Asthma

[NirvanaBliss]

I know i'm joining this debate rather late but recent events have propelled me into it.

I have a chest infection, which is straightforward enough, but that's four inside a year. It's the only thing that's ever wrong with me, never any breathing probs or anything else between these infections, which generally knock me for six for a couple of days and take about a week to get over completely.

The first of the four was a year ago when i was in barcelona. I didn;t get antib's until i got home by which time i was desperate. None of the three since have been as bad as that (prob cos i got some antib's earlier?), but they are still nasty for short periods and come with some feverishness and immense, if shortlived, fatigue.

I discussed this with my gp who has sent me for a chest x ray which is on tuesday. I;ve also been given an inhaler (blue one, ventolin). This is a whole new world to me and i'm a bit worried.

I'm kicking myself because i didn;t ask the doc why he was sending me for a chest x ray - what does he think it'll find? my general health is really good and i've been training well of late. I started a new job last week which was a big leap for me and i was nervous and stressed and perhaps that explains this particular incidence....

I;m rambling, but i wondered whether anyone else had been sent for an x ray in similar circumstances and what happened?

Thanks

ST

Hello ST (love the blog)

Christmas last year i had to have a xray because i was constantly getting a chest infection, because of the doctors (of which i have since changed) kept fobbing me off, it went from flu, to chest infections to pleurisy, to eventually putting me into hospital with pneumonia, which is possibly why you need an xray, it could be the doctor thinks its bronchitus, which is good that your doctor is being thorough.

Since that lot of sh*te doctors ignored my condition, from it leading to pneumonia, this past year i have had any kind of colds, flus etc, because my immune system is wrecked.

Now i have been told i have glandular fever, which if the septic tonsilus was treated, then i would not have got this far with it.

Don't panic about the xray, its just your doctor doing his/her job properly.

That pic on your blog, is abit scary

Hope this helps alittle...

Ps, on one of your pages, about your chest infection and running you have a good quote...

You should use it as a signature

"You can live a hundred years without really living a second if you're not careful "

[Ben B]

Hi ST

Hope you are feeling better; sounds like you have had a fairly rough time recently.

Health advice over t'internet is a difficult area, and it's important that you take all advice you get with a large pinch of virtual e-salt. You can't be examined and no tests can be made; all suggestions are based to one extent or another on anecdote or experience. Your health is entirely and peculiarly yours and yours alone, and other peoples experiences may have no relevance at all - or be exactly the same. People will want to be helpful - being human and everything - but nothing beats time and experience for showing how things will go!

However it is fair to say that you are "allowed" to get unwell a few times each year. The usual way of these illnesses often involves feeling dreadful, wracked by ill defined achiness, prone to bursting in to a filmy sweat on walking from one room to another, a desire to sleep and not eat much, and varying degrees of snot / phlegm / sweats / cough / sneezing and other unpleasant secretions. You know the sort of thing better than I do. Generally last 3 days or so and a reasonable recovery time (as in days not weeks).

Most, but not all, of these illnesses are viral rather than bacterial and so will not respond to antibiotics (which can cause side effects of their own). Occasionally you may be unlucky enough to pick up 'flu, as in Influenza rather than the Man Flu, and as mentioned elsewhere by crikey you know it. I had proper flu (Influenza A to be precise) in 2006 and I was in bed for days, flat for a week, and after a fortnight I was allowed back at work. Took 2-3 months for me to start running normal distances (after a month I started doing 1km gentle downhills but even they were horrific to begin with). There's currently "a lot of" Influenza in the UK I believe. Usually happens every few years, as is the case with mycoplasma which is a bacterial infection that causes epidemics of chest infections.

Bear in mind bronchitis, pleurisy, chest infections, flu, pneumonia are all varying degrees in a spectrum of illness and so it's quite difficult to be precise with language eg all the above can be considered 'chest infections' in one sense or another. So someone can say you have pleurisy or another a chest infection and they can both be right. GPs especially get criticised for over prescribing antibiotics but then get pasted for not prescribing antibiotics early enough when needed - a difficult situation to be in - and when to treat with antibiotics can be a bit of a black art.

So in answer to your question the GP is unlikely to find much on your CXR, although if a patch of pneumonia or similar was visible that would be an important finding. I think NirvanaBliss is right, probably being thorough.

As mentioned before, blue salbutamol inhalers are a fairly blunt tool for breathlessness, and make many people feel a bit better even if they don't have asthma (and your illnesses don't sound particularly like asthma, although this is not a professional opinion, just a comment from what you have written).

Anyway, I hope you are feeling better soon and these problems melt away. So many hills, so little time eh.

