New Symptom, Please Help - Asthma?

[margiebee]

So today I was at a family gathering and my cousin was smoking about 3 feet away from me, with the smoke blowing in my direction. Suddenly, I couldn't inhale without coughing (it was sort of like a "tickle" cough but very bothersome), felt like I couldn't get air into my lungs well enough and sort of felt a weird feeling in my throat like it was swollen. I had to physically leave and go breathe some fresh air to make it stop.

I have never had any real breathing problems before, and I have definitely never had that reaction to smoke. As little as a month ago I had people smoking in my car with the windows nearly closed and didn't have any issues. Now suddenly it seems like smoke triggers this horrible breathing reaction. All I know is my brother has had asthma since he was a kid and it seemed very similar. So now I'm pretty terrified, does anyone else experience this? Especially a sudden onset where it didn't used to happen.

[margiebee]

also I should note, I do not take a beta blocker, I know sometimes they can cause asthma to appear

[blueskies]

Hi Maggebee

I'm 57 and about 13 years ago (rough guess) I was diagnosed with asthma. A couple of my sisters have it and so do my two sons -- so it's in the family. One son was diagnosed with asthma at a very young age and he has the 'wheezy' type. The other was about 12 when diagnosed and he was considered 'adult onset asthma,' and his asthma manifests as a tight chest and not feeling as he can get his breath. I was certainly considered 'adult onset asthma.' For the past few years I've stopped taking my preventative asthma puffer and just using my 'reliever' asthma puffer only very occasionally -- maybe only a few times a year. This year however I'm finding I'm wheezing a lot more than again and am using my reliever more often- last night I woke to hear myself wheezing on the outbreath and that's a classic sign for asthma for me but I also get the tight chest feeling. It's time I went to the doc and got a new script for the preventative puffer as it got my asthma under control very quickly years back when I needed it.

I always think any new symptom should be checked by a doctor. I was shocked to be diagnosed with asthma when I was well into my 4Os.

blue

[margiebee]

Thank you for the info! I'm wondering if its technically even considered asthma since I didn't require any kind of medication or inhaler to get better, just some fresh air. Guess I'll have to ask my doctor all that. My brother did get a diagnosis but then they thought it could be a vocal chord dysfunction, and his doesn't get triggered by smoke like what happened to me. I just worry that it could be something totally different, but I suppose I'll find out.

[looneymom]

Hi Margibee,

My son does not have asthma but he has been diagnosed with vocal tics and vocal cord dysfunction. A strange thing that happened to him in the very beginning before being diagnoised with pots was that he failed a pulmonary test. The test that you blow through a tube to check for lung volume. I was told he failed because of lack of effort. I was there when he took the test and know this is not true. My parents and I saw my son struggle really bad in this area. As I look back on it, I think my son had developed some very weak muscles or nerve signals because he was in a bedridden situation. He got better because the hospital sent a therapist in to work with him. I am beginning to think that over active nerve or weak nerve signals are responsible for some of these strange symptoms in POTS. I would suggest that you go visit your doctor about it. Keep track of when it happens and what you are doing. Maybe there is a trigger for it.