Asthma

[NotOnUrHelly]

Emmi,

Those montelokaust messed my head up, bad vivid nightmares, cold sweats and stuff its all in the post from 2 years ago.

How you doing with them?? careful Careful, they did sort my breathing out though, peak flows shot up 25%

I think preds was the next stage for me, have you had them.

I think Oct - March is not great for Asthmatics anyway.

Im still on the purple, sort of feel dependent on it now. Feel wheezy if I dont take it which worries me its like I need it now, which i did not before.

Still using blue, but can get get through a run wihtout it. Just feel less groggy if I take it.

Cheers
Jamie

[emmilou]

eek Jamie, that's not a promising thought is it.

Not sure how I feel on them to be honest. It's still early days on the singulair stuff and I have been having funny dreams but that's not unusual although M says I've started talking in my sleep

Yesterday I could just about start breathing again after a couple of months of feeling really ill. I was talking to a girl at track last night and she is on the same combo of drugs and swears by them?? Although the track session didn't go too well as it was a cold damp night.

I'm a bit like you now J, becomming dependant on the purple one although am hoping come spring the dose will be reduced perhaps and maybe I can go back to the brown one for the summer months??

[NotOnUrHelly]

Keep your eye on those Singulair pal.

I should downgrade to the Brown, I meant to do that over summer but never got round to it.

I may see about that when I get my flu jab

Cheers
Jamie

[detritus21]

The colour of the inhaler is nothing to do with strength its just what the active ingredient is. The only reason you get started on a brown inhaler is that it costs about 60p per inhaler as opposed to nearly 40 for a purple one. Its all about cost effectiveness. You thing the NHS is selling something for 7 pound that costs 60p its a no brainer for the GP. With the inhalers it is in a sense a reliance but its important that your asthma is well controlled. If seretide works keep using it don't bother chopping and changing likewise if you feel something doesn't work say so so you can be on the right medication.

Uncontrolled Asthma is a problem not for the obvious discomfort etc but for the long term damage that it can do. It is well documented that poorly controlled asthma can lead to irreversable changes to the lungs. Hence why with myself I only have very mild exercise induced asthma but I'm religious about taking my inhaler as trust me you don't want what half my patients have alright most of there problems have been caused by working int mill and down t'pit and smoking 20 a day. At the end of the day if your medications work use em and I wouldn't change if it is working.


That probably sounds a bit of a rant but I see people with chronic lung conditions everyday and the importance of doing things right are immense. I'm no preacher but the majority of runners do the right thing for there chest by exercising, in general not smoking . For healthy lungs and hearts you need, exercise, no smoking and CORRECT use of Medications. If you do those things your body has a better chance in the long run not withstanding other medical problems that is.

[hopey]

The colour of the inhaler is nothing to do with strength its just what the active ingredient is. The only reason you get started on a brown inhaler is that it costs about 60p per inhaler as opposed to nearly 40 for a purple one. Its all about cost effectiveness. You thing the NHS is selling something for 7 pound that costs 60p its a no brainer for the GP. With the inhalers it is in a sense a reliance but its important that your asthma is well controlled. If seretide works keep using it don't bother chopping and changing likewise if you feel something doesn't work say so so you can be on the right medication.

Uncontrolled Asthma is a problem not for the obvious discomfort etc but for the long term damage that it can do. It is well documented that poorly controlled asthma can lead to irreversable changes to the lungs. Hence why with myself I only have very mild exercise induced asthma but I'm religious about taking my inhaler as trust me you don't want what half my patients have alright most of there problems have been caused by working int mill and down t'pit and smoking 20 a day. At the end of the day if your medications work use em and I wouldn't change if it is working.


That probably sounds a bit of a rant but I see people with chronic lung conditions everyday and the importance of doing things right are immense. I'm no preacher but the majority of runners do the right thing for there chest by exercising, in general not smoking . For healthy lungs and hearts you need, exercise, no smoking and CORRECT use of Medications. If you do those things your body has a better chance in the long run not withstanding other medical problems that is.

Some interesting points there.

Am I going to do any damage to my lungs by running while my asthma is not under control?

[detritus21]

You would have to be having long term uncontrolled asthma for it to make a difference where you end up in a chronic cycle of inflamatory changes which causes damage. Short term changes are generally reversible. Provided you are Taking your blue inhaler pre run then it should be controlling it to some extent anyway so I wouldn't be too concerned. But ideally you want to keep an overall check on it so ideally I'd push for seeing a specialist as although GP's are good a specialist is in general better and should investigate further. If you have a peak flow meter keep a check on your pre and post run figures a bit of a drop is nothing to be over concerned about. In an ideal world they should remain stable and increase a little. By having pre and post readings it gives you an idea how well the medication is working and this comes into play when you are on steroid inhalers.

With your blue inhalers if its an aerosol one make sure you shake it adequately and from experience, with whatever blue inhaler, I'd say try having it 10 minutes or so before you run not immediately before you start. That way you ensure that your airways are going to be fully open. Other good things to do none inhaler related are before you do a hard run/session ensure you have a good progressive warm up that wawy your body is prepared for the demands that you'll place on it.

