3 ms·

I don't have asthma. My doctor says I have something milder than asthma. I have a puffer, and if you put me in the same room as a rabbit or guinea pig I will

by Pxtl 8y ago

I don't have asthma. My doctor says I have something milder than asthma. I have a puffer, and if you put me in the same room as a rabbit or guinea pig I will be struggling to breathe in about 20 minutes. I've lied awake at night coughing and hearing the accordion-like chorus of my wheezing windpipe. But it's not asthma. It has, however, made me very aware of what it feels like when lungs are not working well. Nothing scares me worse than death, but idea of my lungs slowly giving out over years is a pretty damned close second.

pygy_ 8y ago
I'm a doctor, and what you're describing sounds like textbook asthma. It could be a mild form, but it may be worth it to have a second opinion. You may also want to buy a peak flow meter to quantify the obstruction when you have an attack (assuming you never had a spirometry while obstructed). Something like this will do: https://www.amazon.com/Quest-AsthmaMD-Lung-Performance-Meter/dp/B00B9AOKP6 https://www.amazon.com/Quest-AsthmaMD-Lung-Performance-Meter...
cableshaft 8y ago
You probably do have asthma. I'm a lifelong asthmatic and what you're describing is me on a rare bad day (it didn't used to be as rare as a kid, but is more rare for me in adulthood). You should probably get a second opinion, and an inhaler, peak flow meter, and a nebulizer as soon as you can. I got worried about life expectancy for asthmatics recently, and it seems like, generally speaking, as long as it's well treated, the life expectancy is about the same as a non-asthmatic on average. You have to be careful when you have a severe asthma attack though, those can potentially kill you if you don't go to ER. Here's an article from the CDC that includes a page that gives the breakdown of deaths and demographic breakdowns of it: https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/pdfs/asthma_facts_program_grantees.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/pdfs/asthma_facts_program_grantee... If you're actively wheezing at night, something is wrong and you need to get treated for it. I only have that happen to me once or twice a year, usually, and whenever that happens I'm taking medication to help combat it.
- Pxtl 8y ago
  My attacks are very rare - basically only brought on by extreme spring cleaning without a dust mask (dust allergies), and I have a corticosteroid inhaler that I take through allergy season. Either way, I'll have another conversation with my doctor. My understanding was that asthma was generally a lifelong thing - my breathing was fine until I was around 30.
  - pygy_ 8y ago
    There are two components to asthma: bronchial hyper-reactivity, and trigger factors. Trigger factors comprise allergies, physical effort, cold air, depending on the person. Allergies often get better with age, but their exact pathophysiology is not well understood.

by Pxtl 8y ago

pygy_ 8y ago

I'm a doctor, and what you're describing sounds like textbook asthma. It could be a mild form, but it may be worth it to have a second opinion. You may also want to buy a peak flow meter to quantify the obstruction when you have an attack (assuming you never had a spirometry while obstructed). Something like this will do: https://www.amazon.com/Quest-AsthmaMD-Lung-Performance-Meter/dp/B00B9AOKP6 https://www.amazon.com/Quest-AsthmaMD-Lung-Performance-Meter...

cableshaft 8y ago

You probably do have asthma. I'm a lifelong asthmatic and what you're describing is me on a rare bad day (it didn't used to be as rare as a kid, but is more rare for me in adulthood). You should probably get a second opinion, and an inhaler, peak flow meter, and a nebulizer as soon as you can. I got worried about life expectancy for asthmatics recently, and it seems like, generally speaking, as long as it's well treated, the life expectancy is about the same as a non-asthmatic on average. You have to be careful when you have a severe asthma attack though, those can potentially kill you if you don't go to ER. Here's an article from the CDC that includes a page that gives the breakdown of deaths and demographic breakdowns of it: https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/pdfs/asthma_facts_program_grantees.pdf https://www.cdc.gov/asthma/pdfs/asthma_facts_program_grantee... If you're actively wheezing at night, something is wrong and you need to get treated for it. I only have that happen to me once or twice a year, usually, and whenever that happens I'm taking medication to help combat it.

Pxtl 8y ago
My attacks are very rare - basically only brought on by extreme spring cleaning without a dust mask (dust allergies), and I have a corticosteroid inhaler that I take through allergy season. Either way, I'll have another conversation with my doctor. My understanding was that asthma was generally a lifelong thing - my breathing was fine until I was around 30.
- pygy_ 8y ago
  There are two components to asthma: bronchial hyper-reactivity, and trigger factors. Trigger factors comprise allergies, physical effort, cold air, depending on the person. Allergies often get better with age, but their exact pathophysiology is not well understood.