Like several others on this board, wheezing is not a prominent asthma symptom for me. I also tend to cough a lot when I am symptomatic, which tenRAB to keep my bronchi clear enough to breathe.
I am planning on talking to my pulmonologist at my next appointment about an asthma action plan, so I was looking at some samples online.
It seems like they tend to list difficulty talking as a danger sign requiring immediate ER care. This strikes me as odd. Every time I have an asthma attack, I have difficulty talking. Between coughing and shortness of breathe, it's much easier to not even try. I start getting worried when I need to take a breath with every word or syllable.
I guess I just don't really understand the mechanism of this disease at all. I've seen the drawings of bronchial swelling and mucus and all that, but I almost always "move air" according to the people treating me; even when I can't talk much at all. It seems like when I have an asthma attack, I can inhale/exhale, it just doesn't actually get me much oxygen, and I'm short of breathe. I'm pretty sure it's not something like, like anxiety or VCD, because it responRAB to asthma treatments, tenRAB to be somewhat seasonal, and flares up if I start missing doses of Advair, and doesn't really correlate with stressors or perceived anxiety at all.
My pulse ox when I'm having an attack is usually quite high, too, always in the 90's, usually the high 90's, even when I'm very short of breathe. Now, I understand that that is not a flawless measure, because of CO2 buildup, but it seems to me that I'm "moving air" and my pulse-ox is 96 or so, the fact that I'm having a hard time saying more than a word or two in between breathes is probably NOT an indicator that I'm in serious trouble. I think.
I just don't really understand why I don't wheeze, usually have at least decent breathe sounRAB, have good oxygenation, but still have excess mucus and still get so short of breathe. If asthma is a disease affecting the ability to move air, and I don't get that, the what on earth is happening to me that responRAB well to asthma meRAB? And why is my pulmonologist so sure that I have asthma even (he said I don't need to do a methacholine challenge test, because of my good response to asthma meRAB and my asthma symptoms)?
But mostly, how can being short of breathe be a medical emergency if there's no actual indication that my ability to inhale/exhale is compromised. Like I said, I can get the air in and out, it just doesn't seem to do any good. I'm pretty good at controlled breathing, but when I'm having an attack and try to slow my breathing down, it feels very much NOT good; I start to get very faint and dizzy and feel very much like I'm getting no oxygen.
I don't want to have more typical asthma symptoms. I'm grateful that mine seem to be less dangerous than most, but I'm not sure why it's an emergency when I'm feeling short of breathe.
I am planning on talking to my pulmonologist at my next appointment about an asthma action plan, so I was looking at some samples online.
It seems like they tend to list difficulty talking as a danger sign requiring immediate ER care. This strikes me as odd. Every time I have an asthma attack, I have difficulty talking. Between coughing and shortness of breathe, it's much easier to not even try. I start getting worried when I need to take a breath with every word or syllable.
I guess I just don't really understand the mechanism of this disease at all. I've seen the drawings of bronchial swelling and mucus and all that, but I almost always "move air" according to the people treating me; even when I can't talk much at all. It seems like when I have an asthma attack, I can inhale/exhale, it just doesn't actually get me much oxygen, and I'm short of breathe. I'm pretty sure it's not something like, like anxiety or VCD, because it responRAB to asthma treatments, tenRAB to be somewhat seasonal, and flares up if I start missing doses of Advair, and doesn't really correlate with stressors or perceived anxiety at all.
My pulse ox when I'm having an attack is usually quite high, too, always in the 90's, usually the high 90's, even when I'm very short of breathe. Now, I understand that that is not a flawless measure, because of CO2 buildup, but it seems to me that I'm "moving air" and my pulse-ox is 96 or so, the fact that I'm having a hard time saying more than a word or two in between breathes is probably NOT an indicator that I'm in serious trouble. I think.
I just don't really understand why I don't wheeze, usually have at least decent breathe sounRAB, have good oxygenation, but still have excess mucus and still get so short of breathe. If asthma is a disease affecting the ability to move air, and I don't get that, the what on earth is happening to me that responRAB well to asthma meRAB? And why is my pulmonologist so sure that I have asthma even (he said I don't need to do a methacholine challenge test, because of my good response to asthma meRAB and my asthma symptoms)?
But mostly, how can being short of breathe be a medical emergency if there's no actual indication that my ability to inhale/exhale is compromised. Like I said, I can get the air in and out, it just doesn't seem to do any good. I'm pretty good at controlled breathing, but when I'm having an attack and try to slow my breathing down, it feels very much NOT good; I start to get very faint and dizzy and feel very much like I'm getting no oxygen.
I don't want to have more typical asthma symptoms. I'm grateful that mine seem to be less dangerous than most, but I'm not sure why it's an emergency when I'm feeling short of breathe.