What do you do when your asthma is relentless and gets in the way of everything?

Question

I can't work, I can't do much, I can hardly drive much, and I'm even thinking about missing a concert I paid hundreds of dollars to go to in a month, because of my asthma.

The docs say "but your lungs sound clear."

The xrays say nothing's wrong.

Pulmonary function test is ok too.

I'm also on so many meds, singulair, zyrtec, symbicort, nasonex, and then albuterol/xopenex/prednison for emergency.

STILL...It gets to me and I feel weird.

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG!??

What's going on here?

Why won't my chest just return to normal already?

Is there any hope when your asthma stops responding, or won't quiet down?

I'm sure the reaosn why it's this bad now is because whenever I get sick/cold/flu,..it flares much more than usual, and im currently just getting over a cold but

1)This is absolutely RIDICULOUS!

and

2)WHY won't my docs or people in the ER take me seroiusly?

It's tampering with my life THAT much, yet no one seems to care or come to a solution.

I'm at my WITS end.

Anyone?

Answer 1

i dont know hun i have asthma too and im trying to be very careful especially where im from barbados and it hurricane season so round this time the weather really affects ur asthma and i keep hearing more and more young people are dying from asthma so im taking it as a sign so whatever u do be very careful!!!

Answer 2

Hello, buddy.  I'm hearing you loud and clear on that one.  I myself am a severe asthma sufferer, so I can relate to the way you feel.

Firstly, I hope you are not a smoker.  If you are, you need to quit.  If you are around smokers, you need to get away.

Secondly - I found that many of the 'controller' medications out there did not help me.  I was on flovent for a while, singulair for a while, tried various allergy medications to 'help' such as allegra, claritin. zyrtec...

They might have helped some, but not really.

The best controller I've been using so far, hands down, is Advair.  Yes, they have scary commercials, but I really like the way it has helped.

This comes with a caveat though - during certain seasons, I find myself regressing a bit and using the rescue inhalers more often.  I am crazily allergic to dust mites.  During the spring months it seems like I can't wash my sheets/covers enough.  After a few days I'm wheezing and waking several times a night to use the inhaler.  Also, during an illness (a cold just like you) it is the same story.  I think that is just the thing that we might have to live with.  You might be feeling hopeless because you are having the symptoms associated with a cold, and being an asthmatic makes it 10 times worse.  I always feel hopeless about my condition during those times.

My advair was recently upped to the stronger dosage after I went in almost in tears regarding my spring season dustmite issues.  It seems to have helped that as well.  

Also - don't see a family or general practitioner.  Don't go to the ER unless necessary!  Get yourself a nebulizer and treat bad attacks in your living room - ER doctors are not allergists.  You need to have your primary care under an asthma/allergy doctor.  Most clinics have them as this is the number one complaint ever.  Ask the hospital directory.  These doctors know more about the condition and can actually listen and help.

Anyway, I hope I've given you some hope.  I know how it feels to feel hopeless.

EDIT:  I love when people say c**p like "drink tea and exercise".  They obviously have no idea what they are talking about.  If you were able to just start drinking tea and could hop on a bike the next day, you didn't have asthma.  If I did that, I would drop over dead, unable to breathe.  I drink tea and coffee DAILY, many cups a day.  It doesn't hurt to drink a few cups of tea or coffee to see if it might help your symptoms (they say the theophylline in coffee and tea actually mimic the structure of albuterol), but I tried this (inhaler free) for a week.  My lungs almost imploded.  It might help in conjunction with a good controller, but I'm guessing people who swear by this had very mild asthma.

Answer 3

Prednisilone is your answer :] mention it to your doctor, saying that your asthma is out of control. Also mention about seretide 250 or something along those lines, excellent for preventing it, apart from the summer :-/. And talking of asthma, got an attack coming on now! :-/ Been horrible this summer!

Answer 4

I hope you are seeing a specialist. yu could be allergic to something in the air. yu need to get onto regiment and then you should be ok not having to take all that mess. i mean you need to have someone that knows what they are doing and with so many i doubt they are all right i am not medical but i make it my business to knwo what is up and this n't isn't right. get a specilaist and go from there. lung speciliast or asthma specialist.

Answer 5

Im having the same problem, asthma sucks. I just take some allergy medicine, and maybe my inhaler and relax for a while.

Answer 6

Stop all those crazy meds, start drinking tea, and balance your life with adequate rest, and exercise-- especially jogging is very good for it !  Tea is a very healthy way to reverse and prevent asthma, jogging will improve your aerobic efficiency and it will clear your respiratory system of stale mucous lining, and rest will help you gain balance and ease your nerves even during stressful times.  oh ya,  also make sure your not in someplace that's stuffy, with poor air quality or some mold or mildews.  Get some pinesol water and clean your window sills and basement etc...  Air conditioners are terrible in a way because people don't open windows anymore, and breath stale air all day.  yuk.  In your home, get your air ducts cleaned out every year or two., and don't be stingy about your air filter.

