Asthma Community

You need to see you doctor. The goal of asthma control is to only use the rescue inhaler at most 2 times a week excluding pre-treatment uses. It sounds like you are in a flare and need some guidance on how to get out of it.

Many of us have found the nebulizer to be more effective because the particles are smaller, so you might want to dig it out and use it.

Feel better soon.
God Bless.

Sonya

I use my inhaler at lease twice a day every other day, just depends on how the day goes.I just dont like going because every time I go and take there test they always say it looks ok today, and then he says I want to see you in a flair..... thats hard to do when I dont live in the same time as the doctor......... So idk... I still have my nebulizer out I just dont take it because I dont feel my asthma is bad enough to take it.
Thanks Kacie

I was also wondering about the test they always make me do. Where you breathe in as much as you can and then put the thing in your mouth and you breathe out how ever long and as fast as you can. I was wonder what they look at there, is it how much air you can put out, or is it how hard you can breathe out. I dont understand why I can always pass that and yet feel so sick

You are talking about the pulmonary function test. Here is a link to a Web MD article that explains it better than I can.

http://www.webmd.com/lung/lung-function-tests

I have had mycoplasma pneumonia and "passed" the test at 118%. I usually have very high numbers. My allergist relializes that the values are being compared to population norms. This means that what might look really good (when compared to the norm) can be REALLY bad for that particular patient. My allergist and her PAs recognize that what the lungs sound like is more important than the numbers on the test. When I go in and post a value of 93% the whole staff KNOWS something is going on.

While my allergist liked the idea of having another set of eyes and ears looking at my case, she was also VERY selective in who that person was. Most pulmos are hospitalists and focus on patients in the hospital or toting oxygen around with them. She says that they are critical care givers, but not critical thinkers. She has only 3 pulmos in this metropolitan area that she refers people to.

I think you may benefit from finding a new pulmo. One that realizes that the numbers only tell a part of the story (how the patient comapares to population norms that day) and without a personal history to compare that day's test to, they are meaningless. My take on this is that it is not that you are passing the test, but that your doctor is not looking for the whole story.

Another option would be to find an allergist. They look at asthma from a different angle that my be helpful.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Sonya

Wow all that information was very helpful!! I understand it so much better now...... Now I just wish it was easy to switch doctors. It took forever for me to even get my primary care physician to believe that I couldn't breathe (She just called me out of shape) , which she is a Nurse Practitioner. I had to make an appointment with the actual doctor who didn't even access me he just put me on pro air for exercise educed asthma (I never complained about exercising). The same week I went to the doctors, I ended up in the hospital because of strep throat. They took x rays of my lung, sent me back over to the doctor and the doctor sent me back over to the hospital to get more x rays then back to the doctor only to tell me that im gonna have to see a specialist because he doesn't know...... I am SOOO tired of being thrown around!!
I go to this specialist, and I feel like he listens to me I took , the regular test he couldnt detect asthma, he said "We will not quit now, go to the hospital". I went to the hospital sat in this box, and took nebulizer treatments to see if it would make me sick, and it did.... badly!! By the third one I was gasping and coughing and all the lady did was stare at me. She gave me a regulare treatment to reverse it and that was it, I was sick all day! I though he actually cared and to find out he is just shoving me away kinda hurts.
Thanks for all your help Sonya.
Sorry for the long story

Hugs. Was that a methalcholine (sp?) challenge test. I haven't had to do one. Asthma is so prevelent here that primaries are very well versed in the basics. It is only the complicated cases that get referred to allergists or pulmonologists. Of course some get referred for allergy shots as well.

Hang in there and be persistent. There is a doctor out there that can help you.

Sonya

Yes that it, thats the name of it!!! I had to take a breathing treatments of some stuff that was suppose to set off my asthma if I had it......... and boy did it. I thought I was gonna die! I do not want to do that stuff ever again!!!! Thank you for all the great information, I do appreciate it. I am going to go to someone else this following Tuesday, see if they can figure anything out. I doubt they will though. Hey I do have one more question though.... How come when I take a breathing treatment I cough so much? Its like it chokes me up but yet I feel like I can breathe. Got any ideas?
Thanks for everything, Kacie

That is a bad way to learn you have asthma, but I have heard of worse. A friend of a friend developed ocupational asthma as an oncologist's lab nurse. She was intubated with her first attack.

Sometimes a breathing treatment and cough go together. If there is a lot of congestion, the breathing treatment opens the airways and loosens the gunk and you start coughing. It happens to me frequently. The opposite will also happen from time to time.

Hang in there.

Sonya

I thought so to! I never wanna do that again, and the lady was mean!! SAD DAY!!! ok im glad tha breathing treatment and coughing thing is normal cuz it seems to always happen!!
I wish I didnt have asthma.

Thanks for all the help and support!
Kacie

Hi Kacie,

I was just wondering if anything new is going on. What has your do said?

Sonya

Only thing new is that my o2 wont stay at one number it will be at 97 and drop to 95 then it will come back up, but I can never get it any higher then 97. I cant get to go see a doc till Tuesday. Hey,will pharmacy make just a label? I am about to go to falls creek and I wanted to put a label with my name on just in case something would happened.
Thanks for checking up on me

FALLS CREEK? As in the youth camp in Davis, OK? Fall break retreat?

Do you mean a medical allert bracelet? I think you can buy them at Walgreens and other pharmacies, but I am not sure. Be sure to alert those traveling with you of you condition (and that you have been sick) and also alert the medical staff at the camp (if that is where you are going). Keep your rescue inhaler on you body at all times.

My O2 is really unstable as well. I am floating from 90 to 97. Usually it will be varily stable around 94 or 95 for a while and then change, usually down. I have found that it also depends on if I am lying down and what position I am in. It drops below 90 really quickly if I lie on my side.

Take care and have a good trip. Keep us posted.

Sonya

Yes falls creek as in youth camp. Fall break retreat is correct! Whats wrong with falls creek?? Its like your freaking out over something.
No not an allert bracelet, like a label so I can put it on my inhaler. Like the labels that go on the boxes when you get a new inhaler, I just need a label to put on the inhaler so it has my name on it. The ones who are traveling with me are aware of my asthma.... just not the other people. Were going for the ropes course.
Ill do my best to keep it on me at all times, I usually forget it. I almost didnt go because of all the problems im having but I really dont want my asthma from keeping me of doing what I want to do.
Thanks
Kacie

I live in the OKC area, so I know where it is. My nieces may be there as well as their church goes to camp and retreats there. They usually do whatever there youth group does. It is a great camp. Not freaking out, just familiarity.

OH, to mark your inhaler as yours... I would just write your name and other info you want on an adress label or piece of masking tape. You could call the pharmacist and see if they can print a lable for you, but I think they can only do that when dispensing the script.

Sonya