of narrowing, it'll show on the PF meter more than anything else. If nothing is conclusive, ask for a referral to a pulmonologist. He'll know better where to go and what tests to do.
I'm sorry about the health insurance thing, PEF meters only cost about $20 to $30 bucks, so that should be okay. As far as the doc goes, I don't know what you're going to do. Maybe consider looking for funding, or going to a charity hospital.
Just to be safe on the topic of the serevent, do switch back to Flovent for a time and see how you handle it. (You don't need to taper since like I said before, it's the same drug. Just take as close to the same dose as possible.)
If your PEF at that moment was normal ... doesn't mean it's normal all the time. But you're already on an antihistamine, so unless you've been on it for yearsandyears, I can't see it being an allergy? Maybe switch antihistamines too, and see how that helps.
Also, buy yourself a peak flow meter, and test yourself when you start feeling tight. If you're actually getting a significant degree of narrowing, it'll show on the PF meter more than anything else. If nothing is conclusive, ask for a referral to a pulmonologist. He'll know better where to go and what tests to do.
I'm sorry about the health insurance thing, PEF meters only cost about $20 to $30 bucks, so that should be okay. As far as the doc goes, I don't know what you're going to do. Maybe consider looking for funding, or going to a charity hospital.
roy66
01-20-2003, 12:27 PM
thanks for the reply.I wonder if I should just move back?I tried my mother's peak flow and tested normal.I went to the doctor's twice and both times the peak flow was good.He actually said it was better than normal.It was like %112.I will go and buy one though.That is a good idea.Where do you get them?I started taking nebulizer treatments and it seems to help.But sometimes nothing seems to help(even nebulizers).That is what has me worried.I've never had problems that couldn't be controlled with albuterol.Also , I dont' cough up anything.I used to cough up alot of stuff.Could this be a viral infection?I also just started the uniphyl.It's only been a couple days.Do you know how long it takes to start working?I need some relief.I start to get really nervous when my chest gets tight.It's liek I can't get a deep breath and there's nothing that can help.Then I start to breath heavier and it just gets worse from there.I'm looking in to insurance.But that takes a while to start coverage( so I've been told).I went to New York over Christmas and felt alot better.It seemed like when I got to Virginia( driving)I started breathing easier.Thanks
wrin
01-22-2003, 11:14 AM
Could be an infection, I know someone'll mention anxiety (whether on this board or your doctor mentions it is irrelevant) so I may as well be the first, Albuterol can sometimes make anxiety worse.
Oh, and another thing, if you're using the CFC albuterol spray, approximately 8% of the population will develop refractory bronchoconstriction when treated with CFC inhalers, so if you're not using albuterol by neb already (which is expensive as all holyhell) ask your pharmacy about getting a hold of some Proventil HFA, a cfc-free albuterol nihaler.
Oh, and another thing, if you're using the CFC albuterol spray, approximately 8% of the population will develop refractory bronchoconstriction when treated with CFC inhalers, so if you're not using albuterol by neb already (which is expensive as all holyhell) ask your pharmacy about getting a hold of some Proventil HFA, a cfc-free albuterol nihaler.
roy66
01-22-2003, 06:32 PM
I wonder if anxiety could really make that much of a difference?I went back to the dr. and he gave me cfc free proventil.I havn't checked my generic albuterol for cfc.They are old also.I have to stock pile meds so I dont' always have a choice.I did have an infection.The doc gave me augmentin but as soon as I stopped the prednisone , I started having trouble again.It seemed to work for a week.I felt good anyway.He said I still have the infection.He gave me more antibiotics to take if it flares up again.I'm on my last day of a new course of prednisone , but I don't want to stop taking it for fear of getting bad again.WHen it gets bad it's as if no medicine will help.Getting nervous or anxious makes ut even worse.
wrin
01-22-2003, 11:40 PM
Try upping your dose of inhaled steroid.
If it doesn't say HFA on it, err on the side of caution and bet that it's got CFCs in it.
There's also a kind of nebulized albuterol called levalbuterol (or the r isomer of r-s albuterol, the common stuff,) brand name Xopenex, that's supposed to decrease paradoxical bronchoconstriction, since the s-isomer of albuterol which they previously thought had no side-effects it seems can cause bronchoconstriction in susceptible individuals.
Is it possible you could be sensitive to sulfites?
If it doesn't say HFA on it, err on the side of caution and bet that it's got CFCs in it.
There's also a kind of nebulized albuterol called levalbuterol (or the r isomer of r-s albuterol, the common stuff,) brand name Xopenex, that's supposed to decrease paradoxical bronchoconstriction, since the s-isomer of albuterol which they previously thought had no side-effects it seems can cause bronchoconstriction in susceptible individuals.
Is it possible you could be sensitive to sulfites?
roy66
01-23-2003, 12:54 PM
I'm not sure about the sulfites.My generic abluterol doesn't say hfa on it.I had some left over when I lived in New York but I never needed it.So I saved it.I"m on Qvar now instead of advair.My kid has some guinea pigs.I wonder if they could cause problems.WHen she got them, I noticed a few days later ,my breathing wasn't as good as normal.She started out with one but it was pregnant, so now there's six of them running around(in a cage In her room).I wonder if they could have similarities to cats.Cats are one of my worst allergies.
jjaksic
01-23-2003, 06:04 PM
You probably felt better when you headed north because alot of the allergens are not up there. I mean the outside ones.
I live in SC and allergens and insects are prevalent.
It's not a good place if you already have allergies or sinusitis.
Where in NC do you live? Near the coast or mountains?
If you can move back w/o alot of trouble, then do so. It probably won't go away by itself.
I live in SC and allergens and insects are prevalent.
It's not a good place if you already have allergies or sinusitis.
Where in NC do you live? Near the coast or mountains?
If you can move back w/o alot of trouble, then do so. It probably won't go away by itself.
roy66
01-23-2003, 06:41 PM
I live about two hours from the coast.The thing is, that up there my sinuses were terrible.And my asthma was bearly noticable(in the last three years)DOwn here my sinuses don't seem to hurt or swell but the doc says they are infected.It doesn't feel like asthma.Just tightness in the chest and trouble breathing deep.When my asthma bothered me up there , there was always allot of wheezing and coughing.It didn't feel like this.I've lived here without a problem for 4 months then it started.I've also visited for weeks at a time before with no problems.Moving would pose a hardship.