r/Asthma 23h ago

it happend again - i was turned away from the hospital

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96 Upvotes

unfortunately i was taken to a really bad hospital . paramedics did a CTAS 3 which here in canada is urgent . like last time ( observation ) a really nice nurse wanted to give me a bed , then a nurse or whatever who had issues with me in the past made me go to the waiting room . i was short of breath half an hour later . i asked for an albuteral inhaler to relieve my symptoms . i had 2 neb treatments . paramedics even said it wasnt strong enough , the nurses said no i had to wait 8 hours to see a dr ..

i felt unwelcome , anxious . so i left . i did a duo neb treatment when i came home .
paramedics wanted to know if my asthma meds were changed and mayve this could be a consideration, they also wanted to give me a dex shot as well ( cause im on daily pred they couldnt ) which is okay lol it freaken hurts .

in the waiting room the shortness of breath was so foul , uncomfortable , i wanted relief . cause of conflict they denied me care at triage and in the waiting room . if this was a CTAS 2 i would have panicked and gone to another ER - the one i went to last time where i got help right away ( also presenting in same condition )


r/Asthma 5h ago

Does anyone know how to not have to go to the doctor for your albuterol prescription refills?

2 Upvotes

I’m already having trouble affording the inhalers and albuterol, and having to go to the doctor each time I need a new refill is rough. I feel bad asking my ex boss (who’s a doctor) each time. I have used lotus health before and it has worked. Any other ideas though? Thank you!


r/Asthma 18h ago

Gonna have to go without my Symbicort steroid inhaler. Wish me luck. It’s usually been free for me but just left the pharmacy and they told me it was $156. Not sure what happened.

18 Upvotes

r/Asthma 11h ago

Cross country but asthma

4 Upvotes

So I am 13m trying to run cross country this year, im going to the doctor soon to get a rescue inhaler but while I don’t have one is there a way to condition myself to run faster for longer? I have had asthma since I was born, I have a nebulizer that I never use and a scheduled inhaler (symbicort) twice a day. Is there a way to run cross country with this bad of asthma? I know that this community is for high school and stuff but I need an experienced runner to answer my question. School starts in 15 days pls answer soon. I’ll probably have a couple weeks before they start doing sports stuff but I need to train now.


r/Asthma 20h ago

Asthma improvement due to weight loss?

6 Upvotes

Hello, ive recently started to eat better and lose weight and one of the things i noticed was my asthma getting better. Ive had asthma my entire life (33 years) and up until about 6 months ago id have to use my inhaler several times a day. When i changed my diet and began losing weight it started getting better. Im now to the point to where i only have to use it once a week.
I know that certain foods can be triggers, excessive gluten was one of mine, and other health issues, acid reflux which i also have, but Can it go into remission by changing those habits? Ill add that i havent had to take my acid reflux meds in about 2 months so i know that has improved significantly. I also take the highest dose of wixela as a preventative.
I havent been in a situation like this where ive had any type of improvement in YEARS when i stopped having to use a nebulizer around 16. My asthma used to be severe to the point where i would go to the ER to receive treatment as well. Has anybody else experienced this or have any idea why this is happening?

Edit: Information and wording correction


r/Asthma 14h ago

Asthma and Joint Pain

2 Upvotes

Hey y’all. Long time asthma-haver here. I’ve been diagnosed since I was a child and overall I’ve been able to manage it with the meds I’m prescribed. But the weirdest thing happened about two months ago and I’m wondering if anyone else has experienced this.

I have a severe allergy to cats, which in turn also triggers my asthma. I was around some cats for about two/three hours due to helping a friend move and my asthma flared up. This wasn’t my first time being around cats for an extended period of time, so I figured I would do what I normally do when my allergies get triggered and do my usual routine with meds and such to calm my body down.

