Hyperventilation and Asthma
I would be very interested to hear from any of you that exercise a lot and have episodes of hyperventilation along with your asthma. I have read that it is a fairly common concurrent condition. How do you know which it is in the heat of the moment and how to treat it. Along with this, how many of you have normal oximeter readings when in the middle of an asthma attack, another odd fact that asthmatic lungs are extremely good at making use of what oxygen we have in them.
For me when I start hyperventilating it means I need to take my inhaler during an exercise class.
Regarding the O2 sat, I have been in the ER during an asthma attack and sats were mid 90s, thankfully the nurse could tell I was in distress an gave me oxygen, I also find it weird.
Hi zigb, and thank you for joining in this conversation. We appreciate your input and your feedback.
It is an interesting aspect for many (but not all), diagnosed with asthma - oxygen levels are (generally speaking), maintained during an asthma episode. That is why the severity of an asthma attack not be based on oxygen levels alone! What tends to be most important for assessment should include clinical presentation, a patient's expiratory airflow, narrative from the patient and, of course, patient's history.
We value your candor here with the community.
All the best,
Leon (site moderator asthma.net)
Thanks Zigb and Leon for your comments. I also use my inhaler if I start feeling a bit distressed during exercise class. In fact my gym will not allow us to train without a rescue inhaler if we are asthmatic. Leon I am glad I wasn't misinformed about O2 levels during an episode. I seriously wondered how it was possible to be struggling for breath but your cells was still receiving enough oxygen. Amazing the physiology of the body, where it can compensate when a primary function is not working optimally.
Hi again, jules123 - so glad you found the information was helpful for you and your understanding of this condition. There are so many subtle aspects of asthma and its complete management - one can never know enough about it. When the knowledge can be applied to each individual's particular condition - effective management can often times be achieved.
We're so glad to have you as a member here - especially, all the way from South Africa.
All the best,
Leon (site moderator asthma.net)
Yes, i find my sat can be normal during an episode, unless i also have eosinophilic pneumonia developing. Last week i thought my heart was acti g up as i felt like i was having a heart attack or stroke. When i checked my 02 and hr, my hr was normal and my 02 was higher than usual. Looking back i realize i had been hyperventilating. It was a windy couple of days with a high pollen count and even with my inhaler helping i had not taken an antihistamine. Duh!
