Could This Be Asthma Related Or Something Else?

Question

for the past 4 days ive been having some difficulty breathing i feel like i cant catch my breath at times or i take shallow breaths or very deep breaths very little tightness more of the feeling that i just cant catch my breath..no wheezing involved..ive been checking my peak flow and its between 450-500 which when i was in the er and got 450 dr said it was normal thats hasnt changed its been consitantly 450-500 before this started i had either a severe allergy attack or a cold i had stuffy nose runny nose sneezing headache ear pressure then after all that stoped thats when this started now i have the breathing problems headache with a lightheadness and ear pressure at times for 2 nights i tried my rescue inhaler and that didnt seem to make a difference and i just tried it again when i got woke up and didnt make a huge difference i dont feel it all the time but its here a good majority of the day after i took the inhaler i checked my peak flow it was still the same value.

i dunno if this could be asthma related considering its been 4 days no wheezing and my peak flow is normal and consisitant or if it has to do with the allergy attack or cold i had or if its constant anxiety..i cant go to the dr cause im under no insurance yet and ive been to the er twice in the past 2 months for a similar feeling and they found nothing wrong so what do you guys think it can be and what do reccomend i can do

i was not cleaning but there is alot of dust buidlup in my room we got an air purifier but it doesnt seem to make a difference..i was on xanax this past month and had a bad reaction to it i was on .5 mg once a night and it caused even more anxiety after 4 days

Answer 1

You could actually be having the beginnings of a pneumonia. The symptoms you describe can be either an acute asthma attack or bronchitis.

Since the age of 6 I have suffered with undiagnosed asthma. The reason is that asthma can present itself differently in different people. It wasn't until I was pregnant with my second child and suffered 2 - count them 2 - bouts of pneumonia that they finally diagnosed me with asthma. Both times my peak flow was between 400-450. They actually wanted to admit me to the hospital, but that was probably because I was pregnant as well.

I am now on daily asthma medicine and it has helped a lot, but still need a fast acting inhaler.

You may need to take a steroid like prednisone to help open up the bronchial airways. The only way to really know is with a chest x-ray.

Answer 2

2

Answer 3

the symptoms you describe could very well be anxiety. My bro has been rushed to the ER more than once thinking he was having an asthma attack (he had bad childhood asthma) and it was anxiety.

The pressure in your ears could also be anxiety related. My aunt said the first sign of her anxiety attacks was severe ringing in her ears.

When you go to the dr. ask for a second opinion. Also, mention the possibility of anxiety. He may prescribe a low dose xanex for you to take until your anxiety clears up. I have suffered from anxiety. I do not take xanex now, but I did for a few months. Then I found some of the sources of my anxiety, eliminated them and got rid of my anxiety. Believe it or not, one of my biggest factors was my messy, unorganized house! Also, people say to try to relax when having an attack, but for me, getting up and being active helped more. Get up, do some jumping jacks, go for a walk. Burning off excess energy will also help you sleep at night-when anxiety seems to strike the most.
Most important, have someone you can call or awaken 24/7 because anxiety can strike in the middle of the night and having someone to talk to you can help tremendously. Even having someone read to you (anything at all) can help.

Good luck and I hope you can find the source of whatever it is that is causing your discomfort.

Answer 4

Even with a peak flow of 450, you can have a respiratory inflection. This infection could have been caused by a cold or even the after effects of an allergy that was not properly attended to. I doubt that it is asthma related since you have a good air flow in your bronchial area.

One with COPD

Answer 5

So that answer with a question but were you perhaps cleaning shortly before the attacks or doing laundry?

Chemical exposure can have a big impact on respiratory systems.

Answer 6

Sounds like anxiety reaction.

Answer 7

my thought is that maybe it is more of congestion in your chest. I would try some musenex to help clear it out so that you dont end up haveing an asthma attach and gettinng bronchitis.