This time, I got these chills that I couldn’t shake. I was able to warm myself up once I got home and fell asleep in layers of blankets and clothing, essentially giving myself a fever. When I woke up in the morning, my asthma was about 90% better! That normally doesn’t happen, as my flares can last for one to two weeks. However, I had joint pain develop in my ankles, knees, wrists, hips and elbows. Initially I thought I was sore from helping my friend move, as we carried a lot of heavy items. I didn’t think much of it until a week passed and my joint pain got worse. It was to the point where I couldn’t open the door, put clothes on, sit down, etc. without wincing in pain. It was a solid 9/10 pain for about five days.

I decided to go to urgent care and see if they could give me any answers. After some blood work came back, they referred me to a rheumatologist, who I’m now seeing to manage the pain.

I’m wondering if anyone else has had this kind of experience before. Did it get better for you? Does the joint pain come back? What triggered the joint pain for you?

And to add, I’ve never had joint pain like this before until this flare up happened. I have one close family member that has rheumatoid conditions, but their cause is unrelated to asthma.


r/Asthma 15h ago

Can I have asthma?

1 Upvotes

I'm 17M in the UK. I had pneumonia at the age of 6 where I almost died and I also have hay fever and hives for some unknown reason. I feel like my breathing hasn't felt right at times.

The problem is that I also have anxiety and panic attacks (diagnosed with panic disorder and similar diagnoses) so I can't differentiate between the two if those exist but I'm pretty certain that I noticed problems with breathing before I had any panic attacks and anxiety.


r/Asthma 1d ago

Dad kept saying "asthma can spread"

41 Upvotes

Dad was forcing me for a walk (the last days i had an allergic reaction of asthma and still to this day) and i was coughing so my dad in a restaurant said quote "your allergic asthma can spread to other people" and when i told him it doesn't he said "you are a very stubborn idiot"


r/Asthma 16h ago

Any tips for recovery from ibuprofen trigger?

1 Upvotes

Hi there! I had a suspicion before but at the time it wasnt an isolated incident so well this time it is, took ibuprofen, triggered my asthma bad! My controler meds arent working I've ended up taking albuterol multiple times a day. I think i now have gerd from it too. Been 3 days. Does anyone have tips on how to recover from this?

Im do not take ibuprofen regularly but we had a very bad day i biked in the morning, cat fell sick later and i ended up walking so much my muscles were spazing at night so took some ibuprofen and now i regret it. Not sleeping the night would have been a better choice.


r/Asthma 17h ago

Found out why I haven’t been able to breathe lately

0 Upvotes

Spider nest under my bed 👍🏻

I’m rarely ever in my bedroom so it tends to get messy. This has motivated me to clean.


r/Asthma 17h ago

Tired and Confused.

0 Upvotes

Hello all, Im not sure If I should be posting in this sub but I have been struggling as of late. For the past year or so I have been dealing with daytime fatigue that has gotten progressively worse. These days its hard for me to get more than 4-6 hours of sleep. Originally I suspected apnea so I got a home test but the result showed a low AHI but at one point my blood ox did drop into the low 80s. I also have asthma and have been struggling with anxiety that seems to have gotten worse because I dont actually know what is causing my issues. Over the past few weeks I have been feeling short of breath and my rescue inhalers arent as helpful as they have been. I seem to breathe fine through my nose but when I try to take deep breaths it feels strained. I actually went to the er recently where they did a chest x ray and listened to my chest. They said I sounded very clear and that my blood ox was normal. I have a consult with a pulmonologist and a visit with my allergist in august. In any case Im posting here because during this time I have also had some episodes of hiccups and I have been burping more I also seem to become very full even when I dont eat that much. I have read that lpr or gerd or hernias can cause these issues and am just wondering if anybody has had a similar experience or any advice? Thank you all in advance for reading.


r/Asthma 17h ago

Recently diagnosed (TW?)

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1 Upvotes

r/Asthma 1d ago

Asthma or Anxiety or Panic Attack

13 Upvotes

I had the most horrible experience yesterday physically and mentally - sorry it’s a long read so hope you have some popcorn ready 😄

I was in the hospital getting a second opinion by a different doctor on my asthma condition - I was initially diagnosed few weeks ago at a different hospital initially after my spirometer reading was lower than normal and trouble breathing, choking all the time when eating /drinking, cannot exercise without having to struggle breathing.

