In addition to the allergens, the sinus infections themselves can be a trigger for your asthma.
I've frequently had asthma flare-ups when I'm dealing with sinus infections. In fact, I'm currently dealing with both. For me, the asthma flare-up usually happens about a week into the sinus infections. I have no idea if that is "typical" or not.
I've also had my asthma and allergies gradually get worse over the years. My asthma treatment and action plans have had to be adjusted as that has occurred. I have regular specialist visits to try to keep my allergies under control. I review my medication regimine and am receiving immunotherapy.
There is some information that you didn't share:
Have you been to an asthma or allergy specialist or ENT yet?
Have you been formally tested for allergies?
What are you doing as preventative measures when it comes to your allergies, asthma and sinuses?
Do you use a rescue inhaler?
Do you ever experience any acid reflux?
There are a lot of different things you have aluded to. You are dealing with your current problems, but you are also dealing with long-term chronic problems.
Here are some of my thoughts:
-You have not been on on antibiotics for very long. As you know from experience, it may take a while before things get better. Especially since you indicate you have chronic sinusitis.
-Prednisone is a standard treatment for asthma when it flares. You should have had some asthma improvement fairly soon after beginning it.
-If you have not been to an asthma and/or allergy specialist, I would recommend that you seek an appointment with one or both. (Last year it took me four months to get in to see a well respected Pulmonologist. He has really helped me be proactive in my asthma plan and treatment though.)
-If you don't already have one, ask your doctor about a rescue inhaler, such as Albuterol. If you are having regular asthma problems, you should really be able to have some sort of treatment before it becomes an emergency.
-Singulair is used to treat asthma for some people. Personally, I wouldn't take it as my primary asthma treatment. I use it to supplement a different daily asthma medication. If you find that you don't notice any significant improvement while you are on it, you should talk to your doctor. You may find that a different approach may be needed. If your asthma has gotten bad enough that you are regularly having problems, you and your doctor may decide that a regular daily medication is called for.
-Talk to your doctor about daily allergy treatments if you are really experiencing bad year-round allergies. Daily medications may help reduce your nuraber of sinus problems and help with your quality of life. Constant allergies can really wear on a person.
-If you haven't had allergy testing, I'd recommend having it done so that you know all of your specific triggers. It helps to know what exactly they are so that you can try to avoid triggers as you face them. If you find that you have severe allergies after testing, you might want to consider immunotherapy. It helps with the severity of allergies in the long-term.
-Research and try some homeopathic type things to keep address your allergy/sinus/asthma issues. For example, an air purifier may help, doing nasal rinses may help, using nasal saline sprays and keeping your nasal passages moist may help.
Feel better soon,
Mountain Reader
