Recent content by snowdrift

I'm not sure it's all that clear-cut. I did get basic pulmonary function testing at my GP's office, and those results corabined with my symptoms led my doctor to prescribe a trial of asthma medications. Those were moderately effective, which is sometimes considered diagnostic in and of itself...

I've had to get out my nebulizer after it had been packed away for quite some time. I'm rediscovering what I learned a couple years ago: I cannot comfortably use a nebulizer mouthpiece. That is all that came with me nebulizer. I still have the mask that I brought home from a hospital stay...

I'm still sick. It's just not getting better this time. It wasn't low potassium the other night after all, btw, my electrolytes were fine. It was plain old dehydration and exhaustion. Some IV fluiRAB and I was back to only feeling moderately terrible. Sinced Sunday though, my PEF is still...

If the nebulizer helps so much more than the inhaler, and they have the same medication in them, then perhaps it is the additional hydration from the neb solution that is helping. Perhaps work on staying really well hydrated. Lungs work better when they aren't dried out.

I wonder if I'm seeing asthma in my daughter just because I have it, or if I need to somehow get better care for her. About a year ago, my daughter started coughing at night. Most nights she has a couple of coughing fits. They wake her up frequently. It is worse when she goes to bed...

Hm, I'm not sure. Sorry I can't help you there. It seems like it's not a super-common side effect though.

Try weights rather than any kind of cardio. Easier on the breathing and can focus in on the muscles and areas that are stressed by the coughing. I figured you'd probably been round and round on meRAB, I just had a hard time getting my dr to take coughing really seriously as an asthma symptom.

It could be asthma without wheezing, but it could be other things, like vocal cord dysfunction or anxiety. I very rarely wheeze, but I do cough and get short of breathe with my asthma. When I'm having asthma problems, I also tend to get very easily tired and generally feel ill. Sometimes...

Yeah, it takes some time to recover. I'm on a prednisone taper right now too, and I was pretty much wiped out by mid-afternoon. After my worst attack, I just stayed home and rested for a couple days, and did some work from home when I felt up to it.

Have you tried a nebulizer? My GP had me get one when I was not recovering well from a flare up, and it did help. SHe said that it helps the medicine get deeper into the lungs than an inhaler can. It worked pretty well for me. Nebulizers can be pretty inexpensive, and the ampoules of...

I love my nebulizer! Although recent research shows that in most situations, an inhaler is as effective as a nebulizer, when I am having an exacerbation, I really like using the nebulizer. A nebulizer vaporizes the medication, which is premixed with a saline solution. You can inhale it...

On the issue of technique: I've been instructed to close lips tightly around the mouthpiece. My searches on the web have indicated that both techniques may be ok, but to follow manufacturers or care providers instructions. Proventil's online literature states that one should close lips...

I agree with MountainReader. I also think that sometimes worsening allergies can lead to worsening asthma. Worsening allergies can lead to more health problems in general. I have certainly experienced many more health problems in recent years, and I was diagnosed with asthma in 2008. It is a...

Yep, my daughter is not officially diagnosed with asthma (yet...) but she takes it night to prevent her tendency to cough at night. Might be allergies, likely asthma, more likely both.

Twenty four US dollars for mine. I went to a medical supply company, not a regular pharmacy.