Anyone Here Have Asthma?
 

I have had this cough for 2-3 months. At first, I thought it was flu. Took medicine accordingly a few weeks. Nope.

Then I thought maybe it had something to do with my acid reflux. Took Prilosec a few weeks. Which handled stomach reflux, shot my blood pressure up like a mofo, but nope. Cough still there.

Went to immediate care. Based on past history, thought it was sinus infection. Gave me some antibiotics. Took those a few weeks. Nope. Still cough.

What seems to trigger it is...

I eat a lot. Stomach full.
Talk a lot. Since I rarely do a lot of in person talking.
Singing to music.
Do any extra activity. Treadmill. Carry in a lot construction crap.

Went to Dr's today. Best guess, asthma. So now I am on Advair or whatever the shit is.
:disgust

Oh and one more thing.

I DID have them do an X-Ray this time. Nada. So that was good.

They said if you have allergies, and sinus. You are prone for asthma. However, they said it could be some kind of infection giving me asthma like symptoms (i.e. agitating throat, making it contract some percentage making the cough) and it could pass.

But I guess I have to be on this shit for 3 months, then we'll stop, and see if is is actually asthma or not.

You gotta love the guess work of Dr's.

On the bright side. If you pay you full doctor's bill at the time of appointment. You get a 15% discount.

lol...

You should see a specialist to get a second opinion. I went to my doctor years ago because I was freaking out. He said I was having panic attacks. which I was. He tried a bunch of medications that never seemed to help. Turns out the blood work he had did, did not check for thyroid problems and that may be what was wrong this whole time. If I were you I would get a second opinion. Mistakes get made.

True dat.

I annually get a blood test done. They tell me it is not necessary because I am only 36, but since I stopped chewing tobacco 3 years or so ago, and stopped drinking 4 or so years ago. My main concern is finding some kinda cancer. Stomach, throat, lip, whatever. So I make them do at minimum one a year now, typically in middle of the year.

I used to have them do it twice a year, but was kinda overkill. However, if this is not getting better in a few weeks on this new shit. I will go back in and have them do a blood test. I do not care about the cost. It's better to pay for it now, then to be dead or get some, "wish we would have caught it sooner" speech..

yeah man, was feeling like shit for the past year or so... started with a tickle in the throat and then some nasal/sinus problems. Any overexertion of energy or lack of sleep would surely make it feel worse... Then out of nowhere, one night my nasal passages swelled shut and I could barely breath through my throat, felt like I was dying. Went to the hospital, treated for allergies/asthma with nasacort and a couple of inhalers. Now I feel cured. If you have bad nasal problems from allergies, nasacort, flonase, couple others will completely knock it out for you and the inhalers are a must for weezing, shortness of breath and labored breathing triggered by allergies.

Good info.

I take Clariton-D a good part of the year. It has not been as bad at the new house. My guess is all that mold at old place (found later when moving) was part of the reason so bad there. Although they had a lot of stuff outside the windows that were like allergy kick starters.

New house does not have that, and I do not take my allergy sinus as much. I can normally get by on a Tylenol, or aspirin. When really bad though, only that Clariton-D will handle it. If it does not have the D, but sinuses just laugh as it does nothing for me.

so u had a blood test i was just reading on eazy e he thought it was astma i think it was pneumonia

Not yet brassmonkey, that funky monkey.

Going to give the witch doctor a couple of weeks on this new shit, and then I am going in for a blood test.

damn stay up playa

I have a blood test done once a year too with my physical. When I first was sick my doctor said that the blood test would check my thyroid. Turns out that they did not check my thyroid. So I am going to see a specialist. Nothing wrong with being careful. More people need to get checked once a year at least.

Yep.

I have them check all the shit. Blood sugar, cholesterol, good and bad, thyroid, whatever else is on there. I tell them I want a full test. Since I am the one paying for it out of pocket, there is no reason for them to say no.

The do the test. Scribble their notes, and mail me the results.

In a few more years when I hit the 4-0, I get to enjoy some finger sodomy annually. Yippie! Anyway, I have one shot at life, and planning on living it as long as I can, as healthy as I can.

