Does Anyone Have Asthma?

[Mango04]

A lot of the articles I'm coming across on asthma are about children, but I'm assuming this is something you can develop at any point in life? I remember an allergist telling me I had exercise-induced asthma as a teenager, but I was never sure if that was a correct diagnosis.

Anyway, I've been exposed to extreme amounts of second hand smoke lately (as well as cold weather that is much different than what I am used to), and it seems that I'm developing asthma-type symptoms.

Is there anything I should know before I go to a doctor? Do any asthma medications contain gluten (I'm assuming not, but who knows)? Just trying to get as much information as I can. Thanks.

[turkeybird]

Hi there,

Just wanted to share that I was diagnosed with asthma and allergies for the first time in my mid 20s. I had no problems at all as a child but started wheezing a lot in college. Not sure on the rest of your questions, but I hope this helps.

Chris

[lizard00]

I've had what the doctors like to call a "reactive airway" since I can remember. I have an albuterol inhaler and my new GP put me on Serevent as needed.

Since you said that you've been exposed to a lot of second hand smoke, I would think it may be allergy induced. My husband has that. Before his allergies were in check, and if he doesn't take is medicine, he'll get asthma symptoms. And allergies are one of my triggers... this past weekend we stayed with some family who had 3 cats and the first night there I thought it was going to die. And during the fall, my asthma is especially bad. I've woken up out of a deep sleep unable to breathe because of the ragweed. Cold weather is another trigger for me, too.

I started taking allergy medicine this spring, and my asthma has greatly improved. (Athough unfortunately still around) So, when you go to the GP, make sure you have specifics of when you feel the asthma kick in. It gives them a much better idea of what type of asthma or breathing issues they're dealing with and they can treat you accordingly.

[Ursa Major]

I've had asthma since I was three, and it is much better now. I rarely get an attack, and they are usually triggered by allergies.

Two of my brothers didn't develop asthma until they were in their forties or fifties, respectively. I think with my older brother the problem is, that he has food intolerances which he dismisses, because he doesn't want to change his diet. His wife says that she knows he is dairy and gluten intolerant (it must be quite obvious), but he says it is nonsense (and I know she is right).

I am severely allergic to tobacco smoke. If I am breathing in second-hand smoke for more than half an hour, I will get an asthma attack, without fail.

Do you HAVE to be where you are exposed to cigarette smoke? Wouldn't it be much wiser to remove yourself from that atmosphere, than to take medication? All asthma meds have a ton of side effects. I use my salbutamol inhaler only about once every month or two. I always get about twenty side effects!

I might get hyper and irrational, or extremely sleepy, it can go either way. I can't think clearly, my heart will race and skip and I will feel weak. There are others, but those are the ones that really bother me.

I also get exercise induced asthma. I am unable to walk fast or even ride my bike in the early morning, or at night, because there is too much moisture in the air at that time, which will trigger asthma for me. But I have to be careful with exercise at other times, too. Nothing too rigorous.

[georgie]

I can chip in here - I have just had to go onto Asthma puffers in my 40s. I never had asthma as a child although used to wheeze a bit with cats hair if exposed to it. Now - twice in my 40s have had a virus that has left me with this 'wheeze'. Dr checked - said my lungs were too quiet - and put me on a steroid puffer and a preventer. I asked for the brand name of steroid puffer that I had before but she gave me another brand. After coming home and using it for 2 days and getting ill - I found it had lactose....So watch out for that if you are dairy intolerant.

I think my latest attack came from smoke. The farmers here are burning their old crops and the air has been thick with smoke for days. Its gone now - but my asthma is still there. I hate using the puffers and hope to get better soon but each 'attack' seems to last longer and longer these days.

[dadoffiveboys]

I think you are going to see more and more people with Asthma later in life - here is why. One of the causes of Asthma is GERD. GERD is one effect of food allergies. If you go YEARS and YEARS with a food allergy you can break down the stomach valve which keeps the acid in your stomach. This allows the acid to move up your throat and down into your lungs when you sleep. Also when you exercise if this stomach valve isn't tight, it allows acid up your throat and when you breathe heavily it will cause you to get it into your lungs... hence some of the exercise induced Asthma.

My children with GERD also had Asthma. When I removed Gluten, it ALSO cleared up their Asthma. When you swallow pollen and are allergic (like I am) you ALSO can get reflux. Luckily Allergra works very well for my allergies but since we had a warmer winter this year I ended up with Asthma for a month because I didn't start taking my allergy medicine early enough.

Just my 2 cents as well... but definitely controlling what you eat, HOW MUCH you eat, and your allergies have a huge impact on Asthma. Asthma itself I don't believe is an isolated condition - i.e. it is caused by food allergies and outdoor allergies via inflammation and irritation. If you can control your allergies, you WONT have Asthma. This means you can have it at ANY age. The reason they are seeing it in more and more children is because they are not eating right and not controlling their allergies right. The older generation ate better and probably less amounts of gluten. Our children are eating more and more bread. My children don't eat Gluten or Casein.. and they don't have GERD or Asthma anymore (and haven't actually been very sick either )

[MelliDuff]

A lot of the articles I'm coming across on asthma are about children, but I'm assuming this is something you can develop at any point in life? I remember an allergist telling me I had exercise-induced asthma as a teenager, but I was never sure if that was a correct diagnosis.

Anyway, I've been exposed to extreme amounts of second hand smoke lately (as well as cold weather that is much different than what I am used to), and it seems that I'm developing asthma-type symptoms.

Is there anything I should know before I go to a doctor? Do any asthma medications contain gluten (I'm assuming not, but who knows)? Just trying to get as much information as I can. Thanks.

You can develop it as adult. It usually runs in families. My brother has had chronic asthma since birth, I can't tell you how many times he has almost died when were kids. He has a breathing machine he takes for the attacks - His son (5 years old) also has it. My brother seems to have grown out of the really horrible stage - He still has to use his breathing machine and even thought he is 6'3 and young (26) in great shape he cant run more then a mile.

My kids both of them have had breathing problems. My son stopped breathing 20 minutes after birth (was sent to nicu for a day) and had a few not breathing or not breathing well episodes up until he was about a year old - then vanished nothing ever again.

My daughter scared me because she just STOPPED breathing quite a few times and the look of fear in her eyes was - indescribable. The doctor diagnosed her with asthma and sent her home with a 220$ breathing machine. PS she is 11 months old now and it has never happened since she was 6 months old. She doesn't have asthma. We didn't need that machine.

I guess my point here is to be careful going to a doctor and mentioning asthma they tend to tell everyone they have it. If you have breathing problems bam you have asthma. Maybe you have a chest cold or bronchitis it is VERY similar to asthma. They even give you a spiffy inhaler. Mines called Advair. I haven't had and weird reactions from it.

Asthmas medication for the machines is call albuterol sulfate it comes in little bottles.

For your sake I hope you don't have asthma.

Good luck

[wowzer]

I didn't officially get diagnosed with asthma until my 40's. I do think I had it earlier in my life. I had hayfever as a child. I will say that my asthma has greatly improved since I went gluten free. I am 53 years old now and went gluten free January 1, 2007. I take Singulair for my asthma and don't have to use my rescue inhaler too often. They expire before I ever use them now. I also take Synthroid for my thyroid. I do believe my undiagnosed celiac probably caused these problems.