Answer 7

Please read all the way through my answer before you disregard it.

Perhaps you are having anxiety attacks and not asthma attacks.  I experienced the same thing a few years back, but not as severely.  The x-rays, PFT, and doctors all said there was nothing wrong.  They gave me an inhaler prescription, but it didn't help.  I was having "asthma" attacks when ever I exerted myself (and especially when I was riding my bicycle in a secluded area) and whenever I smelled something weird.

After a while, I entered into therapy for other reasons, and my therapist suggested that I was having anxiety attacks.  We discussed all of the symptoms and treatments and decided to treat the attacks as anxiety attacks and see what happened.  As it turned out, the treatment for anxiety attacks worked.  I have since learned how to avoid the anxiety attacks and have been free of them for about 3 years.  The basis for the attacks was that I was suppressing my anxiety and fear.

It may not be the answer for you, but since conventional medicine for asthma attacks has not been helping, it couldn't hurt to give it a try and it might even help you.

Answer 8

Trust me on these. I've had asthma since I was 11. Follow these steps if you haven't already.

Stop using air fresheners/deodorizers in your home if you have any. (they trigger attacks)

Stop using strong cleaning chemicals (like bleach). Use vinegar instead of you can.

Get rid of ANY signs of mold you have anywhere in your house. If you can't clean it yourself, hire someone to do it for you. Keep damp places, like bathrooms as dry as you can.

Stop smoking if you're a smoker.

Wash your sheets AND pillow cases in hot water at least once a week to kill dust mites which trigger asthma. Cover your pillows and mattresses in vinyl covers to keep dust mites in. (you can get them cheap at Wal-mart)

Get an air purifier for your home. One that's good at removing dust and mold. (there are many types so you'll have to do some online research) Get one with a good HEPA filter. This catalog has been very helpful to me over the years as resources for asthma safe products:

www.allergyasthmatech.com

Check out your work environment. Are there air fresheners/deodorizers at work? Are you around any chemicals at work? Are you in a building or home with new carpeting? (new carpeting has formaldehyde in it which can irritate asthma symptoms. If you can afford it, get rid of new carpeting in your home and replace with hard wood floors one day if you can) Get an air purifier for work too if you need one to keep by you.

Get a second opinion if you don't like your doc's current advice. A pulmonologist specializes in lung diseases instead of just your run of the mill allgery/asthma doc.

Do you have food allergies? You may not even be aware that you have any, and they could be adding to your lungs flaring up.

Do you have pets? If you can't stand to get rid of a pet, keep them out of the bedroom so that you have a "dander free" zone. Cats are terrible for asthmatics. (we had one but I loved her too much to let her go)

Do you have roaches? Roaches p**p, triggers asthma. Keep your place clean so as not to attract them.

Do you use rat, mouse, or bug poisons in the house? Those are triggers. Get rid of them and use only natural organic type of bug killers. (for example, ants hate cinnamon)

Keep your house well ventilated. Open the door or window every once in a while. Some houses are so well insulated now, that the outgassing from building materials inside the house are actually making people sick. "air out" your place once week to let fresh air in.

There's a really great book at the bookstore you can get called Reversing Asthma by Richard N Firshein. He's a doctor who has asthma himself and he gives a lot of good advice in his book. There's no cure yet, but things can help.

Have you tried Asmanex yet? It's a brand new steroid that has no side effects and gets deeper into the lungs then previous inhaled steroids. I'm on it.

I used to get sinus infections all the time. If you can handle allergy shots, and you're insured, get tested for them. They can work wonders at reducing your allergies. Also, buy yourself a neti pot. You can get them at Wal-Greens. I kid you not, it cured my constant colds and sinus infections. You take saline solution (they give you little packets with some of them, it's a certain type) or salt, mix it with warm water, poor it into one nostril and tip your head to let it flow through out the other. End of sinus pressure for me. And I've been suffering for years.

Garlic is a good natural anti-inflammatory. Eat lots of it, or take supplements. You'd be surprised at how much your diet could be contributing to your symptoms. Eat a lot of dairy? Milk, cheese, etc? Stop eating it for a month and see if there's a difference. Dairy creates excess phlegm in the lungs. Get tested for food allergies. Stay away from nuts. Peanuts especially. Give up eggs for awhile. Eat organic foods if you can. You might be reacting to all the preservatives they put in some foods these days. Some people get asthma attacks from the red food dye they put in certain foods.

I know this may sound overwhelming. But try one of these things. Go one step at a time and see if you improve. Then try another thing from this list.

Hang in there sweetie I know it's rough. Hang in there.