5 days,ago out the blue I started wheezing to a point where I couldn’t get my breath. Felt like my chest was bein squashed. Went to walk In clinic and they put me on the nebulizer machine. Tho that was a good idea, it was only short term solution, and they gave me an inhaler to take home. Next day symptoms worse,no sleep again had to sit up all nite with lots of pillows cos I couldn’t breath lying down. This morning being Saturday I was a lot worse…I went to hospital, I was only breathing hlf my peak flow…. I haven’t got a cold and no temperature, it’s very weird. Never had hayfever..anyway the hospital gave me antibiotics and prednisone…steroids. I have 6 steroids a day for 7 days… Should be better next week. Tho now wen I think back to 2 days ago,why Dint my local docs give me steroids, cos they were concerned at the time, and after being on the nebulizer they just said hope we don’t see you gai n…in a nice way…..just seems weird tho I got a tight chest for no reason…..tho I did have that Hurendos cough bug that was going round at Xmas time and had to have 2 lots of antibiotics at the time. After that I felt fine. I work in a school so I guess I will pick bugs up a lot. I have a follow up appointment with a respiratory nurse in two weeks time…see how I go from then…..find it strange at my age to begin with asthma like problems. I don’t smoke never have and have been mostly healthy most of my life…..I guess my Xmas cough never truly went even tho I felt fine… Dry coughin lots like there’s something stuck in my throat…hospital said I was very ruttly. Hope the steroids fix the problem…..so I can get back riding in a week or so…..anyone else had steroids and had a happy outcome….lol

find it strange at my age to begin with asthma like problems

I started about five years ago and wa diagnosed with asthma (exercise enduced) and given Salbutamol and Ventolin. My peak flow was realtively constant at 750 which now makes the doc think it’s not asthma even though I’ve had a couple of life threatening attacks.
I do appear to be allergic to some foodstuffs and intolerant to a host of others and am undergoing tests at the moment.
So yes, it is possible to become asthmatic during adulthood, beyond that I can’t help.
I feel your pain though, good luck.

I didn’t get asthma till I was 28 🙁

Past few weeks the tree pollen levels have been the highest they have been for a few years and its been creasing me by evening time bringing on my allergy induced asthma as well as my skin being on fire itching.
Try some anti histamine ( a one a day type will do). It will dampen down any allergic reaction.
Bear with it the prednislone should make you feel alot better quite fast.
Try an air ioniser in your bedroom too and sleep with the window shut to try and reduce any pollen levels in there and wash your bedding at 60 degrees to eliminate any other allergen producing bed mites and their dirt.
Its not pleasant but also try to relax the more you concentrate on the wheez and the cough the worse you will feel.
Hope you feel better soon (my asthma didnt come on till I was in my late 20’s.

I only get asthma when it’s hay fever time……. right about now!!

I use Seretide inhalers which work very well

I was diagnosed last summer (aged 46!) after having a wheezy cough for about 4 weeks. I do get hayfever and as far as I can remember I’ve never had asthma before – but my medical records seem to disagree with me, apparently I had an attack in 1978. Apparently it’s an allergy-induced asthma.

anyway, doctor said try cetirizine hydrochloride – an over the counter allergy remedy, which seemed to work; added bonus was the effect it had on my hayfever 🙂

this winter I got a wheezy cough again and the cetirizine didn’t shift it so I went back, doctor prescribed a ventolin inhaler. The test I did for peak breath was “as good as I can do” in the doctor’s own words, and I should only need the ventolin now & again. Just had a lousy cold now but I wonder how much of the sniffles are down to hayfever – grass pollen is my problem, and I think it’s a bit early yet…

I started at 35 on holiday in Cornwall, just woke up one night wheezing like good un.

It’s generally seasonal (Autumn/Winter), occurs more often than not at night time and while not diagnosed through allergy testing the GP thinks it’s likely to be leaf mould and mould spores that cause the problem (my side of the bed is next to a cold wall that has damp/condensation issues).

