I've been diagnosed with allergic asthma, I'm 48 years old. For the past several years after doing yard work I noticed that I couldn't take a good deep breath and would yawn alot. This would happen a day or so after yard work and would only last for a morning or so. Working out in the gym seemed to have helped it.
Then this past August after working hard in the yard on a very hot humid day (93 degrees, high pollen count) I felt the same sensation the next day. But this time it didn't go away, it got worse as the week went on, chest tightness, shortness of breath when climbing stairs... My GP put me on ventaline with a nasal spray (both nostrils very congested). He took blood work and ordered a chest xray, all of which came back fine. (I gave up cigarettes 13 years ago , but smoked some cigars up to 2 years ago). So I was releaved about the xrays. At this point he said it was allergies.
The entire month of Sept was terrible, very high ragweed counts (Boston, ma). Also I was confused when to take the ventaline, my GP said to take it when needed. Well I had a hard time determining that, I probably should have taken it more that month. At the beginning of Oct I had a pulminary function test done, aced it with flying colors, 98% of normal capacity, all numbers very good.
Things started to get better during the first cold spell in Oct, but then reappeared when the temperature warmed up again. Congestion and chest tightness. Went to an ENT , he wasn't concerned said lots of his patients exhibited this, he said 2009 was very bad for pollen/mold due to all the rain we got.
So now at the end of Nov when it started to get cold out I started to feel better. The last week of Nov and the first two weeks of Dec I was 100%. Great, I thought I had this licked, was back in the gym working out on the tread mill for 20 to 30 minutes at a time and lifting some weights. Then the week before xmas the symptoms came back again. ARRRGGG.
Whent to an allergist in Feb for a skin test, found I was allergic to tree, grass and ragweed pollens. And to think I spent 2weeks on vacation in a house with a huge xmas tree in it!
Last week my GP put me on advair which is helping alot, my breathing is MUCH better. I like the idea of taking something at a set time of day every day. He mentioned that my airways are likely sensitive to just about anything due to the extreme stress/amount of pollen intake during that period in the fall. Also he mentioned that cold air can trigger things and also the allergy test doesn't test for everything. He says I could have this a while. I didn't get into it with him at that time, but asthma doesn't go away. Maybe he meant it could take a very long time for the symptoms to deminish, but of course an attack is always possible. Whats going to happen in the spring when the pollen is out!
Even with the advair I feel some chest tighness, sometimes lower chest and some small amount of back/shoulder pain, but the breathing is very good.
Sorry for the long and winded (pun intended) post, it felt good to put it on paper.
Has anyone had anything similar happen?