Is my asthma down to recent pollution levels?

Chest and lungs
1

Hi everyone

I've suffered from asthma and hayfever since I was a baby (I'm in my fifties now) but over the last few years the asthma had virtually dissapeared, until a couple of weeks ago.  A number of people have commeneted on me sounding out of breath and I'm having to use my ventolin sevaral times a day.  I was wondering if it might be down to the high polluion levels we've been hearing about in the news?  I hope it settles down soon as I have lots of other problems to deal with and don't this as well!

Any comments gratefully recived as I'm quite inexperienced in dealing with asthma having been free of it for so long

xxx

2

Dear Lizzie

Recently there have been some really serious warnings about the poor quality of air at the momemt, plus hayfever...

Sorry to hear you suffered from Asthma at such a young age.

Using your Ventolin appears to me to be a good decision at present and ensure you have an inhaler that is in date, if you have not been using one for sometime. 

A visit to your Practice nurse (who may specialise in such issues) or your GP would probably put your mind at ease.

I suffer from Brittle ASthma and normally have a rough time from Nov-Feb however I have to say I am on 8 prednisolone tablets today, as the quality of air/asthma is really affecting me. This is my top dose so it shows how bad the air quality is as far as I am concerned. I think you too are suffering because of poor air quality too, but do not let it go on unchecked by the medical profession if it continues.. 

Hope you feel better soon

Helen 

3

Dear helen

Thank you for your lovely post, its nice to hear from a fellow sufferer.  I live with a variety of conditions, mostly either of the mental health variety, in which groups I have been quite active, and allergies in their various forms.  My allergies have all ebcome much worse this year and I trace it back to soem treatment I received in a&e in November.  Yopu see I'd been become addicted to 30/500 co-codamol and eventually took a staggered overdose.  They whipped me into a&e pdq and put me on the paracetamol antidote pumped infusion, to which I had an allergic reaction, skin rash, asthma as well as nausea and vomiting.  I then went cold turkey off the co-co, had four horredous weeks but emereged from it feeling like a new woman.

However, and I think this is related to what happened in hospital, my asthma has got worse after having had sevarl years without it, and I get lots of skin irritation.  My GP is very good and agreed to put me 25mg hydroxyzine at night, which is a sedating antihistamine, it does wonders for both my hayfever and skin irritation apart fcrom the occasional flare up, but hasn't helped with the asthma.

I have checked my sevarl ventolin inhalers, I keep them in staretgeic places like my hand bag, car, bedsidxe table, and they are all in date; I make a point of rfenewing them every so often just in case.

If it my asthma contiues to be bad I see if I can see the practice nurse, they are very good at treating astham in my local surgery.

Thansk again for your kind support

Lizzie

4

Ever since Friday (when they predicted the high pollutuon levels) my asthma has came on very strongly, I'm still suffering today altought it seems to have calmed down a lot.

This happened last year when there was a high level of pollution in England (although it was worse for me that time), so it is perfectly reasonable to assume your recent increase in symptoms is due to the pollution. Also the weather has been changing quite dramatically over the last couple of weeks and the pollen count seems to have increased (my Dad sneezing all the time is always a reliable indictator!).

Hope that puts your mind at rest a bit! 

5

Thanks Kai, its kind of you to reply and support my initial hypothesis.

All the best

Lizzie

6

Dear Lizzie

I found your story very interesting story re: co-codamol.

I too have the same medication, plus amitriptyline, clonazepam, (montelukast for asthma) thyroxine, statins, plus a host of others and have found myself particularly dependent on co-codamol.

Sounds like it was a very difficult time for you when you weaned yourself off co-codomal. It gives me imspiration to do the very same.

My GP wanted me to take more medication..anti-depressants and to be frank with you if I had I doubt if I could even think straight!!

Anyway I am giving your experience and success, a great deal of thought to be honest. My son (32) is a great believer in exercise.

He accepts I need my meds for my asthma, as he lost a friend to asthma in his teens, a former pupil of mine who did not have her inhalers with her and sadly died from an acute asthma attack.

