Hi

I have a cold and whenever this happens it effects my breathing to some degree. I take flovent 500, advair 500-50 and spriva everyday. When I have a problem all I can add is ventalin (salumdrol) and medications by compressor. I find it frustrating because I usually have to go on prednisone and I do not like all the side effects of it.

Any comments?

well, your lucky if it only affects ur asthma to some degree. When i get a cold it's like a death sentence. But I know what you mean. I'm just sitting here gasping until they come up with some new asthma medicines. Good news is that they found a specific protein deficiency linked to asthma so if they get that under control and do some testing we may all feel a lot better within a couple of years.

Hi

It's actually worse than I made it sound. I have been admitted to hospital at least 50 times in the last 5 years and put on iv and oxygen and lots of treatments by compressor.
I know what you mean by a cold feeling like a death sentence. It is very scary when it is hard to breathe. I don't think anyone can relate unless they have been through it.
I hope they can do something with that protein deficiency that is linked to asthma.

Yea, I'm really placing a lot of my hope on new asthma medicines. A good amount of the current ones don't help me very much. Having a cold with flared asthma is probably the worst thing. At least there is this site to vent.

So what is the name of that protein deficiency and how does that deficiency impact nonallergic asthma? I am newly diagnosed - have probably had it for several years at least. I had chest colds that routinely lasted 3-8 weeks, thought nothing of it until my family doc heard me wheezing during a routine physical. The last year I've had a chronic cough, had a complete pulmonary workup (including CTs, bronchoscopy, etc). Weather changes this fall are leaving me frequently tight and coughing - despite heavy inhaled steroids, long acting bronchodilator, rescue inhaler, nebulizer. I'm uneasy about getting my "annual" chest cold.

Have you gotten a flu shot, Christine? I went for mine the first day they were offered. Might not help prevent a chest cold, but it seems like any help is good.

I'm not sure of the name of the protein, and i read the article in a more recent magazine that i can't recall. It was mostly focused on treating allergic asthma though, i'm not sure about non allergic asthma, all i know is that the new research concerns a certain dna strand with a protein defieciency directly linked to asthma.
I also recieved the flu shot more recently, i doubt it has any impact on the common cold mainly because the common cold and the flu are very different viruses.