Mr. Asthma

Question:

i was very glad to read this information  it describes exactly the symptoms that i have been having for the past 5 months..  i am on all the usual  medicines but nothing seems to help much.  i  also had to remind the doctors that i did not wheeze.  but the chest pressure  and sonetimes pain  is very uncomfortable.  if anybody  out there has found anyway to relieve this besides resting all time . please let me know.

Response:

<<Once you find yourself in an advarsarial relationship with your doctor it’s time to move on, because lawyers make lousey doctors. >> I dunno about the lawyers–but morticians make terrible doctors! You’re absolutely right, it was time to move on. Jimmy Mac

Response:

I had the same problem –went into my GP twice in two months and he said "you sound fine." Dork! I ended up in the hospital! I think my problem would have been prevented if I had been taking peak flows. At that point it wouldn’t have just been me saying I was sick and the Dr. saying I wasn’t. Arming myself with peak flow numbers would have helped me make my case, and probably prevented my hospitalization. Jimmy Mac

Response:

>I had the same problem –went into my GP twice >in two months and he said "you sound fine." Dork! >I ended up in the hospital! >I think my problem would have been prevented if I >had been taking peak flows. At that point it wouldn’t >have just been me saying I was sick and the Dr. saying >I wasn’t. Arming myself with peak flow numbers >would have helped me make my case, and probably >prevented my hospitalization. >Jimmy Mac

Once you find yourself in an advarsarial relationship with your doctor it’s time to move on, because lawyers make lousey doctors.  I rest my case. Sheldon On a recent Night Court rerun, Judge Harry Stone had a wonderful line: "I try to keep an open mind, but not so open that my brains fall out."

Response:

I was recently diagnosed with asthma and I don’t wheeze.  My doc said I have what’s called "cough asthma."  She’s treating me with azmacort, proventil and medrol.      For more info about cough asthma, go to AOL keyword "asthma."  Click on "all about asthma," then click on "general information about asthma."  There’s a topic called "cough variant asthma" — read it.  Good luck and feel better.

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >  Has anyone met with this horrible prejudice from doctors, that "if you don’t > wheeze, you must be ok?" I haven’t really wheezed since I started using > vanceril, but I do take peak flow readings, there are times when I can’t > breathe and my peak flow is down by a hefty percentage but I still don’t > "wheeze." >  The last 2 weeks I have had a chest cold and terrible cough, so I doubled my > vanceril dosage, but after over a week I had no improvement. I have an awful > "wheeze" on forced exhalation (which happens every time I cough), but no > classic lung rattle. The doctor, predictably, said "you’re not wheezing" and > gave me 15 min. of oxygen and some amoxicillin, and told me to go to ER if it > got worse. >  Now, it’s not like I’d be begging for a prednisone taper if I didn’t need it, > and it’s not like this happens very often (once every year or so it gets so > bad that increased vanceril doesn’t help), but I’ve had this happen with more > than one doctor (I go to a university clinic, and my doctor isn’t always there) > and it’s driving me nuts. >  Has anything like this happened to any of you? I am at my wits end, and short > of spending money I don’t have to see a specialist, I can’t think of a > solution.  I’ve spent the last 2 weeks exhausted from being SOB, and I feel > pretty darn miserable (but I’m not "wheezing." > Anne

Many asthmatics have learned to adjust their own medications using a Peak Flow Meter and Asthma Action Plan. This can include doubling steroid inhaler dose in the Yellow Zone, and going on a prednisone pulse in the Red zone. When I travel I take along a supply of 50 10-mg prednisone tabs for use in an emergency. The Action Plan has to be worked out with your doctor. Here’s a link: http://www.ama-assn.org/special/asthma/support/educate/action.htm Asthma Action Plan BTW I’ve never had to use the prednisone in 5 years; have been able to control the problem, even in the Red Zone, by increasing my Vanceril Double Strength puffer. A Medium Dose is 6-10 puffs/day. A High Dose is >10 pf/day; at times I have gone to 12-15 pf/day. This may not work for everyone, the prednisone pulse is usually considered a better bet, but I don’t like the shock to my body of the pred. When I had Acute Bronchitis, I wasn’t wheezing in daytime, only at nite. Finally ended up in ER for 7 hours with wheezing so loud it could be heard at the end of the hall. However the doctor can usually detect a little wheeze, even when controlled, when he puts the stethescope to my chest and asks me to breathe out forcefully. So my advice to you is ask your doctor for a scrip for 50 10-mg prednisone pills for emergencies. Pred is cheap. Doctors are expensive. But before going on pred, try the Vanceril at 20 pf/day; or the Vanceril Double Strength at 10 pf/day. The latter version is now becoming more popular since it takes half as many puffs. Ellis