Hope this helps - a bit rambling and patronising but not meant that way...

B

[Mark Smith]

Seems like the plot thickens.

Went for the xray and forgot all about it. Felt fine after 2/3 days of what was undoubtadly a chest infection and have been running pretty well since, including a monster day out last sunday with 7000' ascent in it.

Doc called yesterday saying that the lymph nodes in my chest were swollen and he wants me to have a CT scan. He didn;t expect to see what he saw. His view is that there's something there that i've had for a long time and that it's harmless. Or possibly it's sarcoidosis, which is apprently asymptomatic or can result in mild illness - but i'm feeling fine. The doc says that the fact i'm feeling well and that i've never smoked is reassuring and the CT scan will confirm that this is nothing to worry about. He just wants to check it out. He also said that it could be something congenital that i;ve always had.

Doesn't stop me worrying like shit though.

Have checked my peak flow and it's 660/670 so my breathing seems ok (it was 540 when i was poorly at the docs). So i have no remaining symptoms, and running ok, breathing ok and got over the infection really quickly.

Still doesn;t stop me worrying like shit though.

Anyone ever been through anything like this?

ST

UPDATE: Went to snowdonia today and knocked out 6200' ascent and about 10 miles in 4.5 hours. Has made me feel much better. Felt ok all day, and the conditions were very tough (very cold, very strong wind and non stop). A sign of good health i would say!

[NotOnUrHelly]

Cant help with that one Mark, when I was struggling with a few unanswered questions a few years ago. I spoke (through email) to the advice line on the Asthma.org website

http://www.asthma.org.uk/how_we_help...ine/index.html

Now I know yours is not strictly asthma but they may have had some dealing with this kind of stuff.

The response I got was very descriptive and help to answer a few things that where concerning me.

May be worth checking out, hope you get it sorted.

Jamie

[Mark Smith]

Cheers Jamie

Had the CT scan this morning and am now crapping myself waiting for the results.

I'm running well, 2 races last weekend (including a brutal XC race and then the snowy Long Mynd on Sunday) and don't feel remotely ill but jeez, it;s nervy.

The fact that I had 2 chest infections recently (early Dec and early Jan) and the x-rays are showing a swollen lymph gland in my chest shortly after these infections (about a week after the last one) should make it easy to conclude that there is nothing nasty there -esp as I now feel great, but the CT scan was really unnerving and I'm dreading the results which could take a week.

Does anyone know whether CT scans are a fairly routine thing thesedays, or should being asked to go for one be a worrying development? anyone been through anything like this before?

ST

[ratfink]

can't advise, but hope all ok ST!

[Ben B]

Hi ST

Sounds like you have been busy! Sorry to hear that you're still hanging in mid air.

From the information you have given the CT sounds like the standard next test - this is absolutely a routine step given the chest X-ray appearances. Your GP sounds to be spot on in the list of possibilities (although in any of these cases there is a list of about 30 different conditions that are possible - but most are very unlikely indeed). Because modern CT scanners are so good at looking at both the lungs and the lymph nodes they are very useful tests to help explain the appearances. Depending on the results you may find you are referred on to a specialist to get an opinion on whether any further tests or treatment are needed, so no need to be surprised if this happens - you can take it in your stride I'm sure.

If you do get referred it will probably be to Nick Duffy or Neil McAndrew at the Maelor, both of whom are very bright guys and very sensible. Feel free to PM me if I can help (but equally feel free to ignore me completely as well- whichever is better for you). I used to work at the Maelor albeit some years ago and know something of the medical side of things.

HTH, and hope this gets sorted out quickly - worrying never helps the training!

Cheers

Ben

[NotOnUrHelly]

Asthma is kicking up a stink again, I painted my front room the other night. Breathing has dropped to wheezing and continous headaches night and day . Dont even feel like running at the minute but I reckon when i do try my lungs will not let me.

Asthmatics take care when painting, I feel like s**t

Jamie

[Derby Tup]

Asthma is kicking up a stink again, I painted my front room the other night. Breathing has dropped to wheezing and continous headaches night and day . Dont even feel like running at the minute but I reckon when i do try my lungs will not let me.

Asthmatics take care when painting, I feel like s**t

Jamie

Sorry to hear this Jamie. Get better soon pal

Andrew

[NotOnUrHelly]

Still not right, my chest is rattling and Im breathing like a cat.

I tried swimming friday and was fine, I was then very feverish all nightafterwards. I think this has morpthed into a chest infection. Docs tommorow and no more painting for me.

I was just getting back bloody racing as well.