Ventolin and Beclomethasone doing the trick.

Any increase in coal/log burners being used in your area?
Have been asthmatic all my life but the past winter or 2 there has been a real increase in the use of log/coal fires on my commute to work. I have to use my inhaler at the same point on my ride due to the overpowering smoke which is actually visible

I get the whole hayfever asthma thing, only when on dusty, spring rides. I’ve stopped with the inhaler, I take an anti histamine (I’d tell you the brand if I could remember, get them from my MIL who’s a triage nurse so free drugs!!) when I’m bad, which is normally once or twice a year.

Yeah I read about the pollen from trees and there’s,a load of them a few hundred yards,away from my house.grrrr. maybe I shud chop a Few down at midnite. Lol….feel exhausted with the coughing side of it…pretty glad of the steroids cos the inhaler wasn’t workin…

Oil seed rape is the one thing that makes me feel ill.

I was about 27 or 28 when I was diagnosed with Asthma. Mine came on after a couple of really bad respiratory viral infections.

The steroids should certainly calm things down over the next few days, but you should have a follow up with your GP so they can determine a plan for you. Whether this be just carry a rescue inhaler, or take inhaled steroid daily as a preventative measure. Modern asthma medications like Seretide, mentioned above, are very effective.

My asthma symptoms eased significantly when I cut out wheat & dairy from my diet.

I got asthma in my late 40s, started with a cough that just didn’t go away, went to the doctor after a few weeks and did all the peak flow tests etc which showed nothing, was given a salbutamol inhaler to manage the symptoms, went skiing and it all went away in the clear-ish air of the alps. Then went back to work commuting on that mobile plague-pit the London Underground, got a cold followed by a chest infection and suddenly found one day I couldn’t walk up a flight of stairs without getting out of breath. A 1 week course of steroids fixed that for about 4 weeks before I started coughing and rattling again and then it was back to the doctor for a diagnosis of late-onset asthma triggered by virus infections.

I now have to take fluticasone but otherwise it has no effect on what I do apart from having to give up scuba diving (PADI has problems with asthmatics, BASI are somewhat more enlightened), and I’ve never had another “attack”. My GP, who is a doctor to the British Olympic squad, doesn’t seem to think it should have any effect on performance if it’s managed properly.

I do seem to come across more cases of this late-onset asthma thing in people these days – no idea why.

PADI has problems with asthmatics

I was told that asthma wouldn’t be a problem, having said that I did have a slight attack and had to surface rapidly, not nice.

I’ve been turned away by a PADI diving centre despite having a letter from my GP saying I was ok. Apparently PADI list asthma as a contra-indication or something, even though my managed asthma is probably less of a risk than the latent asthma I must have had when I used to dive a lot. 🙁

I started about five years ago and wa diagnosed with asthma (exercise enduced) and given Salbutamol and Ventolin. My peak flow was realtively constant at 750 which now makes the doc think it’s not asthma even though I’ve had a couple of life threatening attacks.
I do appear to be allergic to some foodstuffs and intolerant to a host of others and am undergoing tests at the moment.
So yes, it is possible to become asthmatic during adulthood, beyond that I can’t help.
I feel your pain though, good luck.

Could you expand on life threatening? What makes you/your doctor think it’s an allergy? Swelling? Anaphylaxis? Ever considered a panic attack?

I’ve been asthmatic since childhood. Drugs are so much better now it’s far more manageable that it ever was. No cure tho, and while you can grow out of it, unlikely if it comes to you late. I had a very nasty incident this winter (after 3 years of being fine – not commuting in London definitely helped) where my peak flow dropped to 250-275. That’s not climbing stairs territory. Sounds a bit like the OP was close to that, it’s scary even when you’ve lived with asthma all your life. Wasn’t weezy either, so quite odd.

