Intro and request for advice and encouragement.

[leucotheasveil]

Hi all. I caught a virus 4 months ago and was diagnosed with reactive airway/bronchial spasms. (I have been under treatment for seasonal allergies for a number of years. I get allergy shots, I take mucinex, and either allegra D or clarinex on a daily basis. )I was given pro air and advair inhalers. I got better, then caught a cold a month later

Comments

[dontcryforme]

You really should at least have a peak flow, which is a device that gives a good snapshot of how your lungs are doing. Using it twice a day should tell you where you typically are number-wise and from there you and your doctors should be able to fashion a plan where if you go below a certain number you should do X, and if you keep falling below and drop below a lower number you should do Y, etc, etc. It's called an asthma action plan.

Also, you might want to start noticing when your symtpoms flare and either avoid the trigger if possible or try to treat accordingly. (IE it seems as though you're triggered by infection, so maybe talk to your doctor about doubling the dose of inhaled steroid at signs of infection.)

Simple things like that go a long way.

Above all, though, don't hesitate to take your rescue inhaler if you really do feel like it will help. That's what it's there for.

[wrin]

This. Plus, taking cough suppressants is not generally a good idea for asthmatics unless you are not sleeping due to the cough -- and then it should be taken only at bedtime. A productive cough should never be given cough suppressants like dextromerthorphan, and dry coughs in people with reactive airways are often an indication of bronchospasm that should be treated with bronchodilators rather than cough suppressants.

Your physician can advise you further about the cough suppressant thing. Do you haver chronic post nasal drip? Nasal steroids are helpful at drying up the nasal congestion, which can precipitate chest problems.

[leucotheasveil]

Thanks, both of you. :)
I only take the DMx at night if it's waking me up coughing. The cough isn't really very productive today. I tend to leave a cough unsupressed if it seems to be accomplishing something. Same thing with the fever, if it's low grade (around 100.3 F last check) I leave it alone as well, and just keep an eye on the temp.

I took the previously recc'd doses of the advair (2 puffs 2 times daily, ) and pro-air (2 puffs every 4-6 hours) and I've still been coughing. I don't want to increase doses of anything without talking to a dr. :O Is it safe to increase doses on the regular stuff in times of crisis, if your dr says you can?

[wrin]

I would not increase the dose of anything without your doctors say so; however, if you have his okay then that's a different story.

Are you using a spacer with your puffers?

[cluelessinchi]

I ditto everything else that I have read.
Especially about the peak flow meters, the asthma action plan, staying clear of cough suppressants.. The rescue inhaler should work. If it is not helping you should go to the ER or urgent care center.
Lots of asthmatics do not take their asthma seriously enough.

With my action plan I am to increase the flovent if my peak flows go below ? . I am supposed to increase the dosage to 4 puffs 2 times a day.. and if it goes below that I am supposed to take prednisone. I was actually looking for my action plan today. But I can not find it.

[nscangal]

It does get easier after you get used to it. My recommendations

[leucotheasveil]

Thank you for all of your suggestions and empathy. That goes down as one of the lamest holiday weeks ever. I just had a well-visit with my dr this week and explained all of my concerns, etc and my fervent desire for a better just-in-case plan. He said I could not double up on the advair, but gave me a scrip for prednisone to fill and keep in the house. He told me they actually have a dr on call 24/7 (I did not know this- in 10 years of being his patient, I've never needed anything bad enough to try to call after hours), so I can call and the dr on call will tell me if they think I should take the pills, and I'd have them immediately and not have to look for an all-night pharmacy, or wait until morning

[nscangal]

That sounds good. ^^ Good spirometry is always a relief