He is into juicing (a contemporary popular fad at the moment) it does have merits, but it is not the answer to certain conditions.

I have put on weight due to not being so mobile and that is not good carrying extra weight so, when the weather/air quality etc settles down I will endeavour to get my proverbial act together .

Take care and well done

Helen x

 

7

Exercise (especially swimming) is the absolute best thing for my asthma. I'm one of the lucky asthamtics though, for some people exercise can make it worse.

8

Hi helen

Thanks for your reply, I've been out all day as I volunteer in a charity shop on Tuesdays and we took over £500 today, which is brilliant, I really enjoy it.  Just to fill in a few deatils, I retired in 2013 after 20 years in a library, a job I loved until the last few years when it was round after round of cuts, redundancies, severance and retirement.  They offered me my pension in 2013 and I snapped their hand off, best thing I ever did.

Anyway, you were interested in my battle with co-codamol, well I only discovered after the event, but there is a good group on this forum about co-codamol which I have contributed to quite a lot and I can definitley recomend it, there are some good people on there with sensible suggestions  It should be easy to find in the forums index.

I started taking the 30/500 co-codamol for headaches that wouldn't respond to otc meds, however, I became dependent on it as well as developing tollerance, it ended up in me taking a staggered overdose as I may have said.  I would definitley urge you to try to get off it if you can, though which route you go down depneds on how strong willed you are.  I went cold-turkey as I can be very determined when I set my mind to it, I had 4 really bad weeks but after that nearly all the withdrawal effects had gone. Some people prefer to taper off it, either way, I'd suggest you consult your gp.  Interestingly, after those four weeks, my headaches had gone too, they must have been painkiller or rebound, headaches all along.

I was interested to hear that you take clonazepam as I also take a benzo, in my case diazepam, its for anxiety.  Whats the clonazepam like? I find the diazepam just takes the edge of things and when combined with my other bipolar meds and the sedating hydroxyzine, keeps me really well, and I get a good nights sleep :-)

My asthma is much better today I'm pleased to report, have only had to use my ventolin once

Keep in touch.

Lizzie xxx

9

No problem. I actually had to see a doctor yesterday as since last Friday my asthma has been so bad. I've been prescribed Prednisolone which seems to have helped. 

10

Hi Kai

I'm sorry to hear that, I hope this finds you feeling a bit better.  What kind of med is prednisolone? My asthma has always been controllable with ventolin so I guess I'm lucky

Lizzie

xxxx

11

Thanks Tunde

Its hard when one lives in a built up area, but I am pleased to report that my asthma has been much better over the last few days

LIzzie

xxx

12

Thanks Lizzie

Pleased to hear your asthma is improving.x

I take Clonazepam for a condition called 'Restless Leg Syndrome', accompanied by Amitriptyline....(which is more well known for dealing with depression I believe)

To my knowledge I have not suffered any side effects from clonazepam

It was kind of you to take the time to reply in such detail.

I had not fully appreciated my dependence (to help me sleep in particular) on Co-codamol.

It is my intention to follow your example, with care and in a responsible manner Lizzie.

Take care and thank you again 

Helen x

13

Dear Lizzie

Prednisolone is a name for a steroid.

Regards

Helen c

14

Hi Helen

I'll keep following this thread and if at any time there is any advice or suppport I can give you I am more than happy to help.  If I don't reply quickly its because I'm out that day or have gone away to stay with my mum.  I wish you all the best with the co-codamol however you decide to tackle it, its not pleasant coming off it but I can only say from experience that it was worth it.

I was interested to hear what you said aboutg clonazepam as I oonce had restless leg syndrome as a side effect of one of the older type anti-psychotics I was on.  Since they moved dme to risperidone, a new type anti-psychotic, I've not experienced it.  My diazepam is just to take the edge off things when i get anxious, I'm doing well with it and am not developing tollerannce.

I hope you stay well and send you all my best wishes

Lizzie xxx