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symptoms of asthma attack

Read and learn more about symptoms of asthma attack. For more, visit the Asthma website MrAsthma.com

Q: can 2D-echo and ECG detects if you have encountered heart attack symptoms? or have asthma attacks?
sometimes i experienced tightening in my chest and hard to breath..no jaw and arm numbness experienced.

sometimes i woke up middle of the night and catching my breath..can this be heart attack or asthma symptoms?

please help..

thanks

A: only a doc can b 4 sure, but an echo and ecg check the heart . the echo bounces sound waves off the heart and checks the functioning of the valves and the muscle itself. the ecg actually checks for damage caused by a heart attack, or checks for how the electrical activity of the heart is working. asthma is checked by performing a pulmonary function test(breathing test).

Q: Asthma attack symptoms?
What are the symptoms of an asthma attack in peopel with cough variant asthma?

A: As you cough your chest will start to feel tighter and tighter until it is hard to push air from the lungs. You cough because the airways are becoming narrow and you are trying to bring up phlem that is blocking the airways. Try to relax and use your emergency puffer. If you feel your chest getting tighter after using the puffer please get to the hospital asap for a mask.

Q: asthma attack symptoms please help?
i was recentley told i had asthma and was given a flovent inhaler and was told too puff it twice in morning and twice at night well today i was walking in the house and started coughing and chokeing very bad too the point i was dry heaveing and could not breath my friend told me that was an asthma attack of some sort is this true , i wasnt told too use my inhaler if anything happened wasnt even warned that anything could happen
was this indeed a asthma attack

A: If you were given Flovent to use you should also have been given a “rescue inhaler”, like Albuterol. The Flovent is a maintenance drug, to try to prevent asthma attacks. But if you become short of breath, it will do nothing for you. You need to get a bronchodilator-Albuterol, Combivent or Xopenex. These will help you when you become short of breath.

Q: What are the symptoms of an asthma attack for an infant?
My baby just turned 6 months today. I went in for her 6 month shots and she was wheezy and with a really bad cough. The Dr. told me she could be getting asthma so now she has to be on an inhaler. So I’m trying to learn all about asthma as I can, so I was wondering what are the symptoms for a 6 moth old.
Sorry I meant asthma attack on a 6 month old

A: Some symptoms you can look for are, as you listed wheezing, and bad cough. As an infant or a teen or even an adult, cough because of the mucous built up in the lungs in reaction to allergens and dusts in the air.
Now this doesnt mean u shud completely fill you house with PURE oxygen. As infants as horrible as this mite sound you shud nuture them with the natural environment they are already in, that way your child can produce cells that are immune to those allergens… but im going off topic i jsut thought u should know that

anyway

some symptoms are, turning blue in the face, difficulty breathing, as the child may gasp for air.
difficulty speaking (when the child is trying to blurt out something)
and worst case scenario, the child may faint

Q: What are the first symptoms of an asthma attack?
I think i’m having one.

A: u can’t breath very well
take ur inhaler if u don’t go to the e.r

Q: how might pursed lip breathing reduce the symptoms of an asthma attack?

A: I will have to disagree with the 1st poster. I have severe asthma and using the pursed lip method helps. The problem asthmatics have are 3 fold. 1st: the airway becomes inflamed and reduces the amount of air going into the lungs. 2nd: mucus starts to block the airway further reducing the air flow. Last (3rd), the smooth muscles that are rapped around the bronchial airway will constrict. I like to call this the triple threat.

Having a asthma attack can be very scary and if a person starts to panic, the 3rd threat will constrict the smooth muscles more. Using the pursed lip method can cause a person to relax more thus reducing the muscle constriction. It will also increase the oxygen in the body. I use this whenever I start to have trouble with my asthma and it works well for me.

The trouble with asthma is not getting air into the lungs but trying to exhale the bad air out.

Q: Is numbness a symptom of an asthma attack?
Occasionally,mainly at night,I have trouble breathing,tightness in my chest,and numbness of half of my left arm that goes from my pinky to my elbow….could it just be asthma or could it be a heart attack?…….thanks….I am 19 btw

A: You need to go to the ER ASAP if you are having numbness in your left arm. This is serious! Yes, some people do have heart attacks even at age 19 it is not as common but it does happen.