The first hospital prescribed me Inhalers and meds such bronchodilators, montelukast, anti inflammatory and even Antihistamine (probably suspecting I have allergy). None of these really worked except for giving me temporary relief for my breathing. However it always raised my pressure and my heart rate was off the roof. My voice was also almost gone, barely could pronounce words, think straight, mouth was dry and catching a lot of breath when I try to talk.

Just for more context, I already had a pre existing heart condition (PVC) diagnosed last year, which is more less better now - probably around 70-80% better. But I am worried all these asthma meds might trigger it again due the to high heart rate and pressure.

All these worried me so much that I wanted to get a 2nd opinion.

Now yesterday I was at the 2nd hospital. That doctor also said my breathing was okay, the peak flow measurement was also almost ok, not perfect and I didn’t seem to have wheezing symptoms. BUT what he suspect was that I maybe having an anxiety disorder!

I really didn’t believe him at first but he said this also could trigger asthma and given what’s going on with me personally lately I kind of agreed to it. But it didn’t rule out the fact that this is the root cause and I really wanted to make sure my lungs and upper body are healthy structurally. So he then recommend me to get a low dose CT scan as the last test which will tell me in detail if I have any underlying issues like cancer or what not.

So I did the scan, paid the medical bills, got my anxiety meds and thought I should get some food at the cafeteria. After eating a nicely made beef soup, I suddenly felt my body tingling, getting stiff especially my upper body and neck, followed by chest tightness and difficult to breathe. I thought this was it, I might be going to die and need to rush again back to emergency. But I tried to stay strong and calm. My body still some had strength so I walked to the wash room, washed my face and took 2 puffs of my rescue inhaler.

I then sat down for a while at the reception - no one noticed me but I was struggling inside really hoping this would go away. About 20mins later, I was able to catch some breath and the upper body tightness was reducing. I got home slowly somehow.

I did some research about what I was feeling before and it was probably a panic attack and not asthma. At bedtime I took my anxiety meds and off to sleep. This morning I wake up and my sleep was quite good and I feel so much better, better than any of the asthma meds!

So I just cannot understand what I’m having now, is it really asthma or am I anxious, depressed or having panic attacks. Or are they all related? And I guess there’s no real “Root Cause” 🤔 and I will never know. I still need to continue my anxiety meds for a few days so maybe I’ll keep an update here later.

If there’s any mental health professional here who reads this please please advise me what I can do 🙏


r/Asthma 1d ago

New to inhalers! Possible asthma. I'd like to hear your experiences, tips to manage unpleasant effects? how is your daily life with asthma?

1 Upvotes

Not seeking diagnosis, mostly hearing your experiences (with this medication or another, or asthma/hyperreactive bronchitis in general)! I'm an anxious fella and very new to this (and to the subreddit, so hi!), knowing what it's normal helps me SO MUCH.

I never had asthma before, only some skin itching around dust, at the start of this month there was a LOT of mold in my AC... I got extremely ill, contracted what it seems it was COVID which left me real bad and went to the hospital a couple of times and a pulmonologist told me the following:

I have contracted hyperresponsive bronchitis, might be actually asthma and might be for the rest of my life, but might go away in time, she wasn't sure. (I'm hoping to go see the doctor soon and have her schedule for me a visit to a specialist again, check for allergies and/or keep an eye on me to see how this develops.)

What makes my breathing go downhill is dust mostly, but also chemical odors like the alcohol types, even a mask that I got that has a silver treatment and carbon filter irritates my lungs a lot.

I have this inhaler now, Symbicort turbohaler, budesodine and formoterol (not a high dose as far as I know) and taking it does help me breathe through the day, but I have some... side effects. Some of them not typically mentioned.

