asthma attacks

Read and learn more about asthma attacks. For more, visit the Asthma website MrAsthma.com

Q: asthma attacks?
okay, I have asthma, and I get attacks whenever I play basketball, when it is hot out, or when theres a lot of dust in an area. I take singulair daily, and it usually helps quite a bit. my attacks have been more frequently lately since I’ve been playing basketball more, and it’s been hotter out. however, whenever I get attacks, I take my inhaler, but I freak out and I make my attacks worse because I can’t calm myself down. a lot of times I start to shake and I have passed out a few times because I freak out so bad. is there anything I can do, so that this won’t happen anymore? I hate it when it gets that bad. Thanks!
unfortunatly, I pretty much have to play basketball in the heat. I have camps just about every week, and non of these places turn on their air conditioning — which really sucks.

A: Asthma sucks. I’ve had plenty of attacks where I haven’t had my inhaler with me… I try to stop whatever I’m doing and sit down in a cool place. I try to think like this… it might be uncomfortable for a little while, but I’ll get through it. Take control of your breathing (not the sound of the wheezing or the tight feeling) force yourself to inhale and then exhale. If that doesn’t work, try concentration on something else, I make my friends tell me funny stories or soemthing like that. If they’re getting more and more frequent, you might want to talk to your doctor – maybe try a different daily med or carry a nebulizer with you.

Good luck!

Q: Asthma attacks???
Just wondering if anyone knows what is best to do if somebody is having an asthma attack. Obviously use inhaler and if it doesn’t subside call an ambulance, but anyone have any tips to make them more comfortable. (What to do – what not to do)

Just thought i better know all i can cos a couple of my friends have asthma.
Is ir best to sit them up or lie them down?i keep being told different things!

A: From my personal experience sitting up leaning forward is best and just sit beside them. Talking is fine – but don’t expect answers as it is hard to talk when short of breath. being calm yourself is also a good thing – your calmness will rub off onto your friends.

Get rid of unwanted bystanders – all they do is make you feel like the freak at a freak show – which dosne’t really help the stress situation.

Back to the lying vs sitting thing. Sitting up for me was always easier to breath. Fixating the arms allowed me to use my shoulders to help breath as the normal muscles just wouldn’t cope with the extra stress. If you lie down you lose this abilty. Also basic first aid – protect the airway – if the airway is ever comprimised you put them in the recovery position – this is on the side – and not on your back where the tounge can limit your airway – not ideal in a situation where the airway is already compromised.

Other things – get in a nice quiet environment – avoid dramatic chages in air temp – the easiest air to breath is warm moist air – like steam from a bathroom. Avoid going out into the chill night air as this will constrict the airways further. Also get out of smokey environments or areas with air pollution – this includes natural as well as man made – i.e. flower pollens etc.

Hope some of that is helpful. Also talk to your friends – if they have been asthamtics for a while they will know what is comfortable for them and what is not. And good work on you for finding out now – before you need ot use it. You sound like your a pretty good friend to have around.

Q: ASTHMA ATTACKS????????
my allergies are really bad right now and at some points i feel really short of breath and have to take my inhaler. i was just wondering how you can tell your having an asthma attack just so i know in the future if something happens. if someone can tell me, that would be great and earn you 10 points. thanks

A: You can tell it’s an asthma attack when you’re really short of breath.

Allergies can often worsen asthma.

Try some over the counter allergy meds until you can see your doctor.

Q: How to treat asthma and how to prevent allrgic asthma attacks?
I have always been sensitive to air pollution, smoke, dust, pollen and other things that trigger asthma. How can I help myselfwith asthma attacks?

A: Do not smoke or allow smoking in your home – Babies exposed to tobacco smoke are more likely to get asthma. If a woman is exposed to tobacco smoke during pregnancy, her baby may also be more likely to get asthma.

If animal dander is a problem for you, keep your pet out of the house or at least out of your bedroom, or find it a new home.

If pollen is a problem for you, if possible, stay indoors with the air conditioner on, when the pollen count is high. Do not run the air-conditioning, whether in car or indoors, on the setting that draws in outside air and cools it. Outside air brings with it pollen, and cool, pollinated air is bad for asthma.

To control dust mites, wash your sheets, blankets, pillows, and stuffed toys once a week in hot water. You can get special dust proof covers for your mattress and pillows.

