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Avatar universal

asthma?

ok, so last week i got diagnosed with asthma.so from now on i have to take this puffer called advair every day twice.
now, how accurate are those asthma tests?
i did the one where u need blow air while they give u some different medications and see if u react to it.
but i don't think advair is really helping so i might need something stronger(according to my lung specialist doc)
now the reason i say that i don't have asthma is because i get anxiety attacks sometimes and also my brother-in-law(who is an chiropractor) said because my back is messed up that could also be the problem.
so now i'm thinking about going to one of his sessions and see if he can help me.
or get some relaxation pills?
because i don't cough or wheeze.
so i'm not sure what the problem.
it's really annoying when you breath heavy and people look at you weird.
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Avatar universal
Everyone reacts to different meds in their own way.  I know several people who love Symbicort.  They say it changed their lives for the better.  They have much better control with it than they did with Advair.  So give it an honest try.  

Because everyone metabolizes medication differently, there can be a lot of trial and error before the right med or combination of meds is found for you.  So hang in there and communicat to your doctor how things are going. It can take a while.

Something you need to work on is identifying triggers.  Once you know your triggers, you can learn to avoid and control them.  That is essential to truly well controlled asthma.  Keeping a diary could be helpful with this task.
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Avatar universal
btw i told my doc that advair doesn't help so he prescribed me symbicort.
i just used it an hr ago(my first puff).
some people were saying that symbicort made their asthma worse.
so now i'm kinda scared.cuz that's the last thing i need.
if these things don't help me i'll honestly quit all these puffers because my throat feels rough and my voice is kinda hoarse.and i have this kinda phlegm on top of it.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
First the steroid nasal spray.  That is another one that the technique is important.  If you don't use the correct technique you can cause a hole to deveolp in you septum.  The spray bottle should be angled slightly toward the outside of your face sort of making a V shape.

Also, some people don't handle nasal sprays well in general.  I can't use Astepro.  The stuff stuffs me up solid for 5 hours or so, causes all kinds of drainage leading to an asthma attack.

The situation with your diagnosis makes perfect sense.  I was diagnosed with illness induce asthma about 2 - 3 times a year for several years before getting my formal diagnosis.  Some doctors are hesitant to give the formal diagnosis if they can avoid it.  

I hope that helps you.
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Avatar universal
one more thing..so my doc told me that i have asthma after i've done the test.
but i mean i had this breathing problem for 7 years before i got diagnosed with asthma.
that doesn't make sense..does it?
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Avatar universal
hmm..well i tried the steroid spray.
but because i used it to long it got worse.
i should try claritin.
I'll try to pick up a bottle today.
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
You need to get a diagnosis on the cause of the rhinitis.  There are several possibilities.  With asthma it is most likely allergies.

Have you tried any antihistamines?  Zyrtec, Allegra, Claritin, Clarinex...  and a few others.  Acid reflux can also cause chronic sinusitis.  So you may want to discus that with your doctors.  If you have a form of non-allergic rhinitis that can be trickier to control.  Either way, you may need a nasal steroid to help control

I have had a reaction to the the bottled saline as well.  I do well with the normal saline I mix myself.  First you have to get a bottle (some people like the neti pot, but that isn't my thing).  NeilMed is probably the best, but there are store brands available now.  Fill the bottle to the line with 8 oz of water add 1/4 tsp non-iodized salt and maybe a small pinch of baking soda.  Put the cap on and shake to mix.  Lean over the sink and sqeaze the bottle gently to get short squirts of water into one nostril.  Do that for half the bottle, then switch nostrils.

Directions do come with the bottle.  

I am not familiary with reactine.  There are a number of meds in other countries that I don't know.
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Avatar universal
I tried reactine once but that didn't help.
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Avatar universal
well he just checked with the scope.he said that I have chronic rhinitis but it's nothing serious.
I use to use this nose spray that he prescribed me(can't remember the name) and also I used this natural spray(just salt and water) but that didn't help neither.actually the first spray made it worse cause I used it for to long.okay so how do I do this cleaning?
Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
Yes and Yes

Sinus issues and asthma can go together especially if they are related to allergies.

Are you doing sinus rinses?  They are kind of gross, but very effective.  I rarely to never miss mine it makes that much difference for me.  I suggest you get a bottle from any pharmacy and try that.  You will need a box of iodine free sale (pickling salt in the canning or baking aisle) and a few jugs of distilled water.  Some people like a tiny bit of baking sode in it as well.  It doesn't matter to me.  You can also buy the salt packets next to the bottles.  They run about $12 US for 100 packets.  Mixing your own is much more economical.  About $1 us for the salt (very large box that lasts several months) and <$1 baking soda.

What kind of tests have been done by ENTs?  Just a scope or has a sinus CT been done?  A CT might reveal something they can't visually see with a scope, although the scope is pretty thorough.  

Have you tired any allergy medications?  

Keep my posted.
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Avatar universal
thx for the advice bsmsl.
okay so i'll keep using advair for at least a month and then we'll see.
i also bought the airflow airchamber.
i'm probably not using the inhaler properly.
so i'm assuming you have asthma to?
do u have problems breathing through your nose to?
that's what i have.
i've been to a specialist for my nose and he told me that everything is fine.
i mean when i try to breath through my nose only for like 10 seconds that is impossible for me.
so that's why i'm so confused with all these doctors.
i don't know who to believe anymore.

Helpful - 0
Avatar universal
It sounds like you were given a methacholine challenge test.  That is the GOLD STANDARD for diagnosing asthma.  You failed the test = you have asthma - NO DOUBT there.

