I think I may have cough varient asthma

I got the seasonal influenza in November and am sick again.  I always get the horrible cough when I get a cold or flu.  No one has ever mentioned this condition, just gave me more inhalers that I don't need. My coughing gets so bad, I gag and gasp and people think I'm dying!!! Now when I get this, I stay home and work from  there,  What tests should I ask for when I see the Pulmonologist??  What medications do you all take, I too, would rather stay with a natural one.  These inhalers, pills, etc, really made me feel wierd.  Also, with this disease, do you all get the extreme coughing and gagging??

Thanks
Katheb

[Victoireh]

Welcome to the asthma community!

I often find when I get mild asthma attacks, I get a lot of coughing fits as well. Also when my asthma stays rather bad I can be kept up at nights with tons of coughing. This is very common. Asthma is not just shortness of breath and wheezing.

Inhaled steroids are the mainstay of asthma, and control symptoms very well. What you can do to help your symptoms is by learning what your allergens/triggers are. Have had allergy testing done? Once you know your triggers you can try avoiding them. For example if you have dust mite allergies then you can get pillow and mattress covers for your bed, and wash your bedding once a week in hot water. Also getting rid of carpeting in the bedroom is helpful in reducing the dust mite population.

Your pulmonary specialist will confirm your asthma through spirometry testing, and then you will be given the appropriate treatment to control your symptoms. Your doctor will find the minimum dosage required to control your symptoms once asthma control has been achieved. I use both long acting bronchodilators and inhaled steroids (Pulmicort - 1600 ug/day), and my asthma symptoms are mostly controlled. Inhaled steroids are much more preferred over oral steroids, which carry a lot of severe side effects.