Steroids are a standard prescription and they do work most of the time as long as you get 5-6 days worth and you don’t miss a dose.

Good peak flow for me is about 700. Before we moved here (Herefordshire) it was 600. If it is asthma make sure you get some good advice from asthma clinics – they’re really good and better than docs sometimes in terms of the best management. I switched from becatide and it’s made a huge difference.

You may find the steroids clear it and you’ll be fine from now on. The reason I say that (in an entirely medically unqualified way!) is that when I’ve had these ‘incidents’ of what feels like really bad Asthma, the docs don’t think it is as lungs are clear/no wheezing.

Hope things improve for you.

God you guys talk some bollocks about kit. Just about the only review where a pair is mentioned as breaking was in the comment section on pinkbike (they were prototypes as well). Every other google search just links to this thread.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Spank-Spike-Pedals-review-2011.html

God you guys talk some bollocks about kit. Just about the only review where a pair is mentioned as breaking was in the comment section on pinkbike (they were prototypes as well). Every other google search just links to this thread.

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Spank-Spike-Pedals-review-2011.html

I’ll have what bwaarp is having…

argh

*bangs head on coffee table*

My asthma symptoms eased significantly when I cut out wheat & dairy from my diet.

+1.

oh yep btw my peak flow was 190 i did this twice then got 200…they said it was low…now as im new to this…and some of you on this thread mite be able to answer this one.. 😉
does a peak flow measurement go by your ‘height’…
when i did the peak flow at local doctors she said for my height (roughly 5ft 0 inches (lol)… i should be blowing 400…
so i was only on half my oxygen at the time….
i do have a follow up appointment at the end of this month so see what my peak flow measures then…
i slept abit better last nite… today just ahem ahem ahem coughing and trying to clear my throat…just had a small bout of coughing agin tonite, stopped after ten mins…. fingers crossed for the steroids to kick in..
thanks for all your posts its good to get some great feed back now and agin aint it… 😉

i do have a follow up appointment at the end of this month so see what my peak flow measures then…

Even if you doc hasn’t suggested it, it might be useful to take a peak flow reading first thing in the morning and each evening between now and the appointment. Just to give them a bit more info like.
Hoping for good results.

I do that. I bought a PFM for a tenner and keep stats 2 or 3 times a day if I’m struggling. I’t s a good baseline and you can do amusing things like doing a before and after with a ventalin and working out that one puff gives you 10%-15% more lung capacity 😉

400 sounds quite low but I’m not sure how it’s worked out and it’s not graded for fitness or anything. Height and Age I think. I now at the clinic there’s blokes my age/height who can’t get 500 and they’re classed as okay. 190 is scary!

Steroids tend to work for me around day 2or3. Asthma is definitely affected by stress and worry. Once you start to think about it, it gets harder to breathe. Having been through a few nasty weeks/months I just console myself that it will get better, so no point worrying about it. Sort of works 😉

Height and Age I think.

I think you’re correct on this as it gives a benchmark for them to work off. The electronic ones can provide a bit more detail too (and a fancy little printout).

The electronic ones can provide a bit more detail too (and a fancy little printout).

Right that’s my birthday present sorted then 🙂

Sex, Height and Age. But the biggest difference is in Sex. A woman’s peak flow for same height and age is considerably lower than a man’s – probably only 60-70% or so. The charts can easily be found on line. So 400-450 is not unreasonable for a woman. I thought the advice was a fall of 50% was a call to the emergency room?

I’ve just been diagnosed with asthma after over a year trying to find the answer and I’m 27.
Went through a Spirometer which came back inconclusive and then finally had a Metacholine test which was positive, thankfully!

Luckily the doping laws have been relaxed regarding Asthma drugs (in case that is an issue for anyone else) and the drugs within Seratide that I am taking is not on the banned list and taking it has really made a difference.

zilog6128 – Member

My asthma symptoms eased significantly when I cut out wheat & dairy from my diet.)

+ 😀