[GFJudy]

Asthma in children is generally extrinsic, or caused by something outside of the body (pollen, dust, animal dander, other environmental factors). Asthma that develops in adults is generally intrinsic, or provoked by processes going on within the body. People with celiac disease are prone to developing or acquiring other food allergies (type III hypersensitivities/IgG antibodies) because of the damage to the intestinal lining that: 1) increases intestinal permeability (AKA "leaky gut syndrome") and 2) compromises complete digestion of ingested foods. This exposes the immune system to all sorts of suboptimally digested food and food antigens that it would otherwise never be exposed to in people with a healthy digestive tract. To complicate matters, damage to the villi leads to malabsorption of important nutrients over time, further weakening an immune system that is already being dysfunctionally stimulated. Over time, as we acquire more and more reactions to foods, we end up with a large number of antibody-antigen complexes circulating around in the bloodstream and causing inflammatory reactions in various organ systems. The lungs are frequently affected, but any organ can be affected, including the liver (poor digestion of fats, build-up of toxins), kidneys (frequent or painful urination), joints (swelling, pain), nervous system (irritability, brain fog, mood swings), muscles (generalized tension or pain), and skin (dryness, itching, eczema, rashes).

I myself have had mild asthma symptoms that have waxed and waned over the years both as a child and as an adult. I was diagnosed with gluten sensitivity only 2 years ago, but I think I’ve had symptoms all my life. I also had a dairy allergy as a baby and thought I outgrew it as I got older, but eventually noticed that my hay fever symptoms always followed dairy consumption. Anyway, I was always able to link my asthma to some kind of environmental trigger (upper respiratory infection, dust, cats, smoke inhalation, swimming in cold water or running in cold weather). I used inhalers on occasion but not regularly. When I became gluten free, there was a significant improvement, but I noticed more difficulty breathing again over the past few months. I finally found a good naturopath who took the time to take a good history and understands the implications of food hypersensitivities. I understand now that the thing predisposing me to asthma in the first place is a heavily burdened immune system – burdened because I had not identified all the foods to which I was reacting. My doctor sent my blood off to Immuno Laboratories (www.immunolabs.com if you want to look up more information) a couple of weeks ago for the Food Sensitivity Assay, and it showed that I had IgG antibodies to 28 different foods! This included dairy and yeast, a couple of big offenders. My doctor told me I needed to stay off the dairy and yeast for life (dairy because I’ve had those allergies since childhood and this is probably an IgE allergy as well and yeast because 75% of people who are gluten sensitive also do not tolerate dietary yeast, whether baker’s or brewer’s), but that a period of abstinence from the other acquired allergies (2-6 months) should be sufficient to “unacquire” them. An IgE-mediated allergy (one in which the reaction is rash, hives, anaphylaxis almost immediately) cannot be unacquired – you’re allergic for life with these. Sorry if this is too technical. I just wish I could have known about these things much earlier in life. I’m a physician assistant and have worked with MDs for 8 years, and these things are not taught in school in mainstream medicine. There’s a big knowledge gap here, and drugs cannot solve this problem. I think anyone who has celiac disease needs to be closely evaluated for other food allergies. A gluten-free diet is only the beginning step of getting healthy (although it’s a big one!) Hope this is useful information.

[debmidge]

A lot of the articles I'm coming across on asthma are about children, but I'm assuming this is something you can develop at any point in life? I remember an allergist telling me I had exercise-induced asthma as a teenager, but I was never sure if that was a correct diagnosis.

Anyway, I've been exposed to extreme amounts of second hand smoke lately (as well as cold weather that is much different than what I am used to), and it seems that I'm developing asthma-type symptoms.

Is there anything I should know before I go to a doctor? Do any asthma medications contain gluten (I'm assuming not, but who knows)? Just trying to get as much information as I can. Thanks.

I was diagnosed with asthma while in my forties....never had symptoms before in my life.

[wowzer]

Thank you for the information. I found it very interesting. I am sure that I have other food allergies. I have been debating about getting testing for these and now I am going to. I do believe a lot of my problems could have been avoided if I had been tested when my little sister was diagnosed with celiac disease at a year old. I had hay fever as a young child and eventually as I got older asthma set in. I am still working on the puzzle. I do know some things to avoid already.

