Asthma

[hopey]

Well the Pleurisy seems to be clearing up but as per the other thread I have been struggling to breath. I was given a blue inhaler two weeks ago (which I thought it wasn't do anything), today I've been to see the asthma nurse for some tests, which involved blowing into a machine slowly and then as hard and fast as I can, doing this once and then again after taking the inhaler. I was pretty shocked at seeing the results without the inhaler, it showed without the inhaler on the long slow breath out that I had a lung capacity 105% for someone my age, but the problem came when I had to do a short fast breath out, emptying my lungs, this showed that my lungs were equivalent to a 75 year old, not good when I'm 35! I then had to do the tests again after using the inhaler (which I thought was doing nothing), my lung capacity when up by a further 10% and the short fast breath out improved, but still not to a standard of an average person.

The nurse then talked about two options, trying a steroid inhaler or going to see a chest specialist to try and work out what is causing the problem.

I know there has been a lot written on the forum about asthma, but does the blue inhaler normally solve the breathing? How many of you take the steroid inhaler? Should I be trying to stay clear of this and push for the chest specialist?

Half of me still doesn't think that it is asthma, but as the nurse pointed out that if it wasn't asthma then the inhaler wouldn't have made a difference on the tests.

[Chugger]

I'll start with a Forum Disclaimer:- I'm just posting this as a bit of feedback, and it should, in no way, be taken as "advice/guidance/gospel/litigious". Fankoo.

I did the spirometry tests (?10 years ago, whilst a student and also competing at a national level). I was also crap at the fast blowing out one..........several theories as to why, but I'm not aware of any impact on my general health or athletic performance.
To my knowlege, I've never had any asthma type symptoms either, so may well not be comparable to you, Hopey.
I did feel a bit of a duffer at the time, but our tutor did explain that, as with all tests, it is not a functional measurement......when in your daily life are you required to blow through a tube at speed? How much practice might you neeed to get really good at it??
Did you have nurse related performance anxiety???????
Perhaps a series of results would be more revalatory...a one off measure may not be as useful as a longer-term trend?! Especially after your recent pleurisy.
Have Hope(y).

[hopey]

Thanks Chugger, I was thinking similar about the tests, that's one of the reasons that I was pushing for the chest specialist who would do further tests.

The one thing is that after the inhaler the tests results where better, but my breathing still didn't feel anything like 100%, so I hope they not going to fob me off with this small improvement that the inhaler does.

[Chugger]

I've no doubt that pleurisy will have an impact on how you're feeling, Hopey....it isn't a normal cough/cold type scenario.

I'd be interested in asking the questions of those who have interest/experience...perhaps a specialist opinion would provide an opportunity to do this??

The steroid will help if there is an inflammatory process still going on, and I'm sure that there's some good info. out there from reputable patient/NHS support groups!
Happy hunting.

[emmilou]

Adrian,

I'll mail you from work.....I'm on a 2nd bout of steroid tablets, have a blue, brown and now purple inhaler, (the purple one is both the reliver and preventer in one and a steriod based one) and another strange tablet to take at night.

I'm waiting the appointment for the chest specialist and have been pretty ill with it all.

Chin up - they'll sort it.

I'll send you some more info....

[BLUEBIKE]

Don't forget the UKA drug screening and management rules on notification of inhaler use if your racing under their regulations!

[Mudskipper]

I'm on Clenil (Brown one) and good 'ol Ventolin from the docs after being diagnosed with asthma earlier this year. I have recently done a bit of reading on the nutritional aspect of asthma treatment and have started taking daily doses of:
Cod liver oil Capsule (anti-inflammatory)
Muti-vit with lycopene (Asthmatics shown to be low in vit c and lycopene beneficial in EIA)
Magnesium Supplement (patients with asthma who reported a high dietary intake of magnesium had better lung function and a reduction in the relative risk of wheezing)
Garlic Capsule (anti-inflammatory)
It appears to be working as my running is improving since the diagnosis but I can't say whether it's scientific but I know it appears to be working for me.

[RichT]

Do you mind me asking what you do for a living? Could you have developed asthma through exposure at work? Not always asked about by GPs / Nurses but can make a big difference to how you treat / manage it.

Richard

[NotOnUrHelly]

Adrian,

http://forum.fellrunner.org.uk/showthread.php?t=456

This is a really good thread, someone else started but I started to get problems with my Asthma shortley after this thread and started posting more regular.

If you can decifer through all my panic posts thinking I had some chronic lung disease, thinking it was my house, thinking it was my diet, thinking it was my work, thinking it was the plaster on my wall, thinking it was the weather or thinknig I was totally stressed out there is some really good stuff in response to my posts.

Get a peak flow meter and check your levels morning, before a run and after a run. Im not sure what type of breathing difficulties your having but my breathing was cutting out dead on twenty minutes into a run. It was about this time of year so it could be the weather. in fact dont rule out any of the things I Mentioned above.

I think my normal peak flows where about 460-480 (pretty shit, still are)and within twenty minutes of running they dropped to 230. Which I was told was bad, very dangerous should have gone to casualty.

Im sure your asthma nurse will help get you sorted, I drew up some graphs in excel of my peak flows to show my asthma nurse but you dont need to go to those extremes, she was sexy though so I thought it appropriate, she was well impressed no one had done that for her before.

Like Emmi Im on the purple steriod inhalers but still take the blue ventolin bofore running.

Dont worry to much about drug testing in races I dont think you and I fall into that category.

I have tried emailing you at work, you on holiday or just ignoring?

Hope this helps, I have been known to talk bol*oc*s

Cheers
Jamie

Reminds me I need a flu jab, hope she still works there

[emmilou]

Adrian,


I have tried emailing you at work, you on holiday or just ignoring?

No the chuffing email isn't working, been trying to get hold of my hubbie all day... it bounces right back!

I'm also on the singulair - montelukast tablets every night now

the whole thing is a bloody mind field and frankly I'm sick of it. Track session was really tough tonight, the air was damp and cold apart from having to run round in circles but the elephant ont he chest syndrome appeared again

are you still on the serotide (purple) inhaler Jamie?? are you using the blue one less now though as a consequence?