Asthma Community

Hi LadyCelestia,

I'm really hoping that things have gotten better for you. Please, if you are ever worried about your situation, do not hesitate to seek medical attention as soon as possible.

Our WebMD Asthma Health Center has a great deal of helpful information that I'm sure could benefit you. The WebMD Asthma Guide is another great resource that contains Overviews, Symptoms, Types, Diagnosis, Tests, Treatment and more.

Please check these wonderful areas of the site out and let us know how you are doing.

Take care!
Amelia

I know exactly how you feel LadyCelestia. I was diagnosed with asthma almost 3 years ago. Up until recently I felt that my asthma was pretty well controlled. I had the occasional sinus infection, which would of course trigger my asthma, and sometimes lead to bronchitis, but after a round of antibiotics and predisone I was back to my usual self. That is until the past few months......

I started a new job last July ( before that I was unemployed for 2 years) so I've had to "rebulid" up my immune system to deal with the new germs and "bugs" that have been passed around. One problem...this particular company does not start "awarding" its employees sick time until they have been there six months. So, now we are in the middle of flu season and everyone - like me - that is a new employee is coming to work sick. Because, as I learned the hard way, if you take a day off and you have no sick time, you get a written warning. If you get two of those, you can be fired. I got a flu shot (as I do every year) so I have managed not to get the flu, but I have had repeated sinus infections and bronchitis (on a monthly basis since October). The most recent one being in mid-January when I left work 2 hours into my shift because I almost passed out at my desk. After talking to an "ask the nurse" hotline, I decided to go to urgent care. The nurse's suggestion was to call 9-1-1 but since I was at work, I was not about to do that. So I called a friend to take me to urgent care as it is cheaper than going to the emergency room with my insurance. He again diagnosed me with bronchitis and a sinus infection. He gave me the usual antibiotics and prednisone. But something he did that was different, he gave me a breathing treatment while I was there. My oxygen level had dropped into the low 90s and he told me if it had gone any lower, I'd be headed to the emgerency room. He told me to follow up with my primary care doctor to get an asthma plan and possibly a nebulizer so I can do the breathing treatments at home. I did so and she gave me the meds and a script for a nebulizer. But after finishing this round of antibiotics, I don't feel any better. The sinus infection seems to be resolved, but I am still have A LOT of difficulty breathing. Even going from the living room to the bathroom of my apt makes me out of breath and my apt is only about 750 sq feet, so it's not like I'm walking a mile. I am out of breath constantly, I wake up in the night coughing and with tightness in my chest, and I'm having muscle weakness and dizzy spells at work, even when I am sitting down. I'm using my rescue inhaler 2 to 3 times a day ( the maximum I can) and doing breathing treatments every night. My PC dr put me on a new maintenance inhaler as she thought maybe I have developed immunity to the Advair (I was on the highest dose) but nothing seems to be helping. She doesn't really know what to do for me as I'm on all the medications! I'm getting very frustrated, I'm tired and out of breath all the time, and its affecting my performance at work. I saw my PC dr again last week, but she said my oxygen level was fine and my spirometry was in "the normal range" so she didn't know why I wasn't getting any better. Any suggestions and advice would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to loose my job - I love what I am doing, because my company is unsympathetic to my chronic condition. The sad part is this is a company that is in the medical field!

Thank you!

wow i so sympathize with you. I have been going through almost the same problem for the last 3 years medically. I have been in the hospital 13 times from 2010 until last week alone. Luckily i don't have the job problems. But i do know what you mean about the asthma. Everytime i go to emergency room they tell me the same thing, my oxygen levels are good as well as the rest of my stats, but i can't talk , i am constantly coughing and i can't breath. I also do the "normal range" on the spirometry, My doctors are all perplexed. I have done all the meds that we can think of but i still end up in the hospital for a couple of days at a time, and i am also so tired and out of breath. I try to do breathing treatments about 2- 3 times a day, i went and got a portable nebulizer that i can use at work. I am
also on prednisone it seems all the time, and now i have catatracts from the inhalers. It's a lot to take in, but i just wanted to let u know that there are people who understand what u are going through, this is a good forum just to get things off u chest. i really wisht that there was something i can tell u
that what help your job. Hopefully you can find a good pulmonolgist.
good luck, will be praying for u

cwille