Response:

I have no wheeze and have had to remind Dr’s that wheezing is not the only symptom asthmatics have.  And then to prove that I know my disease I list off other symptoms that I have:  Chest tightening, cough, inability to keep up physical activities, etc. Asthma is NOT based on a wheeze.  It is based on a lung function test w/ and w/o albuteral.  Have you had one?  If you have maybe you can quote the percentage of improvement that you tested at. Here is a website that will tell you more about asthma (and a few other chronic lung diseases).  It is called the Chronic Lung Disease Information Resource. http://www.cheshire-med.com/programs/pulrehab/rehinfo.html Happy Better Breathing! Kavelina Remove the _n_ to email back – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – >  Has anyone met with this horrible prejudice from doctors, that "if you don’t > wheeze, you must be ok?" I haven’t really wheezed since I started using > vanceril, but I do take peak flow readings, there are times when I can’t > breathe and my peak flow is down by a hefty percentage but I still don’t > "wheeze." >  The last 2 weeks I have had a chest cold and terrible cough, so I doubled my > vanceril dosage, but after over a week I had no improvement. I have an awful > "wheeze" on forced exhalation (which happens every time I cough), but no > classic lung rattle. The doctor, predictably, said "you’re not wheezing" and > gave me 15 min. of oxygen and some amoxicillin, and told me to go to ER if it > got worse. >  Now, it’s not like I’d be begging for a prednisone taper if I didn’t need it, > and it’s not like this happens very often (once every year or so it gets so > bad that increased vanceril doesn’t help), but I’ve had this happen with more > than one doctor (I go to a university clinic, and my doctor isn’t always there) > and it’s driving me nuts. >  Has anything like this happened to any of you? I am at my wits end, and short > of spending money I don’t have to see a specialist, I can’t think of a > solution.  I’ve spent the last 2 weeks exhausted from being SOB, and I feel > pretty darn miserable (but I’m not "wheezing." > Anne

Response:

 Has anyone met with this horrible prejudice from doctors, that "if you don’t wheeze, you must be ok?" I haven’t really wheezed since I started using vanceril, but I do take peak flow readings, there are times when I can’t breathe and my peak flow is down by a hefty percentage but I still don’t "wheeze."  The last 2 weeks I have had a chest cold and terrible cough, so I doubled my vanceril dosage, but after over a week I had no improvement. I have an awful "wheeze" on forced exhalation (which happens every time I cough), but no classic lung rattle. The doctor, predictably, said "you’re not wheezing" and gave me 15 min. of oxygen and some amoxicillin, and told me to go to ER if it got worse.  Now, it’s not like I’d be begging for a prednisone taper if I didn’t need it, and it’s not like this happens very often (once every year or so it gets so bad that increased vanceril doesn’t help), but I’ve had this happen with more than one doctor (I go to a university clinic, and my doctor isn’t always there) and it’s driving me nuts.  Has anything like this happened to any of you? I am at my wits end, and short of spending money I don’t have to see a specialist, I can’t think of a solution.  I’ve spent the last 2 weeks exhausted from being SOB, and I feel pretty darn miserable (but I’m not "wheezing." Anne

Response:

> Has anything like this happened to any of you? I am at my wits end, and short >of spending money I don’t have to see a specialist, I can’t think of a >solution.  I’ve spent the last 2 weeks exhausted from being SOB, and I feel >pretty darn miserable (but I’m not "wheezing."

One thing you can do is get a peak flow meter.  If you go to the doctor with peak flow results then you can point out a specific problem you want him ot fix.

Response:

YES!  My Doc (whom I saw after 2 ER visits) looked at me askew and said "What makes them think it’s ASTHMA?  There’s no wheezing!  They don’t know what they’re talking about."  Well, then explain why the inhalers and the astthma meds can my peak flow significantly?  And why the ER nebulizer treatments and the pred burst helped? He’s been a dweebe on other stuff, too, so I am changing doctors. No, I don’t typically wheeze.  And yes, I DO have asthma.  Geez, I know  what you mean. -Joopie

Response: