signs symptoms of asthma

signs symptoms of asthma questions and answers

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Q: quick question about asthma?
if u have asthma do sometimes you feel like you can't take a full deep breath? almost as if someone is sitting on top of you? is this a sign of asthma? especially if u feel it at least once or twice a week? please let me know some symptoms because im not sure whether i may have asthma

A: I use to have asthma but I have now grown out of it. Symptoms include: Tightness in the chest, Trouble breathing, Shortness of breath, Wheezing in the chest when you breath in deeply, Increased night time cough, Tiredness with activities that you normally could complete easily, Restless sleep or waking up tired Worsening allergy symptoms like persistent runny nose, dark circles under your eyes or itchy, inflamed skin It doesn't sound like you have Asthma from what your experiencing but if you experience any of these symptoms then go get yourself checked by a doctor or maybe just visit your doctor to get that reassurance. :)

Q: Doctor's appt. today for my 17 month old?
My son is 17months and since he was 7 months he has been wheezing a lot. At first it was mainly only in the evening. It would start after dinner when my fiance was finally home from work and got our son all excited and played quite actively with him. Since then it have become more frequent. My doctor didn't seem too concerned and though he just had a lingering cold since it was winter at the time. At my son'sd 15 month check up I mentioned the wheezing was worse and he always seemed to have a cough. Our doctor said that he doesn't want to just straight to asthma because inhalers make kids hyper and my son is already very hyper, so hyper that he has problems gaining weight. So he said just keep an eye on it. Today I am taking my son back to the doctor because his wheezing is so bad. I feel sorry for him! He wheezes to the point where it makes him tired faster and easier. He wheezes so much he wont sleep a lot of the time. It is clearly bothering my son and affecting his life. He wheezes from morning to night now. Especially sicne it is summer and very humid, I also believe he has seasonal allergies and allergies to animals. Ever time he is around animals he sneezes like 500 times and cough and his wheezing is so bad. Being an Asthma sufferer myself, I know all of the symptoms, my son shows many signs of Asthma. I feel terrible because I know first hand how he must feel. My fiance has AD/HD, that is probably why my son is so hyper. All that being said, I want to ask for some help. I want to make sure that my doctor fully understands the extent of his wheezing. How do I makre sure of that if my son doesn't happen to be wheezing much when I take him in? It has been 10 months since I first noticed the wheezing and I think I am starting to feel a little put off by my doctor 'ignoring' it. How can I be firm, but not sound...crazy...?

A: sounds like asthma. also sounds like your just going to have to deal with an even more hyper child. since you have asthma yourself, you know what im talking about. there's a little machine, and you put a mask on and it helps you breathe...maybe they'll give him one of those

Q: Is coughing ( a dry cough ) a sign or symptom of an allergy?
i have allergies.basic stuff like itchy throat,sneezing,watery eyes.but latley ( 3 months ) i ve had this really bad dry cough and it wont go away. it effects my breathing. it sounds like thers fluid in my breathing. if its bad enough it causes me to throw up. i dont know what is causing this reaction. i dont have asthma or any respitory problems. but it sounds like i got one now.

A: It is a symptom, it could mean anything. Have it checked out.

Q: what can cause..................?
what can cause i fever of 103-105 in my 17 month old and have no signs or symptoms of a cold or teething they did blood work to check for infection and they did a cbc and a sed line ( it think that is what it is called) and so far everything looks good she has asthma and reflux thye did do a blood culture and said everything had come back normal so far i have to call later today to find the rest of the results but they said that they think she is fine

A: High fever in kids is not a good thing . If he is still getting high fever I have to say mother to mother that you should get him to a hospital and not get out until you have an answer. Once something like that happened to my boy but the fever was 100 and after a million test they found out that his HB was low and that developed a case called blood fever which means that his body is weak that anything can cause a high fever. Hope he is doing OK .Bless his heart

Q: Re-occuring chest tightness/heaviness...I have asthma / age 24?
I am asthmatic and just moved from Minneapolis to Houston a few months ago. I am originally from Houston and lived in Minneapolis for one year. When I got to Houston I used my albuterol inhaler and it gave me arrhythmias and tachycardia. I had these feelings for a few days and went to my physician. He gave me a holter monitor and said I had signs of tachycardia. I went to the cardiologist and he said there is nothing wrong with my heart (stress echo-sound). I went to gastroenterologist for nausea and faintness. Diagnosed with gastritis given nexium 40mg and sent home. Now the only symptom I have is periodic (every other day or so) chest tightness/heaviness/pressure. My doc says it is my asthma, but I have never had these symptoms. My asthma always consisted of wheezing and that is it, never chest tightness. Also he thinks it may be anxiety and put me on 0.5mg xanax, but I have never had problems with anxiety before. Also I was switched from albuterol to xopenex. Any ideas / suggestions

A: Asthma symptoms can change thru out your life for no understandable reason. I am also a sufferer who use to just have the wheezing. When I started getting the tightness in my chest it worried me too. But that is also part of it. The xopenex inhaler will work as good as the albuterol but without the shakes and other symptoms. Sounds like you would benefit from a breathing machine. Breathing treatments for a couple days would lessen that chest tightness. I moved to Ohio from Colorado & thats when I started getting worse symptoms. I believe the humidity and air quality have alot to do with it. Allergies & asthma are different. If you have an allergy to a tree or animal, you could be experiencing chest tightness from that. I would try some benadryl during those times & see if it works. See an allergist also. Good luck.

Q: Do you think i might have asthma?
i looked it up on the internet there are 8 early symptoms of asthma. i qualify for 5 of them. these are the symptoms * Frequent cough, especially at night * Losing your breath easily or shortness of breath * Feeling very tired or weak when exercising * Wheezing or coughing after exercise * Feeling tired, easily upset, grouchy, or moody * Decreases or changes in a peak expiratory flow * Signs of a cold, upper respiratory infection, or allergies (sneezing, runny nose, cough, congestion, sore throat, and headache) * Trouble sleeping i qualify for 2nd, 3rd 4th, 5th, and the last one.

A: Definitely go see your doctor. Meanwhile, see the following page about asthma symptoms... http://www.building-your-green-home.com/asthma-symptoms.html and become aware of asthma triggers so you can avoid them. http://www.building-your-green-home.com/asthma-triggers.html Keep a journal of your symptoms - what you ate, did, breathed, before you had symptoms....and exactly what those symptoms were - this will help both you and your doctor. Hope this helps.

Q: Is it possible that what I'm experiencing is asthma?
I've had very shallow breathing my whole life except as the years go on (im a freshman in high school now) it just gets worse. I've told my parents about it but they say I just need more exercise. What they don't know is I can't exercise normally because after about five minutes of just plain jogging i'm way out of breath and my chest is on fire. I've looked up the symptoms of asthma and most apply to me such as; anxiety; difficulty concentrating chronic cough without wheezing (cough-variant asthma) Chest tightness, pain, or pressure Losing your breath easily or shortness of breath Feeling very tired or weak when exercising Feeling tired, easily upset, grouchy, or moody Signs of a cold or allergies (sneezing, runny nose, cough, nasal congestion, sore throat, and headache) Trouble sleeping so does anyone have a hunch on whether or not this is asthma and what I should do?

A: you have the same symptoms as me. Maybe explain to your parents that this is bothering you so much you dont feel like carrying on normal activites, and that you are misrable. Try to get an appointment with a doctor. They told me that I had asthma. They tested me with a small tube that you blow into then inhale, it measures your lung capacity and strength. Even if your test results are normal and your oxygen levels are good, you can still have it. I always had perfect oxygen levels and my breathing wasnt under the normal zone, but they still diagnosed me. If you have asthma (it sounds like you do) They may prescribe a bronchodialator (rescue inhaler) for your symptoms.(mine is called ventolin HFA) If you have to use the inhaler more than twice a week, they may perscribe an antiinflammatory ( controller med) in form of inhaler to take evry night, (mine is called Flovent HFA) My gut says you have asthma, but im not a doctor. I would ask a doctor about it. My parents didnt think I had it because I dont wheeze, but it wasnt until I was at an allergy clinic that I found I was suffering from asthma and allergies. You sound exactly like me, so I would say you do have asrthma. But the doctor has to tell you. You never know it could be something else, like chronic bronchitis or other things. But it sounds exactly like my asthma. No matter what dont give up on telling your parents.Tell them everytime you have an attack and they will eventually listen. Good luck! :) feel better soon