If cold air bothers you, wear a scarf over your mouth and nose in the winter.

There are a number of highly effective herbal and homeopathic remedies that may be used for the successful treatment of asthma and other respiratory conditions. Depending on the severity of the asthma, natural remedies can either reduce or completely eliminate the need for the synthetic drugs and are often used in conjunction with conventional medications as a part of a holistic treatment plan.

Herbal ingredients such as Matricaria recutita and Astralagus are known for their antispasmodic and anti-inflammatory properties, while homeopathic ingredients such as Mag. Phos. and Nat. Sulph are successful at easing chest and throat constriction and soothing mucous membranes while reducing the presence of phlegm in the chest. Used regularly, natural remedies can help improve respiratory health, reduce the incidence and severity of asthma attacks while strengthening the immune system.

You may get detailed info on the above here http://www.healthherbsandnutrition.com/remedies/a/asthma.htm

Q: How many different forms do Asthma attacks take?
I have a few questions about asthma attacks:
1.) If someone had an asthma attack and didn’t have their inhaler on them, what would happen? Death? Shock? Unconsciousness? Depends on the attack?
2.) Is there a Plan B incase an inhaler is not present. Like insulin? I remember in ‘Signs’ they had a scene w/ a breathing exercise.
3.) Any other information I’m unaware of regrading asthma attacks?

A: I find that drinking coffee or getting some caffeine helps my asthma. I don’t think insulin would be a good choice. You can die from an asthma attack. I thought I was having panic attacks for years but finally a doctor diagnosed my asthma and I have not had a problem since. So an asthma attack and a panic attack can be pretty much the same.

Q: Is the hypothesis that pollen in the air increases asthma attacks is supported by the data correct?
Is the hypothesis that pollen in the air increases asthma attacks is supported by the data correct? Explain why or why not?

And state one effect of asthma on the gaseous exchange system.

A: No. The definition of a hypothesis is that it is a statement that may or may not be true, therefore, it is to be tested.

Also, people who have asthma, usually get asthma attacks from over exertion, versus, people who have allergies, who are sensitive to pollen in the air.

Q: Do people usually survive asthma attacks? Please answer my freind is in the hospital?
So this is really freaking me out. One of my friends had a really bad asthma attack on Monday and he is still in the hospital right now on oxygen because he can’t breathe. So do people usually survive asthma attacks if they go to the hospital? THANKS SOOO much I really appreciate it.

A: If an attack is going to kill you it’ll do it within the first hour or so and usually before you get to the hospital. Once in the hospital there are many things they can use. They can go as far as putting a tube down your throat and placing you on a respirator in addition to all the medications. These things do not always work. A lot of people still die from asthma. The sooner you get to a hospital the better but sometimes there’s nothing they can do.
From what you’ve said it sounds as if your friend will be just fine.He should hook up with an asthma educational class when he gets out. Ask his Respiratory Therapist for more information on that.
God bless.

Q: Can panic attacks cause an asthma attack?
Sometimes when I have panic attacks, I start to wheeze uncontrollably. I do have asthma, and I was wondering can fear set of asthma? I was diagnosed with asthma 2 weeks ago and I don’t really know too much about it. Sorry.

A: Panic attacks start when the fight-or-flight response of the body acts up uncontrollably, usually without any explicit cause. The actual attack sets in because this scares us tremendously and causes even further fear and anxiety to be generated, then the elevated level of anxiety scares us even further… and so on and so on… it’s a self-aggravating process that sort of automatically makes itself stronger over a very short period of time by ‘feeding back into ourselves’.

Panic attacks usually don’t cause actual medical problems. It’s possible that if you become so scared and panicked that you begin to hyper-ventilate, then your asthma-afflicted lungs will naturally have some difficulty. Usually though, people suffering from panic attacks are simply so terrified that subtle changes in breathing and heart beat FEEL very exaggerated.

One of the most common things that frighten people having anxiety attacks is the overwhelming notion that they are about to have a heart attack. They seem to literally feel their heart practically beating its way out of the chest. In actuality, though, a heart attack almost never really occurs (at least no more often than the ordinary person gets a heart attack). The individual is simply experiencing heightened sense perceptions that typically accompany the fight-or-flight response, and don’t realize that they are actually just paying closer attention to their heartbeat than they ever would bother to ordinarily. Thus, their increased heart-rate seems to them to be many times more pronounced than it actually is.

