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Breathing problems only better when lying down!

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minimemo
minimemo

I have suffered with asthma for decades and from infancy - before the invention of Ventolin! My asthma is accompanied by noisy wheezing and only alleviated by using medicines and sitting backwards on an upright dining chair and leaning over the back of it. My asthma has historically never lasted more than 2-3 days and has become much better after being prescribed Symbicort inhalers a couple of years ago.

Recently however, I have been getting symptoms of breathlessness and coughing, with NO wheezing. This only gets better when I lie down flat! My asthma medication does not help, nor a course of antibiotics in case it was a chest infection. My doctor keeps saying it is probably my asthma but I have never experienced this before. It is lasting for weeks at a time and I am worn out! Help

2 likes, 116 replies

116 Replies

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  • donna93557
    donna93557 minimemo

    Posted

    Wondering if you found out anything. October 2016 I got sick and had a terrible cough to the point of gagging and could not even walk to the kitchen without feeling exhausted and out of breath. My doctor tried so many different medicines and nebulizers and sent me to different specialist to have everything checked from heart, lungs, etc. finally in march they put me on budesonide inhalation suspension thru the nebulizer and I finally got better. I too was fine at night or when laying down. I did not have any problems until last month and it started again. I started the nebulizer again but they have no clue what is wrong? 
  • joseph0007
    joseph0007 minimemo

    Posted

    Hey. If I was upright like standing I would cough if I lied down coughing would go away. Lasted over a year saw ENT and a bunch of specialist. Went back to ENT a year later EUREKA he prescribed me Amytripiline. In 10 days allí symptoms gone. Apparently nerve on back of throat was irritated and caused me to cough.

  • james67815
    james67815 minimemo

    Posted

    Hi anyone found What this is I have this every year around same time. Lung function test all OK. Ecg OK. Bloods OK. Thinking anxierty
    • sully58
      sully58 james67815

      Posted

      Hi James, Ally lung functions turned out ok too. I took the advice on a different post to see if I had a heart shunt (hole in heart) although I didn't have a hole it turns out I had significant blockage in 3 arteries. Got some stents put in and most of my breathing problems went away. Occasionally I have minor discomfort but nothing like before. Good luck!

    • james67815
      james67815 sully58

      Posted

      Hi thanks for reply. What symtoms did you have. Mine is just bad air hunger when upright alot better laying. Plus ache in upper back right next to spine both sides.
    • sully58
      sully58 james67815

      Posted

      I could not stop coughing (non-productive), my chest always hurt, I felt starving for oxygen, at times struggle to breathe. The only comfort I could find was when I first woke up in the morning I'd be fine but after getting up within minutes I'd have the symptoms again. Then it would go away for a week or sometimes two but always came back full strength. Since my stents, it still comes back but not near as strong. My two specialized docs always told me I had chronic bronchitis.

    • james67815
      james67815 sully58

      Posted

      Hi thanks for replying again will ask about it at docs tomorrow . As starting to get worried I'm 38 and suffer with health anxiety . What test found out u had blocked artieres .

    • lou13637
      lou13637 james67815

      Posted

      not sure. just doing process of elimination. Have a lot of the symptoms
  • valerie74903
    valerie74903 minimemo

    Edited

    Hello everyone! I'm so glad I found this thread. I have the same issue - shortness of breath that comes and goes. It only gets better when I lay down, and gets worse when I stand back up. 

    I have spoken to my MD who thinks it might be asthma from seasonal allergies, but it's been over a year now and this issue comes and goes at all times of the year.

    If you find out anything, please share it here! I'm 37 years old and look fairly young, and regularly get the impression that physicians don't take my complaints seriously as I'm "too young to have such problems." sad

    Anyway, thank you for sharing your experiences, and any insights and tips you might have!

    • Shelby0917
      Shelby0917 valerie74903

      Posted

      Im having the same issues. Tight on chest when upright and fine when laying down. Did anyone have a resolution

    • jeff75920
      jeff75920 valerie74903

      Posted

      I've got no tight chest but seems I've got the same issues. I've had sinus issues all my life, i use nose sprays every day. I suffer with allergies...i get mild asthma too. I had bad asthma as a child only. These days, I wake feeling good but shortly after getting up I start to cough. Some days, it's terrible. These days of you cough, everyone looks at you like you have CV. My last doctor just told me that I'm over sensitive... another symptom... it feels like a feather is down my throat.

  • adee31052
    adee31052 minimemo

    Posted

    hello! im having the same symptoms. were you able to finally find out the cause? whats the diagnosis?

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