When to go into the hospital when you have asthma...? Also, could you die in your sleep from it? Please help!

Question

Hi, I have pretty severe asthma, and right now it's worse than ever because I have a sinus infection too. UGH! Anyway, I'm doing 330 mcg of Flovent twice daily, plus a Xopenex nebulizer treatment every 4 hours (like clockwork). I'm also on Allegra-D and Biaxin (plus Tylenol for fever as needed, and Benadryl because I'm sneezing like crazy and the Allegra-D isn't cutting it). The problem is that even with the asthma medication, I have a terrible asthma cough, I constantly feel short of breath, and I'm wheezing (even immediately after doing a neb treatment). It gets much worse at night when I lay down, so I've slept sitting straight up for 4 days. Regardless, the asthma is getting worse and my doctor's office isn't open on the weekends. I hate going into the hospital a lot, and in the last month alone I've been in there 3 times (twice for asthma, which they gave me steroids for, and once I was admitted for a food poisoning/viral thing)... (continued below)

Sometimes struggling to breathe gets so intense that my neck gets like sucked in to that little divot where your collar bone is. Is this reason enough to go into the hospital or should I wait it out? I'm very reluctant to go in too because I know they'll give me steroids, and I'm still having problems from other steroids I was on 2 months ago (and I went through severe withdrawals). I also want to know, where I'm taking the Benadryl (under my doctor's recommendation) for the sneezing, and it makes me drowsy, would it ever make it so that I would just die in my sleep and not wake up from an asthma attack? When I've taken it over the past few days, I make myself stay away... which is nearly impossible. I'm afraid I'll fall asleep and won't wake up! Is that even possible? Thank you very much for taking the time to read this and hopefully offer some advice!

Answer 1

Your skin getting sucked in by that "divot" is called "respiratory distress" and is reason to go to the ED immediately! Why suffer? You may need IV steroids and possible neb treatments every 2, or even 1 hour.

Is your hospital a community hospital or a teaching hospital? If your doc isn't helping, ask for a pulmonary consult. If your hospital doesn't help, go to another, larger hospital. Don't slip thru the cracks. Demand help to solve your problems. You are in charge here, so go to the hospital NOW! And yes, you can die in your sleep from asthma. So go...NOW.

Good luck, Sweetie!

Answer 2

Going to the hospital sucks...but so does dying from an asthma attack. I have had severe asthma and allergies for 25 years and have been hospitalized more than 50 times due to the severity of my condition. My asthma is also worse at night and many times I've woken up on the verge of suffucating to death due to having a severe asthma attack in my sleep. If you have been to the hospital that many times for your asthma in the past month and you are still having problems, then you are not receiving the appropriate treatment for your condition. You should see a specialist who can try several combinations of some meds to find out what works best for you, he might could even be able to give you a list of lifestyle changes you can make to improve your asthma symptoms (like using allergy covers on your matress and pillow). For me, I always knew it was time to head to the hospital if I started wheezing within 2 hours of a nebulizer treatment or within an hour of using an inhaler. Be careful not to use your nebulizer or inhaler more often than you are supposed to because too much abuterol can cause heart problems.

Answer 3

I am so so sorry for what you are going through! I feel what is happening to you. I have been there for 4 years! I would have rather just died in my sleep it was so bad and my suffering was never ending. You must pay attention really of controlling it as all would say. Sometimes even that does not work I know! Forgive me for imposing because it is none of my business, but have you considered ever, ever of trying to find a way to heal it forever? I know what everyone else says and what your doctor says and all that. But have you ever thought about it? I was told all the same things. I believed it for awhile. If you are not willing to think about that or make an effort for that, then I apologize. I am one of those people that do not listen to anyone and I am stubborn. The more I was told no no no, It only fired me up more to find find find. I was so bad, I could not even go to work for 6 months. Mine was more adult onset at age 28. They said I would have to live with it. They were wrong. Some things that helped me were Lobelia tincture, would unplug my symptom and breathlessness and cough. Also warm lemon water did so much for me too. These are all only temporary though. Good luck friend, I wish you the best!!!

Answer 4

If you are taking your medication regularly as directed from your doctor and symptoms are not improving going to the doctor or er is your best bet. If you cant breath you cant function so there is no point in puting it off. Has the doctor ever placed you on advair. Its a steroid inhaler but doesnt have the side effects of prednisone. Are you getting any mucus up when you cough? I recently got bronchitis bc my sinus infection drained down the back of my throat and got into my lungs. If i would have waited any longer i could have possibly got pneumonia. Xopenex is recommended by mfg three times a day so needing to take it that often warrents some looking into. We have many people this time of year who come into the hospital with asthma related problems and we end up giving them breathing treatments every two hours to try to get them over this spell. From the sounds of it you need to go in and get checked out bc taking alot of resp. medication to get over severe symptoms needs to be looked after my medical personal in case of severe cardiac or resp side effects. I hope this helps.

Answer 5

My brother is an asthmatic and after ten years his asthma has shown no sign of improving. He has been to several doctors but they didn't help much.

If you want a proven, all-natural way to cure your asthma, without having to pay for useless medications with harmful side-effects, then this is the most important page you'll ever read.

Answer 6

Xopenex was a problem for me I was having overdose symptoms on 1 :6 the recommend dose

Flovent with CFC also gave me a problem


I might question an overdose situ

Answer 7

You have some very valid questions but I'm no doctor, therefore, the only advice I will give you, is that you should go to the ER, when & if you are having such great difficulty breathing. Please don't upset yourself by worrying about death. That will only make matters worse. See your family doctor next week & talk to him about your fears, as well as your asthma getting worse. I wish you well!!!

Answer 8

Go to the ER immediately! You need steroids. After this episode is over, you probably need to take a drug like Singular and Advair on a daily basis. This may prevent these awful episodes.

Answer 9

Yes you can die awake or asleep.In my town we just had a doctor who died from asthma,she was in bed. So I would guess she died in her sleep. Please go to the ER or an open clinic. You need to be checked.If you don't see an asthma specialist I would suggest you do. I have asthma also,not as severe as yours but I know what you are going through. Please go don't wait. Take care of yourself!