Many people don't realize that wheezing is actually a late symptom of an asthma attack.  Also, you may not have audible wheezing, but your doctor can hear it with a stethescope.  Could your heavy breathing be described as sighing?  Sighing is actually an early symptom of an asthma attack.

Several thoughts on why Advair isn't helping your symptoms yet.

1) You have only been on it a week and it can take up to two weeks for it to start working.

2) You may not be metabolizing it properly and one of the other combo meds like Symbicort or Dulera may be a better options for you.  I cannot take Symbicort or I nose dive in a week.

3) Your technique in using the inhaler maybe incorrect so that the medication is not making it to your lungs where it needs to be.  This is a frequent problem with the Discus version or any dry powder medication.  Check back with your doctor for training on how to use the inhaler correctly or request to be switched to the Hfa version with a spacer.  Respiratory therapists highly recommend the use of spacerswith all metered dose inhalers (MDI - commonly Hfa meds now) as they train propper technique and allow for the maximum amount of medication to actually reach your lungs instead of landing in your throat or mouth.  Spacers do not work with dry powder inhalers.  This is especially important with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) as you don't want to ingest these meds where they expose your general system to steroids and increase side effects.  Spacers train your technique by squawking at you if you inhale too quickly but are slilent if you inhale too slowly.  You want the unit to make a very quiet sound.

A little education about asthma medications.

Essential to all asthmatics is a rescue inhaler, some form of albuterol.  This is a fast acting bronchodilater.  It lasts about 3 - 4 hours and is used to treat sudden symptoms.  It can also be used by the clock for treating "flares" from illness or allergist.  There are several clues that this type of use is needed. One is if you are using your inhaler more than twice a week.  Eventually your doctor should develop an asthma action plan for you to help you decide what steps to take when.  That will take a while as he needs to understand YOUR asthma first.

First line maintenance medications are ICS.  These are inhaled steroids that work only in the lungs to reduce the inflamation there.  Their doses are about 1/100th the dose of oral steroids and very little if any of the medication makes it into your general system where it can cause systemic damage like oral steroids do (of course if you are not using them correctly more gets into your system to cause problems).  They are very safe when used correctly and are the primary asthma treatment.  No steroid is ideal, but breathing is essential to life.  ICS's are the single most effective and safe med we have at this time.

Allergy treatments of various kinds including but not limited to antihistamines (Claritin, Zyrtec, Allegra, Xyzal), leukotiene modifiers (Singulair),  various steroidal and antihistamine nasal sprays, and finally allergy shots.  Controlling the allergy trigger goes a long way in reducing asthma attacks and improving quality of life.

A last choice and one that they try to keep at minimum usage are long acting broncho dilaters (long acting beta2 agonists - LABA).  These medications are in the combination meds Advair, Symbicort and Dulera and can be prescribed as single medications as well (Severvent, Foradil and a few others).  There is a FDA warning that came out about a year ago advising against the long term use of these medications in the treatment of asthmatics.  It also states that these medications should never be used without an  ICS by asthmatics.  They are used alone to treat other respiratory illnesses including but not limited to various forms of COPD.  Some people are confused about this warning and are saying that it is against the ICS component.  It isn't.  I will get you a link to the FDA report if you want it.

There are other options available but are later options to add to more complicated cases.

I agree with the other posters about chiro - they can get a bad wrap but at the same time there are a lot of quacks out there.  It could be worth a try.  For me personally it didn't help at all and actually made me worse.  Like all medical treatments, people respond differently to different things.  It is certainly worth a try though.  Personally I would only see a chiro for muscluar-skeletal issues, but there is some evidence that they can help respiratory issues in some people.  You could be one of them.

I have a friend that has had some success with acupunture for treating her asthma as well.  So acupuncture treatments may also help you.  Some chiros have a form of needleless acupunture that they use.  Maybe your BIL can use those treatments with you as well.

Asthma and anxiety can go hand in hand and can be confused with each other.  I would avoid medication if possible for anxiety as some of them can cause asthma symptoms.  Think about this.  What is the most scary thing you can experience - not being able to breathe.  What is the primary symptom associated with asthma - not being able to breathe.  So, if you are having an asthma attack you may have an anxiety attack as well.  I combat that by really concetrating on my breathing focussing on taking as deep a breath as I can as slowly as I can and then slowly releasing it.  You don't want to hyperventilate as that compounds the problem.  The goal is relaxing breaths.  I use this technique frequently when I cannot reach my inhaler quickly.  It can be difficult to maintain a sense of calm when you are having difficulty breathing.  I try not to focus on the \ineffectiveness of my breathing but to focus on the act it self.  Does that make any sense?

Learning to deal with this kind of diagnosis can be daunting.  I will be glad to help you in any way I can.

Take care
God bless.
Helpful - 0
144586 tn?1284666164
If you are "breathing heavy" you require a diabetic evaluation, to include an hba1c and a fasting glucose test or an insulin clamp protocol..

These breaths (commonly called Kusmal respirations) are ocasionally confused with asthma, and result from blowing off carbon dioxide to restore the Ph of the blood.

One mechanism to clear excess glucose results in acidic blood.

Somethings there is asthma and a concurrant diabetic diagnosis.

As far as your back having anything to do with your breathing problems the chances of that are about the same as you being abducted by space aliens tonight. (Bring sandwiches and a water bottle)

Accupuncture, interestingly, can sometimes relieve asthmatic symptoms.
Helpful - 0
1548028 tn?1324612446
Advair is only a preventative that helps control symptoms over time.  It is not an immediate relief medication.  Chiropractors get a bad wrap.  I have seen them do amazing things when all else has failed.  Couldn't hurt.
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