RE: Re: Newbie - needs help with peak flow readings

[Guest guest]

,

Thank you so much for your feedback.  

The more I read the more I feel like I

really do have a concern.  Hopefully it *is* mild. 

2 ½ more days ‘til

my appointment.

I was 32 yrs old when I first was DX with asthma. I'm now 40 yrs

old, with

allergic asthma, or what my pulmologist calls triod

asthma. I

use my peak flow meter daily.

[Guest guest]

What kinds of limitations does a peak flow

of 200 place on someone? That just

sounds so very low to me.

:

Sent: Saturday, December 27, 2003 2:10 PM

To: asthma

Subject: Re: Newbie -

needs help with peak flow readings

My readings also vary quite a bit throughout From the day. I think this

is pretty

typical. I vary rarely hit above 200 though, so your

readings

seem pretty high to me. It will be good to go to the pulmo.

dr. and see

what he says. If you do have asthma you should be on

controlling

medicine. My doctor only gave me albuterol for years

despite

severe symptoms daily. Now I am only 23 and my lung function

is at about

40%. Make sure you take care of this now.

[Guest guest]

I hope that you find something that works

well for you.

I, of course, want to be aggressive now

that I realize I likely *do* have

asthma, but why do you stress taking care of it now? What happens if you have mild asthma and

don’t treat it? Right now it’s

annoying for me (and making it hard for me to have enough energy to keep up

with my very active preschoolers and my abundant housework) but I don’t

have many attacks and have never had to go to the emergency room for it.

I am short of breath and coughing all of the time. I am

overweight, but I can not exercise without having a full blown attack. The

prednisone also augments the weight gain. It is not fun, but I am somewhat

used to it so I deal with it. It is just hard because I have always been

heavily involved in sports and can not do them anymore. I have also

always played the trumpet, but I don't have enough lung function to play

anymore. My doctor is experimenting with different medications. I

am hoping that soon one of them will work to get my lung function up so that I

can do more. For me it is more embarrassing than anything. Any little

exertion can set me off. I am also highly allergic so it doesn't take

much. I get sick of explaining that I am not contagious, it is just

asthma.

Now I am only 23 and my lung function

is at about

40%. Make sure you take care of this now.

[Guest guest]

Thanks.

I’m a woman (lol) so that chart actually says my highest reading

in the last week is right on (good!). That

chart does differ from the one that came with my peak flow meter. (Hmmm…. One of

those things that depend on where you get your data from I guess.) Now to figure out why I

have so many low numbers and what to do about them.

Your numbers are low by

published averages. A 35 yr old 60 inches

tall would be expected to have a reading of

521. See the link below

for more information.

www.shs.unc.edu/medservices/specialty_services/asthma/pflow.html

Regards, greyskr.

[Guest guest]

I’m so sorry that your lung function

got so bad before you got to an asthma doctor L

I wish that PCPs knew more about asthma. My

doctor has blown me off so completely that *I*

started blowing myself off. I only

went back this time because I was tired all day outside of 12-4 and was having

real problems just cleaning my house. Blew me off again (well not completely…

threw 2 inhalers at me with no education at all and with no followup… no

talk at all of what may be triggering it or what to do after I stopped my 2

week course of inhaled steroids).

Much to the chagrin

of my doctor I have never been to the hospital either. Every three

weeks I go to see him so he can monitor my levels and every time he tells

me that I need to be hopitalized, but I do not have health insurance to it

complicates things. The reason I stress treating it now is that my

family practitioner only gave me albuterol for so long. He didn't

listen to my symptoms and my asthma degenerated to where it is now.

I am now seeing an asthma doctor and my lung function is at about

40%. My doctor says I am maxed out on medication and that he doesn't

know if I will ever regain what I lost. I am only 24 and there is a

lot that I can't do. If my doctor had treated it appropriately to

begin with it might never have gotten this severe.

[Guest guest]

I’m so sorry that your lung function

got so bad before you got to an asthma doctor L

I wish that PCPs knew more about asthma. My

doctor has blown me off so completely that *I*

started blowing myself off. I only

went back this time because I was tired all day outside of 12-4 and was having

real problems just cleaning my house. Blew me off again (well not completely…

threw 2 inhalers at me with no education at all and with no followup… no

talk at all of what may be triggering it or what to do after I stopped my 2

week course of inhaled steroids).

