Silent Asthma
Hi all, I'm a medically retired FNP-C. I had exercise induced asthma when I was active duty....tight chest, wheezing only with high pollen.
I had a virus in late December 22, seemed like I got over it, but then had shortness of breath with activity. I have a very long history of PTSD and anxiety. I figured I was stressed or anxious about something unknown...so I treated myself with my as needed anxiety meds...PFM-WNL, O2 Sat WNL...but ended up needing my rescue inhaler too much anyway. Went to VA MD..gave me high steroids x 15 days and an IM Dexamethasone. Next day, I was SOB...went to ER..received Albuterol/Ipratropium duo neb. That worked. ER MD offered another shot, but I thought with the high dose steroids I wouldn't need it. Bad choice. Oral steroids take 6-6.5 hours to metabolize and feel results. I was SOB next day while waiting for steroids to kick in. So, I took a dose at night for better control. Had to go to VA ER next day...still SOB..I apparently let me anxiety get away from me..too long of a wait. very busy waiting room..took anxiety meds, used inhaler & went home. Used neb treatment and took steroid dose early again.
With all of this..no coughing, no wheezing, tight chest, high heart rate with any activity when albuterol neb wears off.
This non-cough, non-wheeze variant definitely needs to be brought to the medical community's attention through education.
I'm not fully sure what to expect as far as recovery. How long it will take. I also take care of my 91 year old Dad who lives with me. TY for this community. I look forward to engaging in educational conversations.
Hugs, Cathy 😁
Hi Cathy! Thanks for this post and for your service. Welcome to the community! I think you'll like it here, it's a good mix of all kinds of people from various backgrounds, some health professionals and many others just looking to learn or offer support. It sounds like you had a messy December. Were those ER trips recently, or was that back around the time of your illness? Just wanted to know how you're doing now. I hope you're on the mend. You are very right about the need for education regarding silent types of asthma. We have quite a few people here that don't wheeze and sometimes even their doctors are confused. We always encourage our members to advocate for themselves whenever possible! Looking forward to getting to know you better. -Melissa, asthma.net team
Well, Dec 19th, my husband and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. Due to my history prepping for the party, prepping for my Dad to be in respite, buying all of Christmas before leaving was a bit too much stress. On Dec 22, I got a virus, sore throat and exhaustion. Got home for Christmas and I focused on coughing up any sputum, hydrating, DayQuil., teas.....Then my energy slowly returned and I recovered. I'm sure my immune system was weakened. So, 2 weeks later 16 Jan 2023 is when the chest tightness started, ER visit on 19th, VA ER 20th...Today, I'm still needing my albuterol nebulizer every 2-3 hours. It's best if I have any activities that must be done, that I do them about 10 minutes after my treatment; otherwise, if it's before my treatment is due, my heart rate increases. I'm having communication issues with the VA..the messaging system isn't working and when I call I can't get through. Thankfully, due to my education, I'm able to stay okay. I do think I need more medical interventions since I'm not seeing the progress I expect. It's time for me to get my Dad to bed and I'm a bit SOB. So one more neb before bed.
Being medically educated can also be a problem as knowing too much can also contribute to anxiety, so that is something I work at keeping in check.
Thank you for y'alls support and for reading my post 😀-Cathy 😁
Hi ccdavisfnp (Cathy), and thank you for remaining engaged in this conversation. I also appreciate this recent update-review taking us from just before Christmas through today, with everything in between. You certainly have quite a bit on all of your plates - it is admirable to see how you are handling all of it!
I used to think my medical training also got me in trouble (when I was studying 'diseases'😉, I thought I had contracted every one of them. However, as the years rolled by (I am (semi) retired), I came to realize the my knowledge enabled me (and my family), to be well prepared and able to manage so many family 'emergencies' which, if we (my wife is an RN), were not in this field, could've easily gone the wrong way!
Rely on yourself, your experience and your knowledge, Cathy, it will never fail you - not at this stage of life!
As for anxiety - well, I think it comes with the territory and our own individual personalities, too. How we handle and manage it is up to each one of us! I am glad to hear you 'work' at keeping it in check - it does take the 'work' to make it happen, but it all gets managed!
As my colleague,, said - I will echo her sentiment by 'thanking you' for your service.
We are always here for you and, you are always welcome in our online community.
Warm regards,
Leon (site moderator asthma.net)
Hi Cathy - CONGRATS on 25 years. - what a triumphant journey you've undertaken with your spouse - amazing! Hi Cathy
Congratulations on 25 years of marriage! I hope by this time in March you are feeling back to your asthma baseline. I just wanted to echo previous posts that you must advocate for yourself just as you did for your patients prior to your retirement. I am an RN for what seems like a hundred years and I have worked with critically ill cardiac and respiratory patients. I would have never ignored symptoms of SOB in one of my patients. Yet, as a severe atypical asthma patient I am always second guessing myself when I am not feeling at my baseline. My pulmonologist has been very responsive to my symptoms but always acts surprised that I do not wheeze. Over the past several years, my asthma symptoms have been second guessed by medical professionals from paramedics to anesthesiologists solely because I do not wheeze. It has been very frustrating and anxiety provoking. I have learned to stand up for myself and ask intelligent questions. I am not looking for sympathy or crying wolf. Personally, I would rather not be asthmatic so that I can be active without limitations. My suggestion to you would be to utilize you vast knowledge as an FNP-C and advocate for yourself. I cannot wait for more research to be published on the phenotype ‘silent asthma’.Hi Mjudd, and thanks for adding to this conversation. I am hopeful that, based on your comment (and now, tagging ), that we will also hear back from her.
You have certainly added value to our conversation here within the community. Sharing your own personal experiences managing this condition, as well as the attention you devoted to your past patients, has been enlightening to read.
We actually have a wealth of material published, right here on asthma.net, which focuses on various aspects of silent asthma. I thought this would be a good place to post a link to that material: https://asthma.net/search?s=silent%20asthma. Anyone who is in this conversation and/or any members who are reading this behind the scenes, may find some of these articles will be helpful to read.
Enjoy the remainder of the weekend!
Leon (site moderator asthma.net)
