Night Asthma - Asthma Message Board

PinkBananaz · 02-27-2004, 10:54 AM

I'm having a real problem with night asthma. It wakes me up, my sinuses are like permanently stuffed so I can't breathe through my nose, and then I have to sleep sitting up straight. Even laying back in the slighest makes me cough and my chest feels rattly when I breathe. Then if I accidentally lay down at all in my sleep, I wake up barely breathing. It happens often now that I wake up barely breathing, and in the mornings I cough and cough and cough. Then I have to take albuterol before I get out of bed, otherwise I'll get really out of breath before I make it down the hall. I'm already on Advair 250/50, flonase, clarinex, what else can I do besides sleep sitting up and keep albuterol next to me? It's really getting scary how I am constantly waking up barely breathing!

monacks · 02-27-2004, 12:36 PM

I sleep on two pillows. I know if I only sleep on one, I am usually congested. My dr put me on Singulair, which I take before bedtime, because of night time bouts. Do you run a cool mist humidifier by your bed? That might help. Also, do you change your sheets often? Maybe your allergic to something in your bed/room. You could try vacuuming your bed to get rid of those dust mites and buy an allergy cover for your mattress and your pillows. Also, get rid of a lot of dust catchers in the room, like drapes and quilts and stuffed animals. All of this stuff seems to make asthma worse. Do you have down covers and pillows? This could be a problem too. Just a few ideas for you to look at.

jerrie97 · 02-27-2004, 12:40 PM

Look into getting something like a HEPA filter for your room. Allergies, like the previous poster said, could be causing it. The same thing happens to me, but I just deal with it and maybe take a nebulizer. I use a bed wedge to keep myself up and to keep myself from aspirating stomach acid. But see a doctor first. Nocturnal awakenings are one of the first signs of deteriorating asthma. How are your peak flows lately?

Do you see an ENT for your sinus problems? Have you recently had a CT scan of your sinuses?

jerrie97 · 02-27-2004, 05:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PinkBananaz

We are looking into allergy proofing my room, as i'm about 99.9% positive i'm allergic to dust. We just got allergy pillows, and my parents want to get a HEPA filter, we were looking into the Ionic Breeze at Sharper Image. We're also trying to find allergy covers that aren't like 100$ each for mattresses.
My peak flows are alright, not high, but not low, but then again usually i've had to take my inhaler a few times by the time I get to my peak flow meter. So I don't know i'm gonna keep it by my bed tonite and see right away what it is.
I don't see an ENT, i'm so lost between what doctor(s) I should be seeing..ENT..pulmonologist..allergist..I 've never had a CT scan of my sinuses. They've just been so congested for so long I hardly notice them, so when the doctors ask about my sinuses everytime its just like yeah their really congested..nothing new though. I mean what else can I take for them? I'm considering nasalcrom, but I haven't been able to find anyone that knows anything about it.

I was reading a book about asthma and they warn against the use of air ionizers, such as the Ionic Breeze. A HEPA filter would be okay though. The only reason the Ionic Breeze shouldn't be used for asthmatics is because it produces ozone ... and during the summer, for instance, they warn people with respiratory conditions to stay inside when the ozone level in the atmosphere is high.
An ENT would be a good idea for chronic sinus problems. But seeing an allergist would also be a good idea for chronic sinus problems if they're being caused by allergies. If you have allergic asthma, seeing an allergist would be a good idea. But if you don't have allergic asthma, seeing a pulmonologist is ideal. Very confusing.
Saline washes can help sinus problems. You squirt the saline (available in pharmacies for maybe $4-5) into your nose, turn your head upside down and sort of swish it around in there. Then blow your nose. Yeah, it's pretty nasty.

monacks · 02-27-2004, 08:42 PM

Bed, Bath and Beyond has a mattress cover and I think its cheaper than $100. Also, the allergy pillow covers aren't that much more expensive than the regular ones. You would also do good to have a comforter that is washable and has a ****t cover on it that's washable. There was a thread about a week ago about the ionic's being bad for lung conditions.

My dr gave me a recipe of 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda in 8 ounces luke warm water. Take a bulb syringe and squirt it up your nose. Very disgusting, but is wonderful to clear out sinuses. I do it twice per day religiously! It works a bit better than the store bought saline solutions. Also, I think the ingredients help kill infection. I sometimes gargle with this recipe if my throat hurts.