How to stabilize reactive airways?

[nejo]

I have multiple issues...oxygen dependent due to pulmonary fibrosis after chronic hypersensitivity pneumonitis.  I'm on Advair 500/50, Singulair, Allegra, Mucinex and have been stable for over a year.  I also have a history of seasonal allergies (life long) and adult onset asthma.  Two weeks ago some respiriatory infection set in: don't know if it was a virus intially--it felt that way--scratchy throat, tender glands, ears plugged.  That all persists, after two courses of antibiotics and prednisone.  I am also nebulizing with albuterol every 4-6 hours. The bronchitis seems to have resolved, but when I venture outside my home even briefly, I get horrible attacks of coughing & nasal mucous.  I feel trapped!  

[nejo]

thanks for your comments...with so many meds, I do forget about the things you mentioned.  I am doing better, now after the third round of antibiotics & bumping up the prednisone, just as the doc from Nat. Jewish suggested.

For Tina re your little one...I know the prednisone is awful, but when the body is reacting so, it is often the only thing that helps.  You might try dosing his prednisone first thing in the morning so the effects can burn off before he tries to sleep.  I don't imagine that's going well either!  I raised a son with severe asthma as a little guy.  I remember one hosptialization, the resp. therapist called albuterol "frog juice,"  Truth.  We also read a lot of stories while he took his nebulizer tx.  With a mask, it gets the albuterol in better than an inhaler. Now, my son says those story times are favorite memories.  Its not fun to do so young, but has he had allergy testing?  The good news, as the little ones grow, so do their airways & breathing is improved.

[National Jewish Health]

What you describe suggests that the infection has worsened your adult onset asthma.  That is, you are in the midst of an asthma exacerbation, and you should contact your doctor, regarding another burst of prednisone along with evaluation for a bacterial upper respiratory infection, such as sinusitis, with a bacterium resistant to the antibiotics that were prescribed, or evaluation of possible allergic fungal sinusitis.

Good luck.

[tinawoodard]

my son is three year old and i have been stuggling with these symtoms since he was about 6 months old. it has been so rough on me. his breathing is always messed up. and he stays in the dr office or in the hospital. we have a large supply of abuterol and polmocort. he is taking medicine right now and it is not working his noise is running all the time he slobberm,eyes red,dificult breathing and he cough all the time. i dont now what else to do. he is on a 10 day supply of staroids but i hate giving them to him because it makes him agressive and bouning off the walls.