Q: if i ride a plane during an asthma attack, what will happen?
I apologize for this being so long...hello i am 19 years old. i attend college in alabama, but i am going home to texas on tuesday for the thanksgiving break. However i have chronic bronchitis, and this is one of the rare times in which i am feeling an asthma attack. im not sure if this is an attack because the last time it happened really quickly and i went straight to the hospital at the first signs. but i have the same symptoms, back ache, chest ache, breathing slowing and heart racing. i have been struggling with this since thursday, no im not crazy. my college is in the middle of nowhere so no hospitals are available where i am. the doctor's we have here aren't really any help and that's why i decided to wait. anyways, i was wondering if anything would happen to me if i board the plane on tuesday with my breathing troubles. i really appreciate you taking the time to read this and all answers are appreciated as well. thanks in advance. also i do not have any meds or my emergency pump because this doesnt happen often. the last time was two years ago. oh yeah and i already have the tickets purchased and everything. i really dont want to change flights or anything because i havent told anyone about my pains, and my mom is the one who takes care of my flight arrangements.

A: Since a commercial airplane is pressurized at high altitudes,I can't see where there would be any problems.I do know it plays hell on your ears if you have a head cold at high altitudes.

Q: Chest Pain on left side, stress activated?
I am 40 year old male and diabetic for past 5 years. I gets chest pain ocassionally for the past 2 years. It is tolerable but it gives a feeling that my chest is blown up. I seen many Dr s and ECG were taken but they couldn't find anything abnormal. Sometimes this feeling comes when I get tensed at work and vanish after few hours. Sometimes it stays for 2 to 3 days. If I rub on chest area this feeling increases. This comes only on my left chest and sometimes at the back of left shoulders. One Dr suggested that this is sign of Asthma. Does anybody have similiar symptoms. Since it is at left side I am afraid this is heart related. If anyone knows please help

A: First have your doctor(s) rule out heart problems. That may lead to a diagnosis of a condition called costochodritis which is something I am now experiencing. It is very uncomfortable. It is mainly on the left side of my chest (that's where it occurs most from what I understand). ECG's will not show anything if this is what you have because it isn't your heart. It is not my heart according to my doctors and it can be brought on by stress. The tenderness in your chest when you rub it may indicate that it is, in fact, the muscles on the rib walls and not your heart. Those muscles have nerves which connect to your back so they can cause pain there or general stress could be causing the back muscles to spasm.

Q: Would you let your baby be held by someone who smokes?
In my local news there was a report about something called 3rd hand smoke. Basically the just of it is: -smoke resedue, and chemicals stick to things that they come in touch with....like furniture, flooring, walls, and the people who smoke. There are new studdies now comming out that state that these things are just as dangerous as second had smoke becasue its in a higher concentration. Now ontop of all of that... I have severe allergies and asthma, and smoke really flairs up those problems. My baby is showing similar signs of these symptoms as well. So my question is... Would you let your baby be held by someone who smokes? It just happens that the someone who always wants to hold my baby is my sister! So this make things even harder. She is constantly trying to hold my daughter whenever I see her...and allot of the time she has just finished smoking. She is a very heavy smoker and smokes just under 1 pack a day. I have told her that she can hold my daughter only if she: -washes her hands and face -changes her shirt -and puls her hair back (since my daugher likes chewing on hair) She thinks that I am being unresonable. and will only wash her hands, since she doesn't want to wash her makeup off or ruin her hair style or change her clothes. I know this is my baby and its ultimitely my choice... but I just wanted to see what some other opinions were. I should also mention that her best friend has a baby around the same age, and both her and her best friend smoke infront of that baby. They also have pictures of that baby (11months) with a lit cigerette in his mouth!

A: Your not being unrational. Its your child and you have all rights who holds her. If your sister states that "its stupid" or whatever, tell her that you have severe allergies and that your daughter has signs of it also. Ask her would she rather do these minor things or see her neice in the hospital. (Dont really know if it could happen- but just to scare your sister) Or tell her if you really wanted to be unrational you can say if you smoked at all that day you cant hold her until you get a shower, fresh clothes and brush your teeth.

