Crappy few weeks ..broncitus and a peak flow of 250..

engineer1961 · 09-12-2007, 12:24 AM

I'm having a toally rough few weeks here ..my husband wants to take me to the emergency everytime I have a coughing fit and my child keeps asking if I'm going to live ..I've had asthma my whole life and it just seems to be an on going battle that i'm loosing . Last summer I had two partially collapsed lungs , double pnemonia , and I was coughing up blood from the force of my cough ..and now I'm heading in that direction again , I can feel it . I go to see my family doctor (who's excellent but hard to get in to see )on Thursday and my lung specialist upped my meds and put me back on Prednasone but nothing seems to be doing the trick. I'm so tired and every tiem I lay down my wheezing gets so loud I can't sleep then when I finally do pass out from exhastion I wake my self up coughing .. and crying from the pain the coughing is causing me in my chest , head and throat ...every day I'm getting weaker with this and I keep wondering how the hell I'm going to be able to battle this when I'm older ..I'm only 37 ..how do people that are in their 60's and 70's do it ? I know i will be giving in to my husbands urgings and going to the emergency sometime this week becasue the asthma attacks are getting worst and my peak flow which is 500 on a good day is down to 250 now , which is a sign I may have phnemonia.. sorry for the grumbling but I don't usually let this get me down but it has this time ..honestly i don't have time or energy to be sick right now!! I'd trade my soul for a good immune system and a new set of lungs right about now...:]

miyu · 09-12-2007, 03:56 AM

Wow, I’m so sorry, you sound alot like myself, I have always had asthma, so I live with it no matter how much it brings me down. I was up all night for 3 nights because of coughfing so much. If you take 4 puffs of you emergency meds, that is a clear sign you need to go to the hospital. For myself my husband doesn’t really feel it is an emergency unlike yours, so it is good you have family who understand how bad it can be and are willing to take action when you are not. For myself, I was so short of breth, when i did pass out for exhaustion, I would wake up gasping for air. That is a very very bad sign, especially because it has gone on for 3 days, that means I should have gone in 3 days ago, and I could have died. I mean if you are waking up gasping for air, you still have fight in you, but what if you don’t wake up. You may never wake up. So I would be calling 911 if I were you. You can explain to them that you peak flow is at 250, normally 500, and you can’t bring it up, that is all they need to know.

As for your fears, you need to talk to your doctor about that. Mine gave me alot of hope and education about my asthma, but yours is different, I’m sure. I do not have COPD yet, I asked my doctor that exact question, what if I get worse... but if I don’t get it undercontrol, and find out why it is out of control. That could happen. And then life will be alot harder, I feel for the people with that. I really don’t want to be in that, so I am always counting my blessing I got such a good doc, who is going to help me get it undercontrol.

engineer1961 · 09-12-2007, 05:31 AM

HI Miyu, it's my 7th night in a row not falling asleep until 5 or 6 in the morning due to my coughing and wheezing and I think i've had enough of it (meaning i think i'll scoot to the ER in the AM or before)..like you I don't usually let it get me down but it's been a rough year for my health period . one in which I've gone back to school , had my apendex rupture and loads of other stuff ..like I said rough year and it's wearing me down. It's nice to not be alone and going through this though

My friend s and family all are very supportive but I still end up feeling like a hypocondriact ....asthma is such a sucky diease . My asthma specialist is in adifferenct city from mine other wise i'd be going to his walkin clinic .Deep down I know it's very serious , when they did my spectum test ..the one where they induce an asthma attck i cough ed like i normally do and they said there where peices of lung tissue found in my speciemnt ..the first time in 20 years they'd ever had a specicemtn with tissue in it ..it's a really large clinic in a hospital that specializes in lung disorders /diseases..oddly that made me feel better to know that it wasn't just in my head I do have screwed up lungs .. when i cough in public peopel always want to call and ambulance for me ..funny but sad too

oh well enough grumbling on my part ! I must say though with out my husbands support I wouldn't know what to do , he's my rock, I really hope yours comes around and relizes he's should be helping not hindeing your asthma

..NIght ..sweet dreams if you can fall asleep ..

engineer1961 · 09-12-2007, 05:33 AM

Hey Miyu I just saw that your in Canada too ..cool !! I'm in Ontario..formerly Nova Scotia.

miyu · 09-12-2007, 05:52 AM

if I were you I would not be driving yourself to the ER not with 7 days of not being able to sleep or breath. get your husband to drive you, or call 911, I think its worth $400, they get you in fast, fix you, and get you out fast. and they treat it searious. as it is!! I would really really think about that.