Much to the chagrin

of my doctor I have never been to the hospital either. Every three

weeks I go to see him so he can monitor my levels and every time he tells

me that I need to be hopitalized, but I do not have health insurance to it

complicates things. The reason I stress treating it now is that my

family practitioner only gave me albuterol for so long. He didn't

listen to my symptoms and my asthma degenerated to where it is now.

I am now seeing an asthma doctor and my lung function is at about

40%. My doctor says I am maxed out on medication and that he doesn't

know if I will ever regain what I lost. I am only 24 and there is a

lot that I can't do. If my doctor had treated it appropriately to

begin with it might never have gotten this severe.

[Guest guest]

I’m so sorry that your lung function

got so bad before you got to an asthma doctor L

I wish that PCPs knew more about asthma. My

doctor has blown me off so completely that *I*

started blowing myself off. I only

went back this time because I was tired all day outside of 12-4 and was having

real problems just cleaning my house. Blew me off again (well not completely…

threw 2 inhalers at me with no education at all and with no followup… no

talk at all of what may be triggering it or what to do after I stopped my 2

week course of inhaled steroids).

Much to the chagrin

of my doctor I have never been to the hospital either. Every three

weeks I go to see him so he can monitor my levels and every time he tells

me that I need to be hopitalized, but I do not have health insurance to it

complicates things. The reason I stress treating it now is that my

family practitioner only gave me albuterol for so long. He didn't

listen to my symptoms and my asthma degenerated to where it is now.

I am now seeing an asthma doctor and my lung function is at about

40%. My doctor says I am maxed out on medication and that he doesn't

know if I will ever regain what I lost. I am only 24 and there is a

lot that I can't do. If my doctor had treated it appropriately to

begin with it might never have gotten this severe.

[Guest guest]

Not much info from the pulmologist. They did spirography(?)

and my lung capacity was measured at 500 – normal – at 2PM. Not much of a surprise since my own peak

flow readings show that my numbers are normal in the afternoon anyway. Not that she would take any of my own

readings into consideration. She

said she finds little value in them.

She ordered blood work (done) and a chest x-ray (done) and a test of

lung function (some kind of challenge to induce asthma in those who are

asthmatic). I don’t know if

she thinks I’m imagining things or if she thinks something else is going

on or if she just doesn’t know yet. I felt like she wasn’t giving me

all the info…. Like either she thought I was imagining things or that she

thought something else was going on but didn’t want to tell me the

possibilities just yet.

I am glad that you

have taken things into your own hands to help yourself to feel

better. I wish I had done that sooner. It is really sad that

the doctors that people see most frequently are so uninformed about

asthma. It seems to me that since they are the first resort they

sould be the most informed. And if they are not they sould be

quicker to make referrals to experts that do know. I finally had to

go out and find my own doctor to treat me. I never did get a

referral. I would have rather been referred and not needed the

specialist, than to have never seen one at all. Most doctors need to

be a little better about treating the whole patient.

[Guest guest]

Not much info from the pulmologist. They did spirography(?)

and my lung capacity was measured at 500 – normal – at 2PM. Not much of a surprise since my own peak

flow readings show that my numbers are normal in the afternoon anyway. Not that she would take any of my own

readings into consideration. She

said she finds little value in them.

She ordered blood work (done) and a chest x-ray (done) and a test of

lung function (some kind of challenge to induce asthma in those who are

asthmatic). I don’t know if

she thinks I’m imagining things or if she thinks something else is going

on or if she just doesn’t know yet. I felt like she wasn’t giving me

all the info…. Like either she thought I was imagining things or that she

thought something else was going on but didn’t want to tell me the

possibilities just yet.

I am glad that you

have taken things into your own hands to help yourself to feel

better. I wish I had done that sooner. It is really sad that

the doctors that people see most frequently are so uninformed about

asthma. It seems to me that since they are the first resort they

sould be the most informed. And if they are not they sould be

quicker to make referrals to experts that do know. I finally had to

go out and find my own doctor to treat me. I never did get a

referral. I would have rather been referred and not needed the

specialist, than to have never seen one at all. Most doctors need to

be a little better about treating the whole patient.

