Power of the Neb... was Re: How many smoke?

[Guest guest]

I use my xopenex inhaler (another form of albuterol) at the first

sign my chest gets tight.

If that doesn't work and I continue to get worse, I'm supposed to neb

and increase my inhaled steroids in an effort to avoid pred.I will

neb every 4-6 hours or every 8 hours depending on how " sick " I am and

how long it takes to see improvement.

My doc and I are now trying the following when I have asthma episodes

regardless of the trigger - increase the Advair to 500 and add either

asthmanex or pulmocort, both of which are steroid inhalers. I'm to

add the third steroid inhaler within 24 hours if no improvement and

if I don't worsen to the point I need pred.

We've only started doing this recently. I do think it helps, and I

feel better taking the steroid inhalers overall and being able to

avoid pred or at least take less of it and then taper off a little

bit sooner.

Addy

Group co-owner

allergic-asthmatic for 35+ years.

--- In , " suzsummit " <sdepaolis@...>

wrote:

>

> Doug and others...

> As I have said in the past I am 'new' to all this. I keep thinking

> that it will all just go away and I will have my life back (cough

> variant asthma came out of nowhere in Sept)(still blaming it on the

> home remodel)

>

> I recieved my 1st Xolair shot 2 weeks ago and I was really hoping

that

> after a few months this would all just disappear.

>

> I was unlucky enough to get a sinus infection a week ago and after

the

> antibiotic not working they decided to increase it to 4000mg of

> augmentin -- you can just imagine what this is doing to my digestive

> tract (good news is I have lost 15lbs of that prednisone weight in a

> week....) But now the asthma has decided to go wild! I hate to

neb,

> I hate to use my albuterol inhaler -- it makes me feel like a

failure.

> I can't stand scaring my kids by having breathing problems. I was

> just beginning to feel good about myself and go to the gym and now,

> yet another, setback.

>

> I hate the nebulizer -- my husband even went out and bought me a

super

> portable ultra sonic one... so I can use it in parking lots when I

am

> waiting for my kids. (now ain't that a romantic christmas present)

I

> am so 'new' to all of this that sometimes I don't understand if I

> should just tough it out or use the ned/inhaler. I find this

> frustrating beyond belief!

>

> And now of course they have put me back on prednisone -- HATE IT!

>

> But I really felt better when Doug replied about typing and using

the

> Neb and how he's down to twice a day -- I am still at the point

where

> I am coming to terms with the whole asthma diagnosis. It's

tough...

> How can a person go from no lung problems to this state? And yes,

> I've seen all the dr's, done the tests, and the joke is my lungs are

> clear.

>

> I am just happy that my dr suggested Xolair early on.

>

> suzanne

>