Confused...need advice please - Asthma Message Board

heavin · 09-30-2005, 09:00 AM

Good morning and new to this forum. Seems like a nice site

Ok, question. I hope someone can help me or give some advice.

For about 3 weeks now, about 4 or 5 times daily, anytime day or night, and usually starting in my sleep, Ill wake up trying desperately to breathe. Feels like a ton of bricks is on my chest. I am soo congested I cant breathe, talk, or barely think. Then Ill start coughing, and it seems to get worse with the coughs. Some times the coughs are productive enough for me to spit, to help alleviate the congestion, and everytime the coughs are so bad, I end up throwing up continuously. And because of all this, I become so weak, I can barely stand up, because of the lack of oxygen. I can only take tiny little breaths just to keep from smothering it seems.

My husband has kicked me out of the bedroom cause I keep him up all night. Cant stop gasping for air the whole time.I sleep sitting up so maybe the mess wont settle in my lungs, but it doesnt help. And its embarrassing for me to have my teens wake up for school to find their mother on the floor next to the toilet or trashcan every morning.

I have tried many things to try to help this, but no prevail

But however, I figured out that hot coffee or tea helps clear it up at the time, but only if I can get it made before the next episode is the problem cause I dont know when its gonna happen. Weird though, Ill be fine one sec, clear as a bell, and the next very sec, I totally cant breathe again. Whole episode takes like 30-45 minutes. Cant sleep for more than like 3 or 4 hours, then Im afraid to go to sleep in fear that I wont wake up cause I cant breathe. sigh :P

Is this just ordinary chest congestion, a bit of asthma, or allergies? I have no itching eyes or nose, no running or stopped up nose, no sneezing, or anything like that. Just confused. This will happen like 2 times a yr or so, but this time is worse imo.

Any help or advice is much appreciated and thanks in advance

Howitt44 · 09-30-2005, 04:33 PM

I have asthma and from what I have learned over the last couple of years is that everybody's asthma is a little different. I was diagnosed as an adult at the age of 45. I have had allergies all of my life, so this was really not a shock to me. My first symptoms were shortness of breath, a tight feeling in my chest, and sometimes I would cough up phlegm. But it was more noticeable when I would get a cold or upper respiratory infection. It would go straight to my chest in the form of a cough and linger there for weeks. My first asthma test (spirometry) was normal, but the one six months after that was not. I now use a preventative inhaler everyday called Advair, which is an inhaled steroid. I usually don't have any problems now unless I get sick. When I do get sick and get the dreaded cough, it is usually productive with phlegm and I can hear it move around in my chest when I lay down. It's not really what I would call a wheeze, but more of a rattle. I sometimes take an oral steroid for a few days and it clears right up. I really try hard not to get sick. I take lots of vitamins, a flu shot every October, and try and wash my hands often. Really the only way you will know for sure if you have asthma, is to go to the doctor and get an spirmetry test. You blow reallly hard in this tube and it measures the amount of air you can move out of your lungs. I hope this helps answer some questions. I don't really know what else it could be. Do you smoke?