[Guest guest]

wrote :

<<.........and a test of lung function (some kind of challenge to induce

asthma in those who are asthmatic). I don’t know if she

thinks I’m imagining things or if she thinks something else is going on

or if she just doesn’t know yet. >>

Oh my...I hate those tsts where they to reproduce your 'attacks'...with

me it's easy, just put perfume in the room...but than what ??

Sure an emergency treatment will kick you out of it, but I still hate

those kind of tests..

Who knows what 'ticks' you off and with what severity, for that you will

have to do a bit of detective work yourself.

Keep a diary and write into it, all you eat, where you have been, what

you use on cleaning and detergent materials and who you have seen, which

includes trips to hairdressers, stores of any kind.

Often, just with that, one can ID the culprit and eliminate the offense.

Allergy attacks that induce asthma , can be as weird as going to

someone's house where there is a new couch treated with teflon stain

repellant,new sheeting, someone having a cat or the common allergies,

such as to dairy, wheat.

A pulmo Doc will do every test they know of, to rule out severe

diseases, that's their job and they are pretty good at diagnosing and to

assess damage.

Than they will try you on a battery of different drugs to see if you can

get relief.

Not all drugs work the same for all persons. Should your asthma be worst

in spring or fall, most likely pollen is a great offender and medication

to reduce that more applicable. If your asthma pops up when near a

campfire or fireplace, than usually the mold in the bark of the wood

being used is the offender.

Also, be aware that in times of stress or indecision's asthma rears it's

head faster and worst than other times.

If you have been in the ER a few times a nebulizer with medication you

can tolerate will make a big difference, if applied at the first

symptoms of an attack.

Almost all asthma medications will do something to 'rev' up your

adrenaline, to open up the airways and people react different to such

medications. You need to find the level you can tolerate. Maybe instead

of 2 puffs of albuterol you only need one, or a drug such as Intal could

keep you from having attacks.Worked for me for many years.

The Jewish hospital in Colorado is a wonderful free resourse to call if

you have questions , they have trained nurses to answer your questions

and it's not a program to 'peddle'

medication..http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/medfacts.html

Just a very good resource to call or peruse.

After a lifetime of asthma, my body has learned to gauge rather well,

how to weed out allergens and more importantly, except for a few

instances beyond my control, I do not wait to open my airways and lungs,

if I have medication that will do it.The further you go down the deep

hole of not being able to breathe, the longer it takes to get out of it.

C-M

[Guest guest]

wrote :

<<.........and a test of lung function (some kind of challenge to induce

asthma in those who are asthmatic). I don’t know if she

thinks I’m imagining things or if she thinks something else is going on

or if she just doesn’t know yet. >>

Oh my...I hate those tsts where they to reproduce your 'attacks'...with

me it's easy, just put perfume in the room...but than what ??

Sure an emergency treatment will kick you out of it, but I still hate

those kind of tests..

Who knows what 'ticks' you off and with what severity, for that you will

have to do a bit of detective work yourself.

Keep a diary and write into it, all you eat, where you have been, what

you use on cleaning and detergent materials and who you have seen, which

includes trips to hairdressers, stores of any kind.

Often, just with that, one can ID the culprit and eliminate the offense.

Allergy attacks that induce asthma , can be as weird as going to

someone's house where there is a new couch treated with teflon stain

repellant,new sheeting, someone having a cat or the common allergies,

such as to dairy, wheat.

A pulmo Doc will do every test they know of, to rule out severe

diseases, that's their job and they are pretty good at diagnosing and to

assess damage.

Than they will try you on a battery of different drugs to see if you can

get relief.

Not all drugs work the same for all persons. Should your asthma be worst

in spring or fall, most likely pollen is a great offender and medication

to reduce that more applicable. If your asthma pops up when near a

campfire or fireplace, than usually the mold in the bark of the wood

being used is the offender.

Also, be aware that in times of stress or indecision's asthma rears it's

head faster and worst than other times.

If you have been in the ER a few times a nebulizer with medication you

can tolerate will make a big difference, if applied at the first

symptoms of an attack.