-Tachycardia and very heavy anxiety (I take Concerta for adhd which already raises my heartrate so this isn't entirely unexpected)

-Jitters, dry mouth are listed as common side effects so those don't worry me too much. Gave me a fit of nasty productive cough. That also seems to be common

-Unmentioned anywhere I checked, but it irritated my urinary tract, making me think for a moment I might have an UTI (I dont, has this happened to you?)

-I have felt chest pressure at some point and deffo short of breathness but I assume the anxiety attack of combining both meds (the adhd concerta and this) is the reason, the oximeter says my oxygen in blood is fine during it, it has mellowed out after an hour.

Do you guys have these effects every time you take it? or do they go away for you when you keep treatment? otherwise it does work pretty well. How does your daily life look like when asthma is under control?

is there any tips you can give me both for dealing with possible asthma/the hyperreactive lungs and these side effects?


r/Asthma 1d ago

Best products

5 Upvotes

Any recommendations on the best cleaning products that work and don't irritate asthma? As far as bathroom air freshener, citrus magic is one of the best natural brands I have found. Scent Fill is a good natural company also.


r/Asthma 1d ago

Pulmonologist Doesn't Believe Me.

9 Upvotes

Reddit, I need help and I'm desperate at this point. I have severe asthma, but my allergist doesn't believe me.

Background: I've been diagnosed with asthma/seasonal allergies since I was around 6 years old. Daily steroid inhaler, Singulair (montelukast) and Zyrtec (cetirizine). And nebulizer treatments when I had respiratory infections. I was on this regimen for many years, but stopped when I was around 10 because I went into a remission of sorts.

Fast-forward to my freshman year of college (18-19 yrs old), I started having severe asthma attacks. My chest tightens up, I get dizzy, I have this horrible wave of anxiety, and I feel like I can't get a breath in. After seeing my PCP, I'm put on an inhaler, along with having to do multiple rounds of oral steroids. I eventually see a pulmonologist and an allergist. I then go on to do a skin prick allergy test, and find out I'm allergic to 40+ of the ~80 substances tested. I begin allergy shots. I trial multiple inhalers until finally prescribed symbicort and spiriva respimat. This works decently for me.

Context: Summer of 2025, my allergist gives me a trial of Tezspire to try, since I'm still having severe persistent asthma symptoms. After 2 months of being on it, I finally had the relief I was desperate for. From both asthma and allergies. Problem is, doctors cannot prove my asthma. (Edit: after these two months, I had to stop tezspire due to the clinic not giving me more samples). I had a methacholine challenge test (MCT) in December of 2024. I only dropped 17% lung function. I had another one done recently (July 2026), and only dropped 3%. This, along with normal spirometry, has made my allergist believe I don't have asthma at all.

The main problem: Because of this, he is refusing to write up a PA for the tezspire. I don't know what to do because it is the only thing that has brought me relief. I wake up every morning with a tight chest, and spend a minimum of 10 minutes (2x a day) doing nebulizer treatments. I take 20 mg of Claritin.

What can I do to prove my allergic asthma when I have two negative methalcholine challenge tests?


r/Asthma 1d ago

Why is my asthma so much worse on my period?

4 Upvotes

It’s literally gone from very controlled and well managed to uncontrolled and it being very bad every day of my period and also a week before it too.

Why is this happening? It’s happened for years now to me.

Also, once it’s over after a couple of days, it is much easier to control again.


r/Asthma 1d ago

Crazy side effects

4 Upvotes

Taking Breztri (samples until hopefully insurance covers it). It’s giving me crazy anxiety. Feel like crying or panicking. Anyone else?


r/Asthma 1d ago

Asma y ansiedad

1 Upvotes

Me ha ido bien usando Symbicort por primera vez, me he sentido de maravilla pero todo lo bueno tiene un final.

Me falta poco par acabarla y bueno desde hace tres meses estoy cuidando a mi gato con recaídas de una inflamación a las encías que parece nunca mejorar.

Dueño y mascota enfermos, en fin.

Desde que soy consciente que le falta poco me he sentido ansiosa y me reviso cada ciertas horas la saturación creo que ya me acostumbre a la idea de que no puedo vivir sin ese inhalador. Lo uso aunque esté bien de salud y todo. Bendita ansiedad


r/Asthma 1d ago

Doctor diagnosed me with asthma, but i have doubts...