Q: My dog has asthma attacks what can I do to help her?
She is a chiuauah and she has these attacks where she makes this noise and she cant breath. I talk her down but that’s about all I know how to do. Im assuming she has asthma.

A: Sounds like “Reverse sneeze syndrome” which is fairly common, it sounds like they are coughing while inhaling & usually happens when the dog is very excited. It could also be a collapsing trachea which someone else mentioned. I would make an appointment with the vet to be sure. While reverse sneeze is not harmful, a collapsing trachea can be. Good Luck.

Q: Is it possible to have asthma and not have asthma attacks?
I think I might have a minor case of asthma because my chest hurts badly when I run and for the rest of that day. I’ve never had an asthma attack, so is it at all possible to have asthma?

I have an appointment to see a doctor but I wanted to know if anyone knew beforehand.

A: Yes, it is. Symptoms are
* Tightness in the chest
* Characteristic ‘wheezing’ sound, especially when exhaling
* Shortness of breath
* Persistent cough, especially at night
* May have increased pulse, anxiety or fear

Asthma has typically been divided into two major categories: extrinsic and intrinsic. Extrinsic, or atopic, asthma is generally considered an allergic condition, with a characteristic increase in levels of serum IgE-the allergic antibody. Intrinsic asthma is associated with a bronchial reaction that is due not to allergy, but rather to such factors as toxic chemicals, cold air, exercise, infection, and emotional upset. Both extrinsic and intrinsic factors trigger the release of chemicals like histamine that mediate (produce or control) inflammation from mast cells-specialized white blood cells that reside in various body tissues, including the lining of the respiratory passages. The rate of asthma in the United States is rising rapidly, especially among children. Reasons often given to explain the rise in asthma include: increased stress on the immune system due to greater chemical pollution in the air, water, and food; earlier weaning and earlier introduction of solid foods to infants; food additives; and genetic manipulation of plants, resulting in food components with greater allergenic tendencies.

There are four important dietary therapies in asthma: elimination of food allergies, following a vegetarian diet, and elimination of food additives. If you’d like to read more, go here:

http://www.doctormurray.com/conditions/Asthma.asp

Q: what can be done for a pomeranian with asthma attacks?
i have a 6yr old pomeranian who has recently started having asthma attacks. i was curious if anyone else has dealt with this and what treatments if any helped?

A: has the pom been diagnosed with asthma?a vet would be the one to prescribe medication for it..small dogs have trachea problems too..i would go to the vet..

Q: Can Asthma attacks consist in the chest?
I wake up some mornings coughing and have trouble breathing in the right side of the chest, is this an asthma attack?

A: yep
so can pneumonia and bronchitis

Q: Does anyone else with asthma have vertigo prior to their attacks?
My daughter has mild asthma, but when she is exposed to certain strong smells such as perfume she says the room will start spinning and it won’t stop. Then she will sometimes not always have an asthma attack (chest tightness, coughing to the point of choking, trouble breathing) and has to use her albuterol inhaler to make it stop. Just wondering if anyone else has ever experienced the vertigo/dizziness just before their attack. Wondering if she’s already closing up and losing oxygen and just doesn’t realize it. Any suggestions would be helpful as the Dr. seems perplexed. Thanks!

A: Insufficient oxygen in her brain..
No, i don’t have any vertigo symptom before my asthma attack. I will cough non stop and it’s like i am going to cough out my lungs.. Your daughter might be allergic to strong smells (also known as asthma allergens).. Please advise her to avoid all those allergens..

Q: Is there a red inhaler to relieve asthma attacks?
On a program here in the UK they showed David Beckham using a red inhaler to relieve a asthma attack. I thought the red inhalers were preventatives. Can someone help please?

A: I have a red one too,it’s called symbicort.I rather have advair but VERY costly

Q: Could having to many asthma attacks lead to back pain?
i have had wayyy too many asthma attacks in the past few months. i have exercise induced asthma and i also have terrible back pain. im 14. i play a ton of sports. my back has been hurting about a month and a half so im wondering if the asthma attacks could have anything to do with my back pain?

A: Yes it could. When you have an asthma attack you are probably using accessory muscles to help you breathe. The back pain you are feeling could be strain on these muscles because they have been working extra hard to help you breathe.

You need to see your doctor to get on an asthma action management plan so this doesnt happen.

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