r/Asthma

I have a turbohaler and I think that some people may think its a vape

I have this worry that if I take my inhaler in a public place like on a bus or in the toilet that some karen is going to have a go at me for vaping.

Ive been on the bus before and taken it because I could tell that the other person that would have seen it wouldn't care even if he thought it was a vape.

Today I just struggled to breathe for half an hour because I was sat next to a man and his kid and was both embarrassed to take it in a close enough space that someone would see me and worried he might think its a vape.

I feel like this worry may go away if I had a normal looking inhaler and id be less embarrassed because well... its just an inhaler instead of people probably thinking "what is that?".

I dont know if i can get a normal looking L shape symbicort in the UK.

Hi guys,
I have a steroid rescue inhaler (SMART therapy) and as you know, you need to rinse your mouth after you use it. What do you do when you’re in public and need to use it but also rinse your mouth to after? I usually find a bathroom, but sometimes that’s not always possible or convenient and also public bathrooms often have air fresheners which also flare me. ):

I cant keep up with my kids pump or daiky meds. Ive tried to put it on them but pur house is so disorganized unregulated it cant be their responsibility.

Ive had to get a refill so many times bc ive lost it. And achool has one and afterschool and camp etc....

I’ve had a history of needing a nebulizer or albuterol for much of my life. I also frequently get bronchitis and any illness turns into months of coughing. About 5 years ago I also started to be triggered by things like stress, scents like perfume or cleaning products, and even things like laughing too hard. I wheeze when exhaling and have a tight, squeaky sounding cough that is not productive. I don’t find that I have clear seasonal allergies (e.g., no runny nose or itching). I’ll go a few weeks where I’m just constantly coughing and short of breathe without a known illness and then might be fine for a bit.

I an a young adult and grew up without much access to medical care. I would be prescribed an inhaler or nebulizer solution for illness and then will basically use that daily to manage. Inevitably, I get sick again and get a refill. This repeats. I’ve never had to go the emergency room but have so many episodes where I was extremely short of breath and almost passed out and taking large doses of a standard albuterol inhaler.

I recently finally got health insurance and saw a PCP. I know doctors are busy so I didn’t really get to explain my history but she asked if I have ever had to go to the ER and I said no and she said my lungs were clear so she wasn’t concerned.

Recently I had an asthma attack and had to go to the emergency room as my inhaler was not working. When I followed up with my PCP, I was referred to an allergy/asthma place. I was seen by an immunologist there. The doctor said my spirometer test was in the lower normal range but not significant and that she did not hear a wheeze. Her conclusion was that since I’ve never had to go to the ER before and have never “had to” seek care before that I don’t need anything additional aside from albuterol as needed. In the ER, my EKG was abnormal for SOB and my HR was tachycardic in the ER. What’s so frustrating is that the asthma attack I went to the ER for was really nearly the most severe episode I’ve had. I just had surgery so I was concerned about PE.

I’m so frustrated because I don’t know why it’s assumed that because I’ve never had asthma related medical care that I don’t have enough of a problem. I don’t know if I’m just being dramatic or if it’s worth taking seriously. I’m miserable and tired of constantly coughing. I don’t know what to do at this point

Hi yall hopefully i dont offend anyone here, look im not financially able to have asthma

I had chronic phlegm for a while nowadays and had it checked up by our family doctor(a pulmonologist) now he had assumed that i may have asthma due to his own diagnosis, no spirometry no pft's just his trusty stethoscope

After his bombarded query he had medicated me with a lot, inhalers, medications etc. At first i was not skeptical but thenn.

A day later i palpitated like crazy, my chest tightened, and my mind easily get whoozy. Like i just squated over to reach something and i felt it, i cant contact my dr. That day

Now a week later i feel a bit fine, still continuing the medications prescribed. But still skeptical with his skills, like WHY DID HE MADE MY CONDITION WORSE

Now im scared that he might actually diagnose me with asthma due to my chest tightening(THAT WAS DUE TO HIS PRESCRIBED MEDICATIONS)

The asthma inhalers takes out huge chunk of my saving every 15 days, without it i cant work nor walk nor study nor sleep. Its so frustrating to hear my own wheezing while sleeping.

Also i cant laugh, i don't know if its relatable to you all but yes laughing hysterically makes me go blurr and hard to breathe. Asthma sucks.

Has anyone ever had their pulm write a letter to help expedite mold remediation in the workplace or any other reasonable accommodation? if so, how did you go about requesting it? My pulm is older and doesn’t do online messaging, but I’d like to avoid having to take off to make an appointment as I was just there a few weeks ago.

Up shit creek right now, I called my doctor yesterday and they said they would get it filled by the end of the day. They didn’t. I called back this morning and they said they’d write the prescription for me by lunch. They didn’t. Now it’s supposed to be by 6:30 but my pharmacy closes before then. Plus then tomorrow I wouldn’t be able to get it till 2:30pm 😭 so frustrated with them right now, like if I could have I would have gone to the hospital for treatment. I told them that but it still doesn’t seam to be a priority. It’s not like it’s an opioid 😭

My Mom has an old one I can use but I’m a little nervous it’ll mess me up if it’s expired. Or will it even work?

Edit: it worked, thank you guys. I was really close to going to the hospital

So a few months ago i was doing really well, walking 5km barely needing breaks. Then suddenly i could barely walk one, then barely do anything without a crushing pressure on my chest.

I ended up going to the er after the pressure wouldn't let up for hours. I got two new inhaler perscriptions.

