MelissaNC

Last Monday I was diagnosed in the ER with both asthma and pneumonia, and put on a variety of meds. (Atrovent & Albuterol for the asthma, Prednisone & Zithromax for the pneumonia.) Wednesday I went for a follow-up with my regular doctor, who added Singulair at bedtime, for the asthma & to help with seasonal allergies. This morning when I woke up, I didn't have any wheezing, but I felt tight and almost like my lungs were really heavy. I don't really know how else to describe it, except that it felt like there was a weight on my chest. It disappeared after taking my meds. Now when they diagnosed me with asthma I was wheezing really really badly, and have still had some of that off & on all week.

So what I'm wondering is this: Is the heavy feeling an asthma thing, or is that more likely from the pneumonia?

I don't know for sure what non-wheezing asthma feels like since the few times I've had any symptoms were all the wheezy type. (May have had the other and didn't know what it was, though, since I had had the wheezy type before and didn't know at the time what it was, either.)

I've seen several of you describe that you have the 'tightness', and was also wondering, how do you feel that tightness? Can you say, "This is definately the bronchials that are tight and nothing else is affected", or is it more of, "The bronchials are tight, but my whole upper chest feels tight because of it" ?

Thanks for the info! Right now I'm trying to separate out what is directly caused by the asthma and what is from the pneumonia. My doc said to take the Albuterol more often than the official prescription if I was having problems with the asthma, but I want to make sure that it really is the asthma, and not the pneumonia, before I take extra Albuterol.

Melissa