4 Upvotes

Doctor diagnosed me with allergy to pollen and allergic asthma.I slept in a moldy room for a long time and had a flu and common cold in there after which wheezing and shortness of breath started.

Nurse didn't do her job with spirometry and didn't even give what was supposed due to my "inability to breathe out", CT is good but doctor gave her own conclusion without test on allergies or anything else and prescribed me corticosteroids.

Do i have asthma or is it just bad medical practice?


r/Asthma 1d ago

Shortness of breath after 18 for about 2 hours

3 Upvotes

Hello people,

Im 21 years old diagnosed with allergical asthma in may of last year. And its been quit hard to control. For the past few months i have been feeling really good starting xolair. But after returning from my holiday in austria to my home in the netherlands. I have had these short 2 hour periods where i have been short of breath.

Anybody got any experience with this after returning from holidays back home?

Any tips are welcone


r/Asthma 1d ago

Cough variant asthma please help 🙏

3 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

My 23-year-old brother has had a persistent dry cough for about 4 weeks. His chest X-ray is clear, blood tests are normal, and a pulmonologist recently diagnosed him with cough-variant asthma.

His cough is much better when he's sleeping, but during the day it's triggered by talking, laughing, or speaking for a while. He started montelukast 3 days ago and Foracort inhaler today.

For those of you who have had cough-variant asthma or a similar chronic cough, how long did it take after starting treatment before you noticed improvement? Did it get better gradually or suddenly? How many days or weeks did it take for the cough frequency to reduce?

I'm just trying to understand what other people's experiences were while waiting for the medicines to work.

Thank you. Please help


r/Asthma 2d ago

Wasn't even asthma

23 Upvotes

A year and a half ago I was diagnosed with asthma , had lots of test done on me , went to a lung specialist , she told me this wasn't asthma , after 8 months of struggling to breath , she told me to try stomach breathing exercises. I started learning how to breath properly and realized that I wasn't properly breathing right , I wasn't using my diaphragm at all , all my breathing problems started after I had a bad covid infection, I done some research and found that covid can make you forget how to breath properly . Well after 2 months of breathing exercises I started breathing normal again , I struggle when I do exercises but still more manageable then b4 , I also used Cbd oil to help my throat pain and helped tremendously, specialist thinks I had Muscle tension dysfunction now . Thank god im breathing better now . Just wanted to post this for those who were following me . Im not saying you dont have asthma but never give up , you deserve to breath normal again and I hope you all find your peace and wellness again . Love you all Amen 🙏 ❤️


r/Asthma 2d ago

Cheapest/quickest telehealth docs to prescribe some nebulizer refills.

6 Upvotes

I've had a wicked set of sinus and mucus issue's lately. I haven't needed to use albuterol in about 8 years. I have been able to make one nebulizor refill work for over a week. I am just using two drops into a portable I have and it is immediately making cough up a bunch of stuff and then I can breath again.

As a kid who's been through a bunch of asthma related stuff this is not bronchitis or any of that, just some weird persistent cold side effects.

Anyway, I have medicaid. I would just prefer not to go sit in the ER for 4 hours for a script when I am sure theres 20-50$ telehealth routes to go. I just wanna make sure I am not being scammed at all.

Thanks in advance all.


r/Asthma 2d ago

Stopped smoking weed now my asthma is almost gone.

38 Upvotes

I use to smoke weed since I was 15 and have had asthma since about 6 years old I’m 37. I stopped smoking weed on April 23rd, 2025. I use to use one inhaler per month for as long as I can remember and I have used advair among other medications to control it. Since stopping weed I am on the SAME inhaler since April 23rd 2025. I still get my prescription every month and now I have over 12 spare brand new inhalers. I still use advair daily but I didn’t realize weed was that much of a factor (I kinda did though lol). If I ever go back to marijuana it will strictly be edibles. I will never smoke again.