Almost all asthma medications will do something to 'rev' up your

adrenaline, to open up the airways and people react different to such

medications. You need to find the level you can tolerate. Maybe instead

of 2 puffs of albuterol you only need one, or a drug such as Intal could

keep you from having attacks.Worked for me for many years.

The Jewish hospital in Colorado is a wonderful free resourse to call if

you have questions , they have trained nurses to answer your questions

and it's not a program to 'peddle'

medication..http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/medfacts.html

Just a very good resource to call or peruse.

After a lifetime of asthma, my body has learned to gauge rather well,

how to weed out allergens and more importantly, except for a few

instances beyond my control, I do not wait to open my airways and lungs,

if I have medication that will do it.The further you go down the deep

hole of not being able to breathe, the longer it takes to get out of it.

C-M

[Guest guest]

wrote :

<<.........and a test of lung function (some kind of challenge to induce

asthma in those who are asthmatic). I don’t know if she

thinks I’m imagining things or if she thinks something else is going on

or if she just doesn’t know yet. >>

Oh my...I hate those tsts where they to reproduce your 'attacks'...with

me it's easy, just put perfume in the room...but than what ??

Sure an emergency treatment will kick you out of it, but I still hate

those kind of tests..

Who knows what 'ticks' you off and with what severity, for that you will

have to do a bit of detective work yourself.

Keep a diary and write into it, all you eat, where you have been, what

you use on cleaning and detergent materials and who you have seen, which

includes trips to hairdressers, stores of any kind.

Often, just with that, one can ID the culprit and eliminate the offense.

Allergy attacks that induce asthma , can be as weird as going to

someone's house where there is a new couch treated with teflon stain

repellant,new sheeting, someone having a cat or the common allergies,

such as to dairy, wheat.

A pulmo Doc will do every test they know of, to rule out severe

diseases, that's their job and they are pretty good at diagnosing and to

assess damage.

Than they will try you on a battery of different drugs to see if you can

get relief.

Not all drugs work the same for all persons. Should your asthma be worst

in spring or fall, most likely pollen is a great offender and medication

to reduce that more applicable. If your asthma pops up when near a

campfire or fireplace, than usually the mold in the bark of the wood

being used is the offender.

Also, be aware that in times of stress or indecision's asthma rears it's

head faster and worst than other times.

If you have been in the ER a few times a nebulizer with medication you

can tolerate will make a big difference, if applied at the first

symptoms of an attack.

Almost all asthma medications will do something to 'rev' up your

adrenaline, to open up the airways and people react different to such

medications. You need to find the level you can tolerate. Maybe instead

of 2 puffs of albuterol you only need one, or a drug such as Intal could

keep you from having attacks.Worked for me for many years.

The Jewish hospital in Colorado is a wonderful free resourse to call if

you have questions , they have trained nurses to answer your questions

and it's not a program to 'peddle'

medication..http://www.nationaljewish.org/medfacts/medfacts.html

Just a very good resource to call or peruse.

After a lifetime of asthma, my body has learned to gauge rather well,

how to weed out allergens and more importantly, except for a few

instances beyond my control, I do not wait to open my airways and lungs,

if I have medication that will do it.The further you go down the deep

hole of not being able to breathe, the longer it takes to get out of it.

C-M

[Guest guest]

Not a thing. I really came away feeling like she

thinks I’m making it all up. Whatever. I *know* something is wrong. Heck, here I am

awoken again by tightness in my chest (and a peak flow back down around 325 vs

the 440 I got at noon). It really

bothers me that she completely dismissed a week’s worth of peak flow

readings simply because the test I did in her office (spirometry) was normal. I told her I wasn’t having any

symptoms then.

I don’t know what I’ll do if

the test is ‘normal’. She’s

a specialist, KWIM? If she says I

don’t have asthma, then maybe this is something else? Don’t know what it could be though.

Thank you for the sympathy. I appreciate it.

I am sorry you

didn't get the information that you wanted. Just be sure to continue

looking until you are satisfied with the results. I wish I had done

that five years ago. Hopefully the tests will validate what you are

feeling and they will be able to give you medicine that will relieve your

symptoms. Did she even prescribe anything?.