Q: Why Is It That my Body Doesn't Feel As Active... Or Healthy As Before? Don't Feel Like I Used To...?
Well let me give you a few details about myself. I'm 20 years old, male and over the past few weeks... man, I just haven't been able to keep up like my old self did. As a few examples, if I went the gym about 5 months ago, I could easily run 3 miles or so... take a five minute break, and go do another few miles no problem. Lil' tired after but not bad. Anyway, over the past month, I can barely run a mile. Heart starts pounding, I get very tired and feel as I can't keep up or keep my breath and I am required to stop. I know that sounds stupid but it's how I feel. I also hear a wheezing or mucus build up in my throat when breathing after working out. I don't know... weird. I used to play basketball and football in high school (3 years ago) and at that time, I felt great. Like top notch shape for my age. And with that, I picked a firefighter as a career I wanted to pursue. Starting out, felt great. Still in school... and now, hard to keep up. Sometimes at night, I experience wheezing when exhaling (sign of asthma) but I have no other symptoms at all like coughing. I never cough. So I don't know but I figure what I am experiencing is all related. I have never smoked in my life, I rarely ever consume alcohol and I hardly ever drink sodas or eat fast food. I mainly drink water or milk and my only sports drink I consume is powerade. Not often though. And fast food.... maybe once a month. Maybe. I'm in no way addicted to grease or fatty foods. I still maintain my 6-pack and body image (6 ft tall, 155 pounds)... but I just don't feel as healthy as I should. Like I get tired and exhausted way to fast and I need to stop and slow down before I can continue. My blood pressure is basically prefect (121/79), I feel fine when I'm not exercising but I need to figure out what has happened. Any input is appreciated, I may need to go see a doctor soon to figure out what I need to fix and/or treat. Thank you. From what I have read, it seems as maybe my Thyroid level is high and I should get that checked. I don't know much about this but my symptoms seem to match it. And if this was the cause, is it easy to treat or any info you can provide will be great. Thank you. Really, I feel great haha. No depression or anything that effects me. Some stress but not much. I'd say normal amount which is mainly money. Loss of work hours but I really didn't grow up with much money at all so I'm used to life with very little money lol. Used to just come home from school, play basketball and life was good haha. So really no depression, stress or anything. I also sleep good. Get to sleep late at night but I make up for it by waking up later so I get a full 8 hours. I know my friend had a thyroid problem and he got that threated and feels a lot better but I wasn't sure. Body image is perfectly fine... just lose of energy and ability to exercise like I used to.

A: Man.. u r just talking about me.. the same story... I was superman, and now i just cant spend half an hour at gym.. anyways though the first thing came up to my mind is ur Thyroid, but i want you to check the following: Have you been sleeping well? The less you sleep the less energy u get for ur day. If you snore while sleeping, this would eliminate the Oxygen going to ur body. which cause less energy. Are you going through some bad times? Exams? Depression? Do a full blood test. to check your RBCs (Red blood cells), your Iron levels, your B12 levels and Vitamin D. Finally check your Thyroid Levels. most likely it would be Low not High. In my case my Thyroid was really slightly Low and it really effect everything.. Energy, metabolism, mood, hair, skin and life.. Regards,

Q: Can you develop a dependency on Albuterol?
I suffer from asthma and sometimes when I experience small signs of it acting up, I tend to try to fight it off. Sometimes it works and goes away. Other times when it doesn't go away, I will use my Albuterol inhaler and it will help. I'm beginning to sense when I really "need" the inhaler. But I'm scared of developing a dependency on the inhaler so I try to fight some of the small symptoms (like chest tightness or coughing). Is this a wise thing to do? Or should I take the inhaler no matter how minor the symptom is?

A: Medically speaking, if you are using your inhaler more then every 4 hours while sick, or more then 'daily' when 'not sick', you need some intervention. That may mean a daily preventative medicine like Singulair, or Advair. Both are preventive and can be used independently or together. Advair is a disc inhaler.. Singulair is a pill approved for use ages 12 months and older. I would refrain from using your Albuterol at the slightest hint of a problem... sometimes that 'tickle' feeling in your throat that feels like the beginning of wheeze can be relieved by eating jello or something sweet... (sugar has the capability of relieving that tickle/cough feeling).. On the flip side, it is extremely necessary to 'catch' asthma early. Do you use a peak flow meter? It is an enormously helpful tool in determining if an attack is approaching. It measures your lung function and will let you know if an attack is approaching. First you establish a baseline (starting point when you are 'healthy')..then you have a range of 'safe' numbers. Once your numbers begin to drop, you have an 'alarm' area meaning you MIGHT be starting an attack, and as you worsen, the numbers indicate you need intervention of some sort and need to call your Dr. I wish you the best of luck as asthma is truly a pain in the well.. you know what I mean.