I do have the full tests done. They check for everything. Well on that one test they skipped the thyroid. I guess that was a mistake. The results are sent to my doctor, but I will ask him to let me read them for myself. Yikes. The finger sodomy does not sound fun. I know they need to do it, but damn. I hope the gel is warm at least. :winkwink:

As long as I do not hear **zip** I should be ok.
:winkwink:

I have had asthma since I was about 7 years old. It is a bitch. Advair is a pretty high end medicine. I take it and it works great, but I have pretty advanced asthma. A couple things you should do. As Jane said see an Asthma specialist, there might be a milder medicine you can take. Also cut as much dairy from your diet as possible. I used have milk on cereal every day and ate things like ice cream and cheese and other dairy products. About 4 years ago I gave it all up and it helped a bunch. Dairy triggers asthma and creates mucus which makes it hard to breathe. Go soy, it doesn't taste the same, but you get used to it.

It is possible you may just need to adjust your diet and then use an inhaler when you need it instead of taking regular medicine. Asthma can be a bitch, but today the medicine is so much better than it was back in the late 70's when I was first diagnosed.

Good info.

I do not eat or drink a lot of dairy. Almost none. I am borderline lactose intolerant.

I agree with you on seeing a specialist if they think it's asthma long term. I do not want to be taking more medicine then I need, however, I do need to get whatever this is handled so I can get back to working out.

I hurt my shoulder in the fall, early winter so I have not been able to work out for first couple of months because of that. Shoulder better, now dealing with this shit. Have put on some lbs since this madness. Gotta get back on normal routine. However, I can't if I am going to be short of breath all the time. Already tried to get back on tread mill a handful of times.

A friend of mine's daughter has asthma that really only manifests itself during the spring. The rest of year she is pretty much fine, but when everything is blooming she is has issues. After a bunch of tests they found out what she is allergic to and are treating her for that and since she has started getting better. She still has an inhaler, but doesn't need it very often. It is possible that you have an allergy or sensitivity to something or even "exercise induced" asthma where you won't need regular daily meds and there may end up being some type of lesser therapy for it. They have a new inhaler I just started using about 6 months ago and the thing is like magic. I can be so out of breath I can't talk and take two puffs of that thing and it is like I never had a problem. Maybe something like that will work for you, something you use when you need it and the rest of the time you are normal.

And I know just what you are talking about with a shoulder. Last year I hurt my shoulder (lifting some freaking bottled water from my trunk of all things - I felt like such a wimp) and it took me about 5 months and about 8 weeks or regular physical therapy before I was back to normal. . . You don't know how much you use your shoulder until it is hurt.

Have had asthma since my early 30s --- didn't even know I had it except my ex-wife told me I was wheezing in my sleep. It barely affects me but I take the meds anyway, I know if/when i quit smoking it will go away. It really only shows up at night.

One warning: pay attention while on the Advair. It works great for some people, but my doctor switched me to it a couple of years ago...a few months later, I started coughing like crazy, losing my breath, thought I had COPD or something. Had chest x-rays, breathing tests, nothing found.
Then my wife read the small print in the Advair packaging --- turns out that a somewhat rare but definite side effect CAN be a worsening of asthma, killer cough, breathing problems, etc. Had my doc switch me back to my old meds and I felt fine in a week. It probably won't happen to you, just be aware in case you start hacking up a lung or can't breathe well after a few months.

sounds like you've got AIDS

Very nice.

Right now they are trying to figure out if asthma or an infection I guess.

I would have to be a faggot like you to have such worries.
:2 cents:

Make sure you rinse your mouth well after using Advair. Tends to give pretty bad sore throats and make you go hoarse if you don't. Check out Singulair too. Works amazingly well and helps with the allergies too so you can drop the Claritin.

Sounds like the AIDS.

Yeah, the doctors told me to drink a sip of water. Then do the whole break the seal, inhale, hold it as long as can, breath out, rinse out mouth. Swallow or not.

You have a nice mouthful of tasty dust.

Second the suggestion on Singulair - been on it for almost 25 years along with Azmacort and a fast-acting inhaler for nighttimes.

Sweet. I'll jot these down.

So far the inhaler shit seems to make the cough more PERSISTENT, as I cough more now than I was. Before I would only cough in the circumstances above more a less. Now coughing a lot more.

He said it will take up to a week to know for sure. Or for the full effect.

Yep, give it a week or two, but that does happen with some people - they kept giving my wife inhalers and all they did was make her cough. Just takes a little while to know if it's just the need to get used to them, or if it's going to permanently be a problem with coughing.

Yeah....

The doc said it could be some kinda lung infection that is causing it, and the asthma symptoms are temporary, but will not know for a few weeks or months. So have to go back in 30 days.

Long term, short term, I just want this cough handled so I can get back to the Bowflex and treadmill. It will be spring in a few more months, and if I am completely out of shape. The SeaDoo's gonna kick my fucking ass when I get back out there.