The other thing is the pleurisy you've had may have caused some inflammation in the airways which will act like asthma by narrowing the airways. As the Pleurisy fully resolves you may find that actually its not asthma after all. Ideally what you want is to be doing the spirometry tests again in another 2-3 weeks time and see what the change is.

[hopey]

I've now been told I don't have asthma, they don't know what is causing the problems.

I'm having to go and see a chest specialist.

[emmilou]

I've now been told I don't have asthma, they don't know what is causing the problems.

I'm having to go and see a chest specialist.

see you there!!!

[Persephone]

This is a really interesting and helpful thread. Particular thanks to detritus21 for the expert bits. I hope the various Emmilous and Hopeys are sorted out and feeling better by now/very soon.

For my tuppenth worth (and this is just experience, not medical advice etc)... bit of back ground..I've had asthma fo 15 years. At times I've been properly out of action (in bed/stuck in house) for days to weeks and not able to do any exercise (bedroom-bound exercise included!) for ages. I didn't run between October and March for several years as it sent my lungs loopy. I've been on purple (magic but they wont' give it to me again for cost reasons I guess), brown and blue inhalers (I'm not going to try and spell the chemicals) at various points. I've now found (tempting fate here...) a way of managing it and haven't been ill for a while. I now have a peak flow of 580 which I believe is reasonably good. I can't comment on the pleurisy side of things though. Thought I just say how I've been able to manage my asthma but I do appreciate it's all different.

I'm prescribed the blue still and carry it religiously (I have four in various places and never leave the house without one) especially when running. When it's very cold/damp I normally take a puff 5 minutes before running but haven't had to do this for a while now. I've been able to run for the past two winter seasons including pre-sunrise sessions: I cover my mouth and nose with a buff when I set off so that I don't lose too much moisture to the drier cold air when breathing; keep my chest warm even if everything else is cold (pertex has changed my life!); I don't stop/change my breathing pattern as this causes me breathing problems; I stand in the coldest room in the house before I leave and when I get back so that I minimise temp changes; wear a buff around my neck (dunno why that helps!). All that has made every difference to me. I'm also prescribed the brown puffer but only take it when I sense a codl coming on/am going camping at the weekend/prior to doing other stuff I know might bring on a lengthy episode. The nurse seems happy with me dealing with it that way as I hate taking it continuously. If I need the blue I *always* take it immediately - the long term damage isn't worth braving it out now.

sorry if that's a bit lengthy and tedious, I just wanted to tell you that there is hope and not to get too down about it guys - I've come out the other side!
but like I said, I've not had pleurisy recently...

[NirvanaBliss]

This is a really interesting and helpful thread. Particular thanks to detritus21 for the expert bits. I hope the various Emmilous and Hopeys are sorted out and feeling better by now/very soon.

For my tuppenth worth (and this is just experience, not medical advice etc)... bit of back ground..I've had asthma fo 15 years. At times I've been properly out of action (in bed/stuck in house) for days to weeks and not able to do any exercise (bedroom-bound exercise included!) for ages. I didn't run between October and March for several years as it sent my lungs loopy. I've been on purple (magic but they wont' give it to me again for cost reasons I guess), brown and blue inhalers (I'm not going to try and spell the chemicals) at various points. I've now found (tempting fate here...) a way of managing it and haven't been ill for a while. I now have a peak flow of 580 which I believe is reasonably good. I can't comment on the pleurisy side of things though. Thought I just say how I've been able to manage my asthma but I do appreciate it's all different.

I'm prescribed the blue still and carry it religiously (I have four in various places and never leave the house without one) especially when running. When it's very cold/damp I normally take a puff 5 minutes before running but haven't had to do this for a while now. I've been able to run for the past two winter seasons including pre-sunrise sessions: I cover my mouth and nose with a buff when I set off so that I don't lose too much moisture to the drier cold air when breathing; keep my chest warm even if everything else is cold (pertex has changed my life!); I don't stop/change my breathing pattern as this causes me breathing problems; I stand in the coldest room in the house before I leave and when I get back so that I minimise temp changes; wear a buff around my neck (dunno why that helps!). All that has made every difference to me. I'm also prescribed the brown puffer but only take it when I sense a codl coming on/am going camping at the weekend/prior to doing other stuff I know might bring on a lengthy episode. The nurse seems happy with me dealing with it that way as I hate taking it continuously. If I need the blue I *always* take it immediately - the long term damage isn't worth braving it out now.

sorry if that's a bit lengthy and tedious, I just wanted to tell you that there is hope and not to get too down about it guys - I've come out the other side!
but like I said, I've not had pleurisy recently...

Hello and welcome to the forum...

Can i please ask what you mean by a buff? the reason i am asking is because i am a beginner to running, and last christmas i had pnuemonia, and this year i have a few attacks of pleurisy, and at present i am getting over tonisilitus/cough etc, and i went to the doctors today, for two things, one being my breathing is shocking, so i was given a breathing tube, i have to monitor my puff in it, upto now it can get between 200 and 260 i was told to do the chart for 2 weeks, if its up and down then i will need to go see the Asthma nurse, but at present also i am buying clothes so i can go running, so if a buff is something i need to buy, and will help my breathing be less harsh, its worth asking! and thank you for adding your feedback. H