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Respiratory Disorders (Expert Forum)
Confused
Answered by
This forum is for questions and support regarding lung and respiratory issues such as: Allergies, Asthma, Bronchitis, Colds - Flu, Chronic Cough, COPD, Cystic Fibrosis, Emphysema, Fibrosis, Lung Abscess, Nasal Polyps, Pleurisy, Pneumonia, Sarcoidosis, Sinusitis, Tuberculosis.
Confused
by phaeturmonty, Oct 12, 2004 12:00AM
Hi-
I've been experiencing respiratory problems since mid July. My Dr. told me it was allergies and asthma and gave me advair and nasonex. Now it's Oct. and I'm still on Nasonex and my 3rd advair and the symptoms are not gone, just changed. I feel like I cannot inhale all the way, periods of shortness of breath all day, a tight feeling in chest, very dizzy/lightheaded for the past 2 weeks, also very tired(slept 12 hours last night, normally sleep 6-8), Tons of mucous in my throat(up until mid sept) then it turned to a productive cough(until now) with very sticky/stringy and clear mucous. I had a chest xray and it came up fine. I still have occassional sneezing. I'm at my wits end, any ideas? Is it COPD?
Thanks-
D
I've been experiencing respiratory problems since mid July. My Dr. told me it was allergies and asthma and gave me advair and nasonex. Now it's Oct. and I'm still on Nasonex and my 3rd advair and the symptoms are not gone, just changed. I feel like I cannot inhale all the way, periods of shortness of breath all day, a tight feeling in chest, very dizzy/lightheaded for the past 2 weeks, also very tired(slept 12 hours last night, normally sleep 6-8), Tons of mucous in my throat(up until mid sept) then it turned to a productive cough(until now) with very sticky/stringy and clear mucous. I had a chest xray and it came up fine. I still have occassional sneezing. I'm at my wits end, any ideas? Is it COPD?
Thanks-
D
Doctor's Answer
by National Jewish, Oct 22, 2004 12:00AM
, Oct 22, 2004 12:00AM
The term COPD is an abbreviation for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. COPD is a general term used to describe the chronic lung disease linked with cigarette smoking and worsened by contact with industrial dusts and other toxins. This is also called emphysema. It is a disease that worsens over time. There is a relatively irreversible decrease in airflow and permanent destruction of the airsacs in the lung. If you have never smoked it is highly unlikely that this is COPD. Pulmonary function testing (PFT) would clarify if you have asthma or COPD.
With asthma the basic problem is chronic inflammation along with tightness of the smooth muscles that surround the airways of the lungs. Advair™ Diskus® (fluticasone/salmeterol) is a combination of
· an inhaled steroid called Flovent® (fluticasone propionate) that decreases the inflammation in the airways of the lungs; and
· a long-acting inhaled bronchodilator called Serevent® (salmeterol xinafoate) that relaxes the smooth muscle tightness around the airways of the lungs.
When this inflammation is not controlled, it increases the sensitivity of the airways to a variety of things that make asthma worse. These asthma triggers vary from person to person. For some people allergies cause more asthma symptoms, but for other people allergies do not cause asthma symptoms at all. Postnasal drip is a common trigger. Asthma symptoms also vary from person to person. The symptoms of asthma are chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath, and wheezing. Wheezing is the most common symptom. However some people only cough. Each person with asthma could have only one of these symptoms or a combination of any of these symptoms, including all four of them. When asthma is not well controlled it is certainly possible to feel very tired from the increased work of breathing.
Postnasal drip is drainage from the nose and sinuses dripping down the back of the throat. There could be several reasons for this drainage. One reason is an allergy. A second reason is a non-allergic, non-infectious inflammation in the sinuses that can linger after a cold. A third reason is chronic sinusitis. This may also be causing you to feel dizzy and lightheaded. Postnasal drip can cause breathing difficulty as a result of irritation of the throat and lungs. You may experience the postnasal drip as a constant feeling of mucus at the back of your throat. Typically this is worse at night when you lay down to sleep. Generally this irritation feels the worst when you wake up and gets better as the day goes on.
The fat content in dairy products can thicken mucus. Generally eating dairy products with less fat content is helpful. Drinking plenty of water will help to thin the mucus so that it moves more easily. As long as you are not on a fluid restriction you should be drinking 6 to 8 8-ounce glasses of non-caffeine non-alcoholic fluid daily.
An antihistamine can dry up the postnasal drip. However, it may make the mucus thicker and more difficult to move. A decongestant like Sudafed® (pseudoephedrine) can thin the postnasal drip and decrease the swelling so it drains easier. A combination antihistamine-decongestant will do both. Often an antihistamine and decongestant are taken only when the postnasal drip gets bad. It may be more helpful to take the antihistamine and decongestant on a regular basis. Singulair® (montelukast sodium) helps when the irritation is due to allergies.