[Guest guest]

Not a thing. I really came away feeling like she

thinks I’m making it all up. Whatever. I *know* something is wrong. Heck, here I am

awoken again by tightness in my chest (and a peak flow back down around 325 vs

the 440 I got at noon). It really

bothers me that she completely dismissed a week’s worth of peak flow

readings simply because the test I did in her office (spirometry) was normal. I told her I wasn’t having any

symptoms then.

I don’t know what I’ll do if

the test is ‘normal’. She’s

a specialist, KWIM? If she says I

don’t have asthma, then maybe this is something else? Don’t know what it could be though.

Thank you for the sympathy. I appreciate it.

I am sorry you

didn't get the information that you wanted. Just be sure to continue

looking until you are satisfied with the results. I wish I had done

that five years ago. Hopefully the tests will validate what you are

feeling and they will be able to give you medicine that will relieve your

symptoms. Did she even prescribe anything?.

[Guest guest]

First I want to say thank you for not immediately

assuming nothing is wrong with me because the doctor didn’t see any

symptoms at my visit.

I don’t know what my trigger is L My peak flow is lowest

in the late PM and early AM. I

asked for my test to be done at 830AM. Aside from the time of day I don’t

know what my trigger is but hopefully going in when my peak flow is lower will

help….???

Thanks .

Do you have another

visit? It is not unusual to have been symptom free at the time of

the visit. If you are not happy make sure you find a doctor who will

take you seriously. I have talked to people who take a brisk walk or

expose themselves to a trigger before their appointments to ensure that

they have symptoms during their visit. That way the doctor has to

pay attention to them. They don't make it too bad, but enough to

show the doctor what they experience. I have never had to do this

since my lung function is already so poor, but I know of several people

who do..

[Guest guest]

First I want to say thank you for not immediately

assuming nothing is wrong with me because the doctor didn’t see any

symptoms at my visit.

I don’t know what my trigger is L My peak flow is lowest

in the late PM and early AM. I

asked for my test to be done at 830AM. Aside from the time of day I don’t

know what my trigger is but hopefully going in when my peak flow is lower will

help….???

Thanks .

Do you have another

visit? It is not unusual to have been symptom free at the time of

the visit. If you are not happy make sure you find a doctor who will

take you seriously. I have talked to people who take a brisk walk or

expose themselves to a trigger before their appointments to ensure that

they have symptoms during their visit. That way the doctor has to

pay attention to them. They don't make it too bad, but enough to

show the doctor what they experience. I have never had to do this

since my lung function is already so poor, but I know of several people

who do..

[Guest guest]

Don’t know *what* to think. I hope she’s not thinking it’s

something altogether different (and worse!). I’ll just wait and see.

Hopefully the time of day will make a difference. If not, find

another doctor until you are satisfied. I know my current doctor pays a

lot of attention to my peak flow numbers. It is really odd that yours

wouldn't. She surely must know that most asthmatics are not symptomatic

all of the time. I really hope that you get to the bottom of all of this.

Brad &

wrote:

First I want to say thank you for not

immediately assuming nothing is wrong with me because the doctor didnt see

any symptoms at my visit.

I dont know what my trigger is L My peak flow is lowest

in the late PM and early AM. I

asked for my test to be done at 830AM.

Aside from the time of day I dont know what my trigger is but

hopefully going in when my peak flow is lower will help.???

Thanks .

..

[Guest guest]

Don’t know *what* to think. I hope she’s not thinking it’s

something altogether different (and worse!). I’ll just wait and see.

Hopefully the time of day will make a difference. If not, find

another doctor until you are satisfied. I know my current doctor pays a

lot of attention to my peak flow numbers. It is really odd that yours

wouldn't. She surely must know that most asthmatics are not symptomatic

all of the time. I really hope that you get to the bottom of all of this.

Brad &

wrote:

First I want to say thank you for not

immediately assuming nothing is wrong with me because the doctor didnt see

any symptoms at my visit.

I dont know what my trigger is L My peak flow is lowest

in the late PM and early AM. I

asked for my test to be done at 830AM.

Aside from the time of day I dont know what my trigger is but

hopefully going in when my peak flow is lower will help.???

Thanks .

..