Asthma/chest Infection Ongoing..... Ideas, please?

Chest and lungs
1

Hello

I would be very grateful for ideas/input on my problem....

Background:   I have been asthmatic all my 68 years, worse in winter/hay-fever season.   When well, I can ride a cycle for 25 miles!

Medications:  Taking Symbicort 2 x 2 daily plus Ventolin when required.

Problem:  Every winter for the past 6-7 years I become unable to breathe easily, with increasing coloured secretion (i.e. yellow or white or green, never purple or pink!).  

I double my Symbicort, use oodles of Ventolin but eventually (I am told I am in denial and leave it too late) visit my GP and am prescribed Amoxicillin.   Latterly, I have been prescribed Prednisone (30mg daily for 5 days) too.   Oh, I have now been given a 'rescue' pack of each to use.

Matters usually improve but then as now, I quickly repeat the whole process, so now on round 2 of everything but still not well.

My normal peak flow drops from 450 to 350/375 which I believe is not critical but I really struggle to breathe, relying on much Ventolin

My chest is so sore, which I know to be muscular (and this year, more than ever, my ribs were really painful too) and my chest wheezes, particularly on exhalation BUT my GP can never hear a crackle!

Would anyone have an explanation as to: should I return to my GP as I am not completely better or carry on carrying on (i.e how long should I expect the Amoxcicillin/Prednisone take to be completely effective?

and

why can't a medic hear the noises I can hear/feel?

Finally, does anyone else have this cyclical problem too (I am unwell, often from November to February with repeated problems'wink.

Many thanks for any help or advice.

Regards

 

2

Hello GrammyBea.I have been on Amoxicillin a couple of times but for me they do not work.Why not go back to the dr an tell him you want to try another tablet.I have asthma an copd,I have just got over a chest infection that started in September an left me in January.It wears you out coughing.Also maybe your inhaler isnt working very well.One i was on from November to January has a side effect of a cough.AS soon as I stopped using it the cough went that was 2 weeks ago also I haven't had to use my blue inhaler.

Good luck.x

3

Hi join the club sounds to fimaliar, last year 4 chest infections loads of pills I also suffer worst.spring to end of summer  still suffering from last chest infection drugs changed to Sirdupla 250 2 puffs every 12 hours so far improved breathing recent x-Ray showed congestion in rt lung chest painfull  waiting for physio to try to clear lungs as seem to to have been coughing non stop for weeks  tight chest but  and a crackle on rt side  you don't say where you live I'm in the fens  .

4

Hi Maggie 64

Many thanks for taking the trouble to respond to my post.   Perhaps I do need some more help...   Having been a life-long asthmatic, I am used to this but it is very tiring and I am becoming worn out!   The secretions only come up if I use my Ventolin, which means using it all day long.

I just don't understand why my chest is so very tight, I hear crackles/wheezes particularly when I exhale BUT GP's say they can't hear any.   Very puzzling to me!

Thanks for your input, I'll go back and discuss a possible change in treatment and hope for an improvement.

Regards

5

Hi there and thank you for your kind reply.  

I think I have decided to return to my GP and perhaps I can ask if a change of drugs would be beneficial.

I was offered a chest x-ray last week but turned it down.   I had one a year or so ago which was clear and didn't want too many (I have had a fair few x-rays for other conditions).   Perhaps I will ask if this could be reinstated...

My pain and crackles are worse in my left side.   The other side is the same age but seems to be doing much better!

Thanks again for your help.

Regards

6

Sounds to me that you are still having issues with a infection if it doesn't improve by all means go back to the doctor. My peak flow rarely gets above 250 sounds to me yours is better. 

7

I would like to suggest that your home be heated to reduce the humidity and that you keep warm . Take good quality probiotics, generic mucinex,and drink lots of water. Don' t go to church or anywhere some one may be sick.ask your doctor about a nebulizer machine for treatments with Albuteral. Also request a sleep study,to find out how well you actually sleep.

i also wonder why the Dr. Doesn't seem to hear my wheezing. ...

they seem to be most concerned if there is congestion or not. I have obstructive and restrictive airways and it takes 200 % more efffort to breathe in and out because of a muscle disease.,so of course I have to be very careful getting dressed that I don't gasp and have time to rest before I go anywhere.