It's been a while now and I'm not really getting much better? I walk relying on support at times because it feels like I'm being crushed if I don't.

I always feel weird about asking for help and going to a doctor, but I'm getting really worried. My asthma is atypical and developed suddenly a few years ago.

Sorry for the ramble, I'm just stressed and don't know how urgently i should be treating this. :/

My 6-year-old son has asthma, but I’m trying to understand a pattern I’ve noticed.
His asthma symptoms seem to start after a sudden coughing fit. There doesn’t always seem to be an obvious trigger beforehand. For example, he can be sitting calmly eating, watching TV, or just doing something normal, and suddenly he starts coughing. After he has been coughing for a while, he develops his asthma symptoms and seems to have more difficulty breathing.
It’s confusing because the cough seems to come first, rather than the typical situation where we notice a trigger and then the asthma symptoms start.
Has anyone’s child experienced something similar? If your child has asthma that seems to be triggered by sudden coughing, what did you eventually find was causing it? Did you discover a specific trigger, such as allergies, post-nasal drip, reflux, viruses, or something else?
I’d really appreciate hearing from parents who have experienced a similar pattern and what helped them figure it out. I’m not looking for a diagnosis, just trying to understand whether this is something other parents have seen with asthma..

Hey, everyone

So here’s the thing, I got my diagnosis around 4 years ago and I’ve changed treatment a couple of times, currently I’m trying to use the advair and at first, it was like magic, I would breathe normally, then it stopped working and now I’m also taking montelukast and fexofenadine. I’m already doing everything and following the treatment, but from time to time, I feel like I can’t breathe again and then I get dizzy and I think it’s because I get anxious and try to calm myself. I have never been to the ER because I feel like those signs are not enough to go to the ER, even though I feel awful. It always end up getting better after doing other things (rubbing Vic vaporub on my chest, staying close to my air purifier, etc) but I wonder for the people that had gone to the ER, what’s your sign of “I have to go right now”?

Btw, English is not my first language so I’m sorry if there’s anything confusing about my question.

I’ve been using steroid inhalers regularly since September last year because of heavy cigarette-smoke exposure. I didn’t rinse/gargle after using them because I thought swallowing the small amount of residue wouldn’t matter.

Over time, I noticed significantly weaker erections and complete loss of morning erections. About 7–10 days ago, I started rinsing/gargling properly after every dose, and I’ve noticed morning erections returning.

I’m not claiming this proves the inhaler caused it, but it made me wonder whether swallowing residual inhaled corticosteroid could have systemic effects. Has anyone experienced something similar?

I have asthma (I have the blue salbutamol inhaler)

Hi peeps.

It is 11:38pm here. Got admitted today.
On 1 hourly nebs.
Who wants to keep me company through the night 😬😀

hello all,

I need help figuring out what is triggering my boyfriend's asthma when he comes over. He sleeps at my house almost every night and recently has a small fit very soon after he comes into my room.

I don't have any carpet or heavy curtains (although they are fabric, they are thin and sized to half length windows). I have drop ceiling in my room and my room is in the basement. I have had some mould spots in my bedroom but they are minimal and I don't think it would be enough to have an impact on health. I wash my bedding regularly (weekly) and my mattress isn't very old and is double sealed in mattress covers. I'm not sure what could be causing it and would appreciate any suggestions or directions on what to do to help.

It hasn't been constant and has only increased in the past month or so. Please help

Hi guys just looking for tips and tricks off people with asthma can we all put in what helped up and improved our symptoms exercise, medication, breathing technique etc…

I'm having another flare-up right now. My main problem is the thick mucus. I'm currently taking oral steroids, and I feel like the mucus is loosening up a bit. Is that possible? I always thought they just reduced the inflammation. And how quickly do you start feeling better when being on steroids?

Hi everyone,

I (F24) have had asthma for about 5 years. It has always been very well controlled. I completed 3 years of allergen immunotherapy (hyposensitization), but this April—about 2 years after finishing treatment—I started experiencing allergy symptoms again. I managed them with a Relvar Ellipta inhaler and allergy tablets (I’m based in Europe in case some of you aren’t familiar with these medications).

For exactly one week now, I’ve been experiencing a strange pressure/tightness just below my chest. It starts right under my breastbone and radiates into my back. The best way I can describe it is that it feels like someone is squeezing me tightly.
The day it started, I was eating flavored chips and accidentally inhaled/choked on some of the seasoning powder. I think it irritated my airways because everything felt a bit swollen afterward, and that’s when this pressure sensation began. I immediately went to the ER, where they performed an ECG, blood tests, and listened to my lungs and heart, but they said everything looked normal and sent me home.

Other than that, I have no cold- or flu-like symptoms and generally feel fine.

My pulmonologist performed lung function tests and blood work, and everything came back normal. She advised me to stop Relvar and switch to Symbicort twice daily (morning and evening). So far, I haven’t noticed any significant improvement—the discomfort hasn’t gotten better or worse.

Yes, I’ve already seen my GP. Next Tuesday I have an exercise stress test (ergometry) to rule out a cardiac cause, and I’ve also been prescribed medication for reflux. I do experience mild acid reflux occasionally, but I don’t have classic heartburn symptoms. In addition, I’ve scheduled an appointment with another pulmonologist for a second opinion.

Has anyone gone through something similar? Any insights would be greatly appreciated because I’m feeling very stressed and anxious about it.
Thank you.