Does anyone have Asthma?

Question

I was just diagnosed with Reactive Airway Disease, is that the same thing as Asthma? I was in the hospital a month ago with Pneumonia and Asthma. Since then have not really recooperated, I have a horrible cough, rattling or gurling in my chest, shortness of breathe, and though I do cough up some phlegm most of the times, i feel like I have to cough it up and nothing comes out. Is this all part of asthma. I am on Advair, Albuterol, cingular. Nothing seems to work, I was on steroid therapy, it got better, but I hate being on steroids, I get roid rage!, Does anybody have any suggestions? Anybody that has had asthma for a while, are these the symptoms? This is horrible, I cant even go a flight of stairs without losing breath. I have quit smoking, its been 2 months since Ih ave had a cigarette. Please help!

Answer 1

I think the majority of your symptoms are due to the pneumonia. It takes quite a while to clear from your lungs. Asthma causes me a cough and when it's bad I get wheezing. Having asthma though makes you more vulnerable to respiratory infections. That is why a flu shot is recommended for anyone with a respiratory ailment. Most people think of the flu as stomach and intestinal disease (usually that's gastroenteritis). Flu is a respiratory illness. Get your flu shot.

Asthma sounds more like crackling sounds in the lungs. What you describe sounds like pneumonia. Steroids are used to reduce inflammation quickly, but as you noted, it has nasty side-effects. It is only used short-term. Using your inhalers religiously and avoiding allergens is the most important thing you can do for your asthma. A cool mist humidifier at bedtime can help make the air easier to breath. Pneumonia is frightening as I'm sure you know. I was afraid to sleep when I had it because breathing was so hard that I was afraid I might stop breathing during the night when I wasn't concentrating on inhaling. I survived, but I never want to have it again. And please don't pay attention to idiots who suggest you may have emphysema. It's nonsense.

Answer 2

Hi,
The treatment for your asthma is as under.

Two types of medicines are used for treatment of asthma:
those that relieve symptoms

those that prevent subsequent attacks.
Relievers reverse the symptoms of cough, breathing difficulty and wheeze quickly. Such medicines include: salbutamol, terbutaline, fometerol, theophyllines and ipratropium. Some of these medicines can be given by inhalation only (as inhalers or by nebulizers), while others are given by mouth (as tablets or syrups) or as injections. Preventive medicines are those that reduce the chances of recurrent episodes, thereby improving the quality of life of the child. Steroids, cromolyn, salmeterol, leucotriene inhibitors and long-acting theophyllines belong to this group. The best way to administer these medicines is by the inhalation route.

Inhalers are devices by which a medicine is converted into an aerosol or mist. The patient inhales this aerosol. There are two types of inhalers – metered dose inhalers (MDIs) and dry powder inhalers (DPIs). When the MDI is pressed or actuated, a measured or metered dose of the medicine comes out as a mist. With DPIs, the patient inhales a powder contained in a capsule. The DPI (e.g., Rotahaler, Accuhaler) is particularly useful for small children.

Inhalers deposit the medicine directly into the air passages and only very small (micro) quantities of the medicine actually go into the body. This way the side effects are minimised and the effect is almost instantaneous as the medicine goes to the site of the disease directly. Owing to minimal side effects, preventive medicines (even steroids) can be safely given for prolonged periods of time.

To further minimize the side–effects of the MDIs and to enhance the effect of each dose ‘spacers’ are recommended. The nebulizer is another device to generate an aerosol. It is especially useful for small children and infants. Since aerosols are the better methods of delivery of medicine, inhalers and nebulizers have become more popular than tablets and syrups in the developed countries. In our country also, people are overcoming their inhibitions and beliefs and are using inhalers as the first line of treatment. No more does an educated Indian parent consider the inhaler as a ‘last resort’.

Inhalers are not addicting. However, asthma is a chronic disease and requires prolonged treatment.

Most children improve when they are put on inhalers. Although the paediatricians and paediatric lung specialists prescribe prolonged treatment, parents have a tendency to stop the medicines within days of improvement. Since, asthma is a chronic disease symptoms can come back, this explains the so – called ‘failures’ of inhalation therapy.

There is a 50% chance that an asthmatic child will be free from asthma in later childhood. However, those who have severe disease, have other allergies or have other members of the family (or extended family) suffering from asthma are likely to require therapy for very long periods. There is proof in medical science that all such patients improve on prolonged treatment and their disease remains under control.
The commonest cause of persistent cough in an otherwise healthy child is bronchial asthma. It is estimated that, in Delhi, one out of every five children has at least one episode of wheezing.
Feel Free to Contact

Dr.Mojo

Answer 3

I had asthma very bad when i was a kid. I was hospitalized many times. When i got older i grew out of it. Sadly i am a smoker and rarely have those problems anymore. But when things got to the point where i could hardly breath and the medication i had did not help either. I would turn on the shower to extremely hot water. And i would sit next to the shower and breath in the steam from the it. It seemed to be the one thing that helped above all.

Answer 4

My brother is an asthmatic and after ten years his bronchial asthma has proven no signal of making improvements to. He has been to a number of medical professionals however they did not aid so much. If you desire a confirmed, all-common method to healing your bronchial asthma, with no need to pay for vain drugs with unsafe part-results, then that is the fundamental web page you can ever learn.

Answer 5

Both of my children had asthma, and I did some research and found out that using cleaning products with harmful chemicals can trigger asthma. I switched to chemical free products, and now my kids do not have any respiratory problems at all. Check out the website below for info on chemicals in your home.

Answer 6

The medications you are taking should help with the asthma. I wonder if you have something else going on. You need to go back to the doctor and if necessary see a specialist
I know what you mean about "roid rage" been there done that

Answer 7

cigarettes are what saved my life before that i could not do anything my lungs were alergic to everything i breathed in . sounds stupid but im a pro at asthma i almost died many times from it. that said smokin sucks but i am asthma attack free. sounds like smokin didnt help you.

Answer 8

I used to have bad asthma but it cleared up.

Answer 9

how long have you been smoking cigarettes. I'm pretty sure this is emphasema. Get it double checked right away ok.

Answer 10

is your doctor sure it isn't emphysema,this is where the lungs loose their elasticity,and a diuretic tablet is required in stabilizing this condition