A nasal wash helps remove mucus and germs from your nose and sinuses. This can temporarily decrease the postnasal drip and lessen breathing difficulty. It is most helpful when done daily before using any nasal spray. A prescription antihistamine nasal spray, like Astelin® (azelastine), helps when the postnasal drip is due to allergies. A prescription nasal steroid spray, like Nasonex® (mometasone), decreases mucus production by decreasing the inflammation of the nose and sinuses. This may prevent the postnasal drip and breathing difficulty. A nasal steroid spray does not provide immediate relief of symptoms. It may require several weeks of routine use to become effective. Sometimes it takes the antihistamine, the decongestant, and the nasal wash followed by the nasal steroid spray ALL used routinely to keep the postnasal drip from bothering you. Please read our Nasal Wash MedFact at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/nasal.html for more information about this technique. Share this information with your doctor to see if you would benefit from this daily treatment. Another suggestion to talk with your doctor about is switching one medicine at a time so that you try a different one than the one that you have been using in each of the different types of medicines. By doing this you may be able to find one that works better for you.
With asthma the basic problem is chronic inflammation along with tightness of the smooth muscles that surround the airways of the lungs. Advair™ Diskus® (fluticasone/salmeterol) is a combination of
· an inhaled steroid called Flovent® (fluticasone propionate) that decreases the inflammation in the airways of the lungs; and
· a long-acting inhaled bronchodilator called Serevent® (salmeterol xinafoate) that relaxes the smooth muscle tightness around the airways of the lungs.
When this inflammation is not controlled, it increases the sensitivity of the airways to a variety of things that make asthma worse. These asthma triggers vary from person to person. For some people allergies cause more asthma symptoms, but for other people allergies do not cause asthma symptoms at all. Postnasal drip is a common trigger. Asthma symptoms also vary from person to person. The symptoms of asthma are chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath, and wheezing. Wheezing is the most common symptom. However some people only cough. Each person with asthma could have only one of these symptoms or a combination of any of these symptoms, including all four of them. When asthma is not well controlled it is certainly possible to feel very tired from the increased work of breathing.
Postnasal drip is drainage from the nose and sinuses dripping down the back of the throat. There could be several reasons for this drainage. One reason is an allergy. A second reason is a non-allergic, non-infectious inflammation in the sinuses that can linger after a cold. A third reason is chronic sinusitis. This may also be causing you to feel dizzy and lightheaded. Postnasal drip can cause breathing difficulty as a result of irritation of the throat and lungs. You may experience the postnasal drip as a constant feeling of mucus at the back of your throat. Typically this is worse at night when you lay down to sleep. Generally this irritation feels the worst when you wake up and gets better as the day goes on.
The fat content in dairy products can thicken mucus. Generally eating dairy products with less fat content is helpful. Drinking plenty of water will help to thin the mucus so that it moves more easily. As long as you are not on a fluid restriction you should be drinking 6 to 8 8-ounce glasses of non-caffeine non-alcoholic fluid daily.
An antihistamine can dry up the postnasal drip. However, it may make the mucus thicker and more difficult to move. A decongestant like Sudafed® (pseudoephedrine) can thin the postnasal drip and decrease the swelling so it drains easier. A combination antihistamine-decongestant will do both. Often an antihistamine and decongestant are taken only when the postnasal drip gets bad. It may be more helpful to take the antihistamine and decongestant on a regular basis. Singulair® (montelukast sodium) helps when the irritation is due to allergies.
A nasal wash helps remove mucus and germs from your nose and sinuses. This can temporarily decrease the postnasal drip and lessen breathing difficulty. It is most helpful when done daily before using any nasal spray. A prescription antihistamine nasal spray, like Astelin® (azelastine), helps when the postnasal drip is due to allergies. A prescription nasal steroid spray, like Nasonex® (mometasone), decreases mucus production by decreasing the inflammation of the nose and sinuses. This may prevent the postnasal drip and breathing difficulty. A nasal steroid spray does not provide immediate relief of symptoms. It may require several weeks of routine use to become effective. Sometimes it takes the antihistamine, the decongestant, and the nasal wash followed by the nasal steroid spray ALL used routinely to keep the postnasal drip from bothering you. Please read our Nasal Wash MedFact at http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/nasal.html for more information about this technique. Share this information with your doctor to see if you would benefit from this daily treatment. Another suggestion to talk with your doctor about is switching one medicine at a time so that you try a different one than the one that you have been using in each of the different types of medicines. By doing this you may be able to find one that works better for you.