8

Me Again.....   I thought I could update those kind enough to reply to me.

I am now feeling much better.   I did return to my GP who told me that the steroid was doing its job and had very much reduced the inflamation.   I can certainly breathe a litle easier and it is not so painful.

I am now also able to cough up the muck in my lungs reasonably freely, whereas a few days ago, I had to reply on Ventolin or using a steam inhaler (which, incidentally really works well).   I recommend use of a steam inhaler if your really can't open up those lungs and it feels wonderful when you are able to shift some muck.

I was ticked off by my GP as I did not start the antibiotics quickly enough and then postponed starting the steroids for a few days, too.   Next time (for there will be a next time!) I will begin both as soon as I start to 'go off the boil' and not think I can outrun an infection...

I wish everyone on this forum well and hope you can all breath more easily soon.   Only someone who can't undertake such a simple thing knows how difficult it all is...

Regards

GrammyBea 

9

Oh, I still don't understand why a doctor cannot hear the noises in my chest when every exhalation sounds - and feels - like a.. well, I don't know what but it is very noisy/resonant!

10

I seem to be going through the same things you are going through. I've been having some time especially this year. Same through Nov.through April. Cold turns in to upper respitory then follow up with antibiotics and steroids. This past year April 2016 I was left with a breathing disorder that did not go away. It got better but not s full recovery . I have been to see nemeroys doctors, 2 Pulmonologist. Ent , primary doctor, next a rheumatologist. I'm ready to pull my hair out. I have flair ups for no reason. I can feel it coming a heaviness in my chest. I'm now seeing another pulmonary doc and hopefully he can help me figure this out. P.

11

Hi Pamela

I have just returned from having a chest x-ray (which I seem to have every few years when they can't figure out what's wrong with me.   I don't expect anything untoward to be found).

Ten days ago I started yet another 'infection', although it could just be that the last hadn't truly cleared up.   Although I have been told to start my home 'rescue' pack of antibiotics and steroids at the start of trouble - and I promised that I would - I find myself resistant to doing so.   This would mean a third course of each in nine weeks.   So, I have held out and this time my breathing has been OK (previously it was awful and I did struggle), and it is 'just' the coughing and being.. um, er, productive in a yellow/green hue!   It is, of course, painful etc.

I find the very best thing for me is to 'boil my head' by which I mean use a steam inhaler.   I have two types and have been using a very simple one with a mask attached to a receptacle into which boiling water is added.   If I sit and inhale both through nose and mouth, breathing as deeply as I can, I find this really helps my chest.   I would cough stuff up whilst doing it but continuing a little longer (8-10 minutes-ish in total) my chest feels very much calmer, less sore and I can actually sleep for a few hours.   Doing this several times a day has been really REALLY helpful and I can recommend it to anyone with a 'tight' sore chest who is coughing.

A basin of hot/boiling water and a towel would suffice.   Carefully add the water to a bowl and put one's head over it and cover up with a towel, thus trapping the steam.

I think... this is now going over as everything is less, the coughing, production of coloured stuff and pain but I am not there yet.

Pamela, have you tried this steam inhalation?   It obviously won't clear an infection up but does treat the symptoms and make one feel a whole heap better.   Do advise if you have/have not tried it as I would be very interested to know how/or if, it helps others.

 

12

Hi GrammyBea,

I have been seeing a wonderful pulminoligist since spring & she has been so helpful in restoring quality of life. I had felt like jogging was never going to be an activity I could participate in ever again but now I feel so good again. One important thing she did is started treating me for GERD. I had NO typical symptoms but she has found a connection w/ this and asthma so started treating me. I now just take Omeprozole occasionally as I have dramatically adjusted my diet so as to be able to take minimal meds. The second Very helpful thing - she added montelukestat to my regemine (I already was taking symbicort twice a day). The montelukestat totally calmed down the cold weather reactions I was having. I don't test positive for allergies so we aren't sure why it helped so much, but it did. I hope these tips can help people. I feel a lot healthier now.