Adults with asthma

[Cara Voller]

Did you get diagnosed with asthma as an adult? Or have you had it since childhood? How did you cope? We would love to hear how it affected you and see if some of our more experienced patients can help those who are newly diagnosed.

[Kate99]

Hi,

I got diagnosed as a teenager when i was in my last few years at school, however my older brother and sister were diagnosed a couple of years later in their early twenties. The doctor could not explain how three children who did not suffer with asthma could grow into adults with asthma. None of us has ever smoked but both our parents did and did not suffer with asthma. We assumed along with our practice nurse that our asthma was linked to passive smoking. Since we are no longer around smokers my brother and sister's asthma has dramatically improved whilst mine stayed moderate to severe. It took me 5 years before i even got an inhaler that was effective and i am only now managing to control my asthma 6 years after being diagnosed.

As my asthma did not improve i would be interested to hear other peoples stories and opinions on the passive smoking - adult asthma diagnosis assumption.

Kate

[Jules50]

hi i've had asthma all my life - it runs in the family. Im 50 now and experienced many different medications and way s of treating the condition with varying degress of success. I've had many hospital admissions over the years. Not so many now - if I can get away with one massive episode every 3 years I feel lucky. im currently on symbicort and take prednisolone when it gets worse. I guess i don't know what its like to be without it. For me, growing up in the sixties or seventies, when it didn't appear to be that common made me somewhat self conscious about it as a child. As an adult I less self conscious but always prefer to be with minimal people when its really bad because it seems people don't know what to do or how to react. That said I have good clear periods and enjoy walking in the mountains, i go to a gym and play tennis do yoga etc. I really enjoy the outdoors and trying to get fitter when I can. I work full time and always have. For me would love to see the medical professions treat people as a whole rather than just as the condition. There seem to be a lot of medications out there which work but there doesn't seem to be much attention to what the psychological impact of dealing with such a condition has on the person coping with it. More than happy to provide support to others if needs be.

[Kate99]

Hi Jules,

Welcome to talkasthma, asthma experience like you have would be great on this forum.

I saw you said about mountain walks, i couldn't even consider that at the moment. Although my asthma is well controlled for general day to day things i am overweight and find it difficult to exercise as that triggers my asthma but if i can't exercise i can't lose weight.

My doctor says just persevere but it's not working or if it is it's very slow i have been trying for years!

Any advice?

[Viking Gnome]

I'm 58-year-old female just diagnosed with Asthmatic Bronchitis. I had two episodes of acute wheezing previously about 10 years apart and was treated with albuterol inhaler and that was it. This is the first time I've been really sick. It started with runny nose, fever, and almost continuously coughing. Then I started wheezing with each exhalation and had severe shortness of breath. I just thought I had a bad cold but a friend urged me to go see my doctor.

I was very surprised when he said my chest was "very tight and constricted". That I might even have "walking pneumonia" but that wouldn't alter his suggested treatment course. I'm on albuterol inhaler, Medrol Dose Pack (Prednisolone), 10-days of Zithromax, and Mucinex to thin the mucus. I'm on Day 4 of treatment. My coughing is much better but my wheezing is the same. Shortness of Breath has not improved. I only use the inhaler when I can't catch my breath or can't stop coughing.

I have a long history of hay fever, sinusitis, and bronchitis. Even had desensitization shots for four years in my late 20's. My maternal grandmother had adult-onset (after age 50) asthma as does my maternal aunt. One sister had Asthma as child for a short time but has been asthma-free for decades. I grew up in nonsmoking home, worked all my life in nonsmoking environments, and have never smoked myself.

So is this the the onset of a serious chronic disease for me or just another once-every-10-years event? Who knows and I'm scared. I've done alot of reading online about controlling asthma, etc. Found that many doctors want their patients to use a peak flow meter to monitor their breathing so I bought one last night on Amazon for $10.

Would love to hear others that have just recently been diagnosed.

[Kate99]

When i was 1st diagnosed my doctor gave me a peak flow thing so i could monitor my own peak flow. I had to do it twice a day for 6 months to see how well my asthma was being controlled on the medication.

I still have it now and check every so often as it helps me to manage my asthma better.

The highest reading i have ever got is 420! When my asthma is well managed i get between 380 and 420 but i have been assured that for me this is normal although not average. It has been explained to me that i probably have a small lung capacity which makes my reading smaller than average. I have an asthmatic friend who smokes and her reading is usually around 700 so although the peak flow is great for keeping an eye on don't worry if your reading isn't within the recommended figures.

[slk0627]

Hi Everyone,

After suffering with severe asthma for the last 38 years, I finally decided to reach out to others in the asthma community with hope of finding someone who can relate to me! So here I am; home from work for another day, and sucking wind from a nebulizer every 4 hours. It's awful. My ashtma has become worse as I've aged .. .is anyone else experienceing this, or does anyone know why? I'm only 38 and I can't imagine it getting worse (though I know it can). Most of all I fear what my life will be like if it does get worse. Hoping for some words of wisdom . . or comfort.

[Kate99]

Hi, I am sorry i can't offer much assistance as i only started asthma as a teenager. I had hoped that as i got older it would improve. How old were you when your asthma started? What are your triggers?

[slk0627]

I have had it since I was a baby . . .don't ever remember not having it. My triggers, honestly, are everything . . . well everything except food (so far). Plants, animals, dust, exercise, you name it! But, since my last post I started receiving Xolair injections twice per month. I have seen marked improvement in just two visits. Xolair is truly a miracle drug for those of us with allergy induced asthma.

[Kate99]

How are you getting on with the injections? Are you still seeing an improvement? Pleased something is working for you.