Good luck and let us know how everything goes

Q: What are the symptoms of a Panic Attack?
Twice now a few years apart I have experienced what I believe to be a panic attack. I always thought before that it was an asthma attack, but the inhaler never seems to help much. My breathing test measured 29 which is just one point into the asthma range so I don’t treat it. For me it always started with trouble breathing when I can’t seem to slow it down, which most times I can if I force my mouth closed and breath through my nose to slow it down. A couple of times now, I was frightened and couldn’t slow it down for over an hour which left me pale, clammy, weak and disoriented. I also get to the point where I think I’m going to faint and can not move at all for fear of fainting. (Too much oxygen?) I have not yet discussed the severe attacks with my doctor.

A: It sounds like your describing hyperventilation. Yes, that is a symptom of anxiety and yes it is too much oxygen and can cause the symptoms you describe. Other symptoms include, chest pain, dizziness, heart palpitations, unusual fear.

Q: If you have a child with asthma, how did you recognize an asthma attack?
My 2 girls have asthma and I was recently diagnosed with it. I’ve read a lot about the symptoms and signs of asthma and asthma attacks, but I would like to hear first hand experiences.

My girls are 5 and 3, and I have albuterol for the nebulizer in case of an attack.

I have a baby monitor on all night to hear them.

A: i have asthma and so does one of my daughters. hers is not typical in that she doesn’t wheeze, at least not that you can hear without a stethoscope. but she coughs and you can see her struggling to breathe. she’ll have trouble talking normally because she has to take extra breaths.

to gauge how bad it is we sometimes have her sing the abcs on one breath. if she doesn’t make it through, we pull out the inhaler….

for yourself, you’ll just know. i always feel like i have a brick on my chest.

it’s a pretty stressful thing. my daughter was really ill a lot until she got put on daily medications. best of luck for all of you.

Q: Do I really have asthma at all or near as bad as my Doc mad it to be?
I am an 18 year old college freshman I have been an active athlete for at least the past 10 years and i have never experienced any asthma symptoms but my doc diagnosed me with acute asthma when i was around 12 or 13 and so my freshman year of high school football so i used my inhaler just based of the fact i thought that i had to for the duration of my 9th grade year. my tenth grade year i joind the varsity wrestling team and havent used my inhaler since so i participated in 3 seasons of wrestling and foot ball without having any symptoms nor have i EVER in the history of me had an asthma attack. this year i wrestled for about a month or so for my community college without and inhaler or symptoms and attacks and recently i have had my mind set on joining the US army so i went to my doctor to see if i could retake an asthma test or something of the sort so he brought out some machine that i had to blow into for as long as i can i did it he left the room came back and told me i had the worst asthma he had ever seen. Even now after he said that i am still active as in doing cardio and lifting weights i run 2 miles whenever im on a treadmill and i feel no different than someone else thats in my shape so does this really mean i have asthma at all???
i didn’t know how to write it under u but that is exactly true because even when i don’t bring up the army he tells me don’t go…good thing is he just moved to California 2 days ago so im forced to get a new doc and i know what my first appointment is. to sherry ty

A: well my advice to you is go to another doctor, for what ever reason, your current doctor, is not up to date with you, the asthma test, which was done, evaluated your lung capacity at that time, you may have been having a bad day, it can be reevaluated on a different day and you may have a better result. I have a feeling the doctor, feels he is doing you a favor by keeping you out of the Army. You might want to go to someone different if that is your true desire.

Q: i had an asthma attack when i don’t have asthma?
I was running track today and all of a sudden i can’t breathe and i get all the symptoms of the attack and im wondering how all of a sudden i got one.

A: I agree. You should see the doctor. A few things. You could have bronchitis or just be out of shape. I can’t breathe when I haven’t run for a while and try to. You can put your hands over your head and walk (don’t stop). Sometimes you need an inhaler even if you don’t have asthma or maybe its a mild case. For sure ask the doctor and they will measure your lung span to see if your lungs are full of liquid or something. An inhaler may help!

Q: As a result of an asthma attack, can you get a migraine headache?
I have asthma and get migraine headaches. I’ve realized that when I get a sudden asthma attack from running up the stairs or walking far without breathing deeply, I get a throbbing and pulsating migraine. Are these connected? Because I can’t take in enough air during an attack, are migraines a possible symptom because I can’t get enough air to my head? I may sound strange or unintelligent, but I was just wondering… Thanks!

A: Asthma and migraine are not related as such. But the triggering factors for migraine like stress could precipitate an attack of migraine. jus keep your asthma under control that should do it. and if you get migraine attack more than 4 times a year then it need medication.

