Please help. Gasping for air at night.

[meant2live]

I've had this maybe a handful of times in my life and it scares me. I wake up, feeling like I can't breathe or like I haven't been breathing. In the past, I've had to mentally tell myself to just breathe and then it's fine.

Fast forward to know and I've had some strange respitory problems in the last few months. I got a cold, which turned into bronchitis, which brought on very bad coughing and a wheeze when I inhale. The wheeze, or stridor, isn't always present, but it's there enough to scare me.

I'm seeing an allergist who has me taking asthma medicine. I know that you can have adult onset asthma, but I am questioning this.

This waking up and gasping for air happened last night. I believe I was woken up by coughing and then my breathing felt shaking as I forced air in.

The thing is, I never used my inhaler and it settled down pretty quickly.

I'm on singulair, a controlled daily inhaler called Breo, and a rescue inhaler as needed.

Even today, I feel like my throat is tight, but I can't tell if it's anxiety or not.

I made an ENT appointment, but I feel like most doctors think I'm crazy for being my own advocate. They aren't the ones that live with this.

I get scared about sleep apnea and I also wonder about vocal chord dysfunction, as the tightness is there in the day too.

If it was asthma, you'd think I would need the rescue inhaler to make the episode stop, but I didn't use it last night.

Any advice?

[paranoid-viking]

Oh. Welcome to my world. Yes, I have that too, have had it for 20 yeats. I have been tested for asthma and pretty much everything that could be a possible reason for it - nothing. They find nothing and it is suggested that it may be mental. I mean, it only happens at night, and the horror can last for hours, but at one point I do fall asleep eventually, but it is not there in the morning, but extremely tired of course.
I have never been referred to an allergist for this, but maybe I should. The reason I have not pushed it too much at the doc is because it comes and goes and gets worse in periods. I have been thinking since it has ben recuring for 20 years it cant be something dangerous and that it may be panick attacks that occurs at night. Some times I had just given up and then woke up to read a book and even dressed on and go for a walk outside. Better than just lying in beed feeling that you get chocked. Hope you can get to the bottom of this which I have not after two decades. You said it only happened to you "a handful of times". More than that for me, that is for sure.

[meant2live]

Thank you for responding.

I'm sorry that you've been having this so often. What tests have you had done for this?

[Kay8010]

Hi I have the same and its the worst thing ever! I wake myself up coughinge every night! My throat feels like ive inhaled a mint all the time and it scratches like that of when you inhale deodorant and it gets in Your throat, its awful!

During the day my throat wheezes, yes wheezes. Like I have an obstruction blocked air by my vocal cords. Ive had this for a year.

Ive had 2 chest xrays, endoscopy, lyranoscopy, and numerous blood tests. The Dr gave me an inhaler, when i wheeze and feel like someone is strangling me i use the inhaler and it goes away for a bit. Ive had a lung function test to kook for asthma and copd but all normal. Dr has put me on a steroid nasal spray and reflux tablets (AGAIN!!) been taking the meds for 3 weeks nearly and the cough persists, i wake and cough and struggle to breathe a little due to tbe tickling in my throat.

Im back at the GP on Tue but a different ince! I just want to have a normal throat. My chest does not hurt and the cough is dry.

[MyNameIsTerry]

I've had asthma since childhood and I purposely don't use my Reliever preferring to control my breathing naturally until I would have to use it. So, it may not always be the case that you can't do without, it will depend on severity. The Preventer may be helping too so you are able to go without. I would put these questions to the doctor.

Testing for asthma is very simple so they should work that one out quite quickly.

[Kay8010]

Thanks. Ive been tested for asthma and i haven't got it. The constant scratchy, irritation is high up in my throat. Its so annoying and worrying me tagt its more than just "a cough"!!

[meant2live]

I've had asthma since childhood and I purposely don't use my Reliever preferring to control my breathing naturally until I would have to use it. So, it may not always be the case that you can't do without, it will depend on severity. The Preventer may be helping too so you are able to go without. I would put these questions to the doctor.

Testing for asthma is very simple so they should work that one out quite quickly.

I'm not sure if it's because the office where I go is extremely busy, but they never really sit there and explain things.

They had me do the test where they measure my breathing, then use the nebulizer, then measure it again to see if it improved. I was at the lung capacity of a 34 and then went down to a 26 year old (I'm 29).

Even with that, the allergist said it's not a significant difference. At that point, he just gave me a rescue inhaler. Then the wheezing got worse one night and they gave me the daily Breo inhaler.

They have never said, " you have asthma." I am going to make them sit and answer my questions the next time I go, but it's always so rushed.

If it is asthma, I'm kind of scared because of the warnings saying that adults who use controlled inhalers for a long period of time die from asthma. Also, it's sometimes difficult to know if the difficulty breathing is asthma or anxiety.

This all started with a bad cold back in February.

[paranoid-viking]

Thank you for responding.

I'm sorry that you've been having this so often. What tests have you had done for this?

Sorry for the late reply. Well, I have had the asthma test and have had the hearts and lungs checked although that is years ago now. Nothing out of the ordinary found.

[meant2live]

Could you describe the asthma test?

[paranoid-viking]

Could you describe the asthma test?

It is so many years ago I dont remember it very clear now; I think more than ten years so my memory is a bit or quite blurry now but I can ask my GP next time I visit. Far as I remember I was blowing into something.