asthma - Asthma Message Board

roy66 · 01-19-2003, 04:22 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.

charleyhorse · 01-19-2003, 09:49 PM

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, 08:03 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.

roy66 · 01-20-2003, 09:27 AM

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, 08:14 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.