ClaireG Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 As most of you know i was in hospital before christmas with pneumonia and DKA. Ever since, and before for about 10 days, i have had a cough. This cough is worse when i change atmospheres eg from outside to inside, if i'm near smokers and when one of the cats sits on me. I'm having to sleep in a proped up position as cough like mad and get pain in my chest and back if flat. My last chest x ray was ok so didn't think it's still from the pneumonia. Could my illness have brought on asthma? My Mum has it and developed it at about the age i am now. I have been using steam which gives me some relief. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willow Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 It is possible for it to develop when you're older. I was over 40 and it was brought on by combination of building work dust and cats. Ring your surgery as soon as they are open and see if you can get an appointment with the asthma nurse - you don't need to see a doctor for them to check. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..lay a little egg for me Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Is it a dry cough? Does it wake you up in the early morning? This is the typical type of cough associated with asthma. Or it could just be that your lungs are particularly sensitive to dust etc since the pneumonia and it may resolve with time. It is important to go to your doc so as to get a diagnosis. I would see the doc not the asthma nurse at this stage. Your chest X-ray may show your lungs are clear of pneumonia but your symptoms could still be a consequence of having had pneumonia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daphne Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Like Tricia, I developed asthma post-40 triggered by a combo of inhaling chemicals/dust during building work. My triggers are now cats and stress and cold air, but I've never had a cough with it or pain in my chest, just shortness of breath. So I'd see the doc just to check, and if it turns out to be asthma no doubt you'll be prescribed inhalers (which do work). I've also been prescribed steriods when I had it badly during one winter. The very first time I had it I couldn't sleep for the shortness of breath and was sat up most of the night. I took an anti-histamine and it worked a treat. NB Not recommending this, just mentioning it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mags Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I developed asthma during my 4th pregnancy, it started off wih a cough that kept me awake There is a history asthma in my family so i may have got it anyway I was 37 at the time. Best get it checked it took ages for mine to get diagnoised even though i asked if i could have it start so late on. my brother and my son developed it at early age. mags Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I would get it checked out by your Doctor if you are concerned. They do a peak flow test (?) first and go from there..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaireG Posted January 3, 2011 Author Share Posted January 3, 2011 Thanks I am seeing the diabetic nurse on Wednesday and will mention it to her, i think she might be the asthma nurse as well! If she's not or can't help, i'll make an appointment for the Dr. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angie Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 Ask nurse to sound you out and try to stop worrying. When i had pueumonia quite a few years ago i coughed for many weeks afterward, it takes a while for things to settle down . You wheeze with asthma and feel like no air is going in, also cough more at night, sat up or laid down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LolaLayla Posted January 3, 2011 Share Posted January 3, 2011 I had asthma and bronchitis during childhood but it left me in my teens to return in my early thirties. Now I find if I get a cold it will go to my chest and then I will cough for several weeks after. I have to take inhalers if this happens one which is taken morning and night that has steroid in it and one if I feel a bad bout coming on. It makes a real difference to the coughing. Usually I can wean myself off them after a month or so as I do not feel I need to take them all the time (the asthma nurse is happy with me doing that). The only other time I sometimes need one inhaler is if I have to take the rabbit to the vets and due to the close proximity of the fur I wheeze a lot. With you mentioning your problem with the cat it sounds like you may benefit from inhalers too. Good luck at the gp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leicester_H Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Hi I got bad chest infection (didn't bother going to the GP for ages as I thought it was just a cough/cold). Then had persistent cough (over a year). Finally diagnosed with cough-variant asthma (basically highly sensitive airway - they don't know what triggers it now - could be temperature or chemical - see eg. http://www.webmd.com/asthma/guide/cough-variant-asthma) so it can/does happen. H Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tiggy Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Im seeing a lot of people at the moment who are coughing tight chest for weeks, this virus is making their lungs behave as if they are all asthmatic. You have a close family member with asthma so there is always a chance that you could develop it, it may be a little too early after you horrible infection to diagnose asthma but its worth a trip to the GP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaireG Posted January 4, 2011 Author Share Posted January 4, 2011 Will talk to the nurse about it tomorrow. Hazel, that sounds very familar to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seagazer Posted January 4, 2011 Share Posted January 4, 2011 Im seeing a lot of people at the moment who are coughing tight chest for weeks, this virus is making their lungs behave as if they are all asthmatic. You have a close family member with asthma so there is always a chance that you could develop it, it may be a little too early after you horrible infection to diagnose asthma but its worth a trip to the GP I'm glad you mentioned this as I feel like this. I couldn't keep a conversation going whilst walking the dog this morning. I was about to go to Docs to see if I've suddenly developed asthma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsquid Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Claire, you may have asthma but there are a lot of other things that might cause the symptoms you describe, including the residual effects of your pneumonia. Asthma is due to variable spasm in the muscles that control the diameter of the airways that take air down into the lungs. The things you say that make me think it may be asthma are - family history - effect of change of atmospheres and cats Asthma will have the following main characteristics - wheeze (audible wheeze when breathing) that is variable - sometimes there and sometimes not - symptoms worse in the early morning - triggered by cold, exercise, allergens, virus infections, pollution - dry cough (unproductive) or productive of a small amount of white phlegm - usually responds in a lung function test to medication that relaxes the muscles in your lungs (bronchodilator) Do talk to the nurse about it but do bear in mind that other things can cause similar symptoms. Your GP should be able to - do a simple lung function test (peak flow) before and after inhaling a bronchodilator - may be able to do a more sophisticated lung function test (spirometry) by doing a long forced blow into a machine. This gives more information about how your lungs are working - give you a peak flow meter to read your lung function at home, usually four times a day for a fortnight. This will tell you/him if your lung function is variable which is characteristic of asthma. Asthma does not show up on a chest x-ray, so a normal x-ray doesn't mean you don't have asthma, so don't let your GP/nurse fob you off with this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ClaireG Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 Thanks Sarah I have quite a lot of the main characteristics as you will see. Claire, you may have asthma but there are a lot of other things that might cause the symptoms you describe, including the residual effects of your pneumonia. Asthma is due to variable spasm in the muscles that control the diameter of the airways that take air down into the lungs. The things you say that make me think it may be asthma are - family history - effect of change of atmospheres and cats Asthma will have the following main characteristics - wheeze (audible wheeze when breathing) that is variable - sometimes there and sometimes not - Yes i have this especilally if i try and lie flat. - symptoms worse in the early morning - Yes - triggered by cold, exercise, allergens, virus infections, pollution - I cough and struggle to catch my breath outside or if its really cold in here and after i do any exercise eg wii fit, walking. - dry cough (unproductive) or productive of a small amount of white phlegm - my cough has always been dry with very very little phlegm the hospital even commented on it! - usually responds in a lung function test to medication that relaxes the muscles in your lungs (bronchodilator) Do talk to the nurse about it but do bear in mind that other things can cause similar symptoms. Your GP should be able to - do a simple lung function test (peak flow) before and after inhaling a bronchodilator - may be able to do a more sophisticated lung function test (spirometry) by doing a long forced blow into a machine. This gives more information about how your lungs are working - give you a peak flow meter to read your lung function at home, usually four times a day for a fortnight. This will tell you/him if your lung function is variable which is characteristic of asthma. Asthma does not show up on a chest x-ray, so a normal x-ray doesn't mean you don't have asthma, so don't let your GP/nurse fob you off with this! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