Q: Should I take my daughter to the ER?
The reason I am asking is because it is not an emergency. We do not have an urgent care center near (small town), and her doctor is not open until Monday morning. She has been showing signs of asthma since September, was hospitalized in September for 3 days with pneumonia, and has been to the ER once since then with breathing problems. Currently she has a deep cough, low fever (around 100-101) treatable with tylenol, and is breathing heavier than normal. She is on Singulair daily, and does both albueterol and Pulmicort through a nebulizer when needed. The cough developed last night (but it wasn't anywhere near as deep sounding as this morning) and the rest of the symptoms have progressed as she has been awake. The only reason I am considering taking her in is because the last 2 times she progressed very quickly. She went from coughing at night to hardly breathing by morning. While she is not at that point now, she developed a fever within half an hour this morning. Should I take her in or just wait to call her doctor Monday morning? Her doctor does not have an after hours number to call.

A: My daughter has asthma, take her in to the ER. It can progress very quickly, she probably needs increased albuterol treatments to help that cough. Do you have a stethoscope? If so listen to all four quadrants,if not, put your ear to her back at each point. Do you hear any wheezing? If it was me, I would go. But i've also seen it progress very quickly. She went from being fine to getting transferred from our ER to PICU at a children's hospital within 4 hours.

Q: 32 weeks pregnant and showing signs of flu AND pneumonia?
i am now 32 weeks pregnant and i have been showing signs of the flu and of pneumonia i am also a smoker (still even through my pregnancy) i have always had a weak immune system and always get both along with other sickness at the same time. ive had the flu twice in the last year and pneumonia twice as well along with double strepp common cold and sinus infection at the same time as the other 2 things. i also have asthma and i finally pin pointed my symptoms today because i had a bad episode yesterday where my Temperature went way up and i couldn't breath and i ended up throwing up alot of snot on the side of the road. ive also had a fever a few times, chills, and bad caughing over the last 2 weeks. along with a few other symptoms. how risky is it for my baby? like i said i am 32 weeks (8 months) my doctors apointment is on monday and its thursday would it be a bad idea to wait till my apointment or should i try to get an emergency apointment tomorrow? i have read a few storys where the pregnant woman had pneumonia and had to have an emergency c-section and lost the baby, or it was extreamly sick when it came out.i have already been told my baby probably wont make it to the due date because her head is so low.

A: Wow Sunshine ... I do not understand why your baby would not make it because her "head is low" .... what the heck does that mean ??? . Just because you are sick ... if the mom and baby are appropriately treated ... she should be fine ... 32 weeks is not a disaster .. it is premature ... but I just came back from a delivery of a 32 weeker and she is kicking ass ... no oxygen ... no assistance needed at all .... The only concern I would have is your smoking history ... this can possibly do more harm to your baby than your recurrent bouts of respiratory problems ....

Q: People with asthma - can you describe an attack for a writer of fiction?
I'm a fiction writer with a main character (teen girl living in US) with asthma. The main things I'd like to know is what certain things feel like, so I'd appreciate any information from someone who has personal experience with asthma. Would she be on a daily preventive medicine? How often and what time(s) of day would she take it, and would that be on a full or empty stomach? Are there side effects? She has a rescue inhaler. At what point would she use it? How many times would she pump it? What are the immediate effects of using the inhaler? Does it have a taste? What's that like? Does the taste linger, or is it pretty much while she's getting the med? Does it have any side effects? How long does it take to stop an attack? Are there circumstances under which it doesn't work? When would she decide to call for medical help? How does it feel when an attack comes on? Are there early early signs (the way I can sometimes tell I'm about to get a migraine before the aura because I suddenly find it hard to read the computer screen)? What are the first symptoms? What are the sensations that lead to a full-blown attack? What are the feelings of an attack that's subsiding? After it's over, how do you feel? Do you rest or go on with your day? Or, to say it shorter and sweeter, please describe an asthma attack. Thanks a lot for your help!

A: Depending on how severe the asthma is will determine if an asthmatic would take a daily medication. If they do it would be a inhaled steroid taken once in the AM and once in the PM. A rescue inhaler should be carried with any asthmatic. The most common med is Albuterol. It is in a little canister that she will "shoot" in to her mouth while inhaling. Albuterol tastes bitter to most and salty to others. An asthmatic would use it when they start feeling short of breath or they start wheezing. Someone who monitors their asthma (like all should) will do peak flow readings to see if they are having flow limitations. This would indicate the early stages of an asthma attack. Here is a link to a video that really shows the struggle an asthmatic goes through. http://adcouncil.wmod.llnwd.net/a540/o1/adcouncil/tv/childhood_asthma/asth_fish.wmv