Q: During an asthma attack….?
I have asthma and it’s gotten worse within the past few years, but I’m still learning as I go…. Usually, when an attack occurs, I feel like I can’t exhale. But right now, I’m having sharp pains near my breastbones and it just feels like there is this huge weight on my chest. Occasionally, it feels like someone is trying to separate my breastbones. Earlier today, I felt as if I couldn’t get out a sentence, but I still wasn’t having my typical exhaling problem.

Has any fellow asthmatics experienced that before and are these common symptoms of an attack?

I took my inhaler about 3 times today, but the pain/tightness isn’t really going away….

Also, any tips to make it better?
I went to the doctor about 2 weekends ago and she put me on a 6 day treatment of methylprednisolone and that helped, especially with the weakness I was feeling.

I’m also on pulmicort as a preventative and albuterol as the reliever.

A: I am also an asthmatic, and occassionally have what you are experiencing. I must ask – when did you last have your asthma assessed? I think you may need your asthma medication to be changed. Also, do you take a preventer? I have preventer and reliever medication – I hardly ever have to take my reliever medication, and my preventer works really well.

Go see the doctor and be reassessed. Ask about reliever and preventer medicines. In the meantime, practice breathing exercises. Take deep breaths in and out, force yourself to regulate your breathing (ie – even if you feel like you need to breathe fast, make yourself breathe slower with the deep breaths), and drink lots of water.

Q: Should I Report This Pharmacist (She Refused To Give Me Medication During An Asthma Attack) PLEASE READ?
Ok so I have Medi-Cal. My case was closed becaus I was homeless last summer. My situation improved and by Halloween 2008 I had housing. I went in December to re-new it and I was denied benefits, but I was told by my worker that if I had an emergency that I’d still be able to get my prescriptions and just to have them bill my old account since its getting re-opened anyways.

On Jan. 31, 2009 I was having an asthma attack. I went to the ER and the doctor said I didn’t sound so bad (but I’ve been suffering with asthma all my life so I know the symptoms of an attack). Well he gave me my prescription and I went to Walgreens pharmacy to fill it.

Long story short the pharmacist REFUSED to give me my medication because my Medi-Cal card was declined. I argued with her for fifteen minutes and told her I’m having a medical emergency and that she can bill me later. She wouldn’t do it even though SHE CAN because in California she could just bill Medi-Cal and they’d send me the bill.

I went back to the ER and told them what happened. All the nurses who heard my story (about six of them) were appalled. I went through the ER’s pharmacy and recieved my inhaler and pills right away with no fuss.

Now I need to know if I have grounds to file a complaint against the pharmacist at Walgreens? Please dont tell me to get a job. I have one coming at the end of February and I’ve worked in the past 6 months.
Lawsuit? No I just want to complain about her lack of professionalism. She was just being lazy and didn’t want to go the extra mile to help a customer out.

Sadly thats how it is nowadays. Customer service is going down the drain.
I went to the same pharmacy in September 2008 when my Medi-Cal was discontinued and had no problems because the pharmacist let me know that they can just bill it to Medi-Cal and they deal with it.

They wouldn’t lose their jobs. I will no longer be going there. I guess thats the best I can do.
No I live in Sacramento, Ca
Oh and I just got my new Medi-Cal card last night in the mail and it was issued 1/26/2009 so I was insured at the time I went to the pharmacy. That pharmacist just wasn’t doing her job. I’m reporting her.

A: Wow. This is very sad, and if you died right there on the spot which could have happened I bet this woman wouldn’t even notice. This is tragic.

There is one thing I do have to say. Drink WATER when you think you will or when you have an actual asthma attack or take an ALTOID this is if there is no inhaler present or some form of relied. Please try it.

I am sorry this happened to you, but definitely I would complian. Was this Walgreens in Burbank, Ca?

Q: Asthma return after years without attack or symptoms?
I had mild asthma as a child but never really had a bad attack, yesterday after about 6 years without any symptoms I had a bad attack, I had severe chest pain, trouble breathing, wheezing and coughing. I used my inhaler and that helped some but it took over 12 hours before I felt really better, but I am still feeling short of breath.

I am going to see my dr. on Monday but what I want to know is what would cause my asthma to return after so long, I thought I had outgrown it and more importantly why is it so bad.

A: Not at all unusual. You NEVER “outgrow” your asthma. If you got it, you got it for life. You may not have an attack for years or even decades, but you ALWAYS have asthma.

As for triggers, the most common ones are infections like colds or allergens such as pollens. But emotional stress can certainly be a trigger among many things.

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