[Mango04]

Wow, this is a really informative thread. I'm adjusting to quite a few environmental changes right now (I just moved to a different continent lol) so I'm hoping I will adapt eventually, while maintaining my ability to breathe.

Do you HAVE to be where you are exposed to cigarette smoke? Wouldn't it be much wiser to remove yourself from that atmosphere, than to take medication? All asthma meds have a ton of side effects. I use my salbutamol inhaler only about once every month or two. I always get about twenty side effects!

Where I currently live, the second hand smoke is absolutely impossible to avoid. So yes, I have to be where I am exposed to it, unless I never leave my flat. I'm sorry to hear you experience so many side effects from your medication!

Just my 2 cents as well... but definitely controlling what you eat, HOW MUCH you eat, and your allergies have a huge impact on Asthma. Asthma itself I don't believe is an isolated condition - i.e. it is caused by food allergies and outdoor allergies via inflammation and irritation. If you can control your allergies, you WONT have Asthma. This means you can have it at ANY age. The reason they are seeing it in more and more children is because they are not eating right and not controlling their allergies right. The older generation ate better and probably less amounts of gluten. Our children are eating more and more bread. My children don't eat Gluten or Casein.. and they don't have GERD or Asthma anymore (and haven't actually been very sick either )

That's great to hear about your children. Thanks for the information about gerd and asthma.

An IgE-mediated allergy (one in which the reaction is rash, hives, anaphylaxis almost immediately) cannot be unacquired – you’re allergic for life with these. Sorry if this is too technical. I just wish I could have known about these things much earlier in life. I’m a physician assistant and have worked with MDs for 8 years, and these things are not taught in school in mainstream medicine. There’s a big knowledge gap here, and drugs cannot solve this problem. I think anyone who has celiac disease needs to be closely evaluated for other food allergies. A gluten-free diet is only the beginning step of getting healthy (although it’s a big one!) Hope this is useful information.

Thanks for sharing so much great information and welcome to the board.

[darlindeb25]

I was diagnosed with, what my doctor called, pre-asthma, last year, I am 52. I carry a Albuterol inhaler with me, just in case I need it. I am allergic to smoke too, but the worst for me is chemicals, something like Carpet Fresh powders, will make me unable to breathe in minutes. Odors are very harsh for me.

This is an interesting thread!

[debmidge]

I was diagnosed with, what my doctor called, pre-asthma, last year, I am 52. I carry a Albuterol inhaler with me, just in case I need it. I am allergic to smoke too, but the worst for me is chemicals, something like Carpet Fresh powders, will make me unable to breathe in minutes. Odors are very harsh for me.

This is an interesting thread!

Absolutely right! My "triggers" are: all air fresheners - fragrances, even in laundry products - smoke - wood burning stoves - flowers - wine/sulfites - cats - fresh pine trees/branches - candles - moldy stuff - change in weather (atmospheric pressure/rain) - lawn cutting (could be stirring up mold) - heavily chemical or fragranced cleaning products (like lavender, rose, pine) - windy days when allergans are stirred up into the air . For those who do not have asthma, it's like having your oxygen cut off and you are breathless from it. Imagine the feeling you get when you "went under" in a swimming pool.

I take Albuterol inhaler too, but when I use it, it makes my heart race for about an hour afterwards, then I get sleepy from the "workout". If I leave the place where the triggers are, let's say I am at someone's home who has a fresh pine tree, it'll take about a half hour or so for me to breathe normally.

[Fiddle-Faddle]

Don't forget that asthma can be triggered by reflux, too...

[darlindeb25]

Thanks Deb, I haven't tried my Albuterol yet, I have been afraid of the reaction I will have. At least now, I have an idea of what happens to you. I have the very same triggers as you, amazing huh? I can relate to everything you said.

The other night, I dyed my hair, and this has never happened to me, never. It's not really related to asthma, but still very weird. I put the hair dye on, and then you have to wait 25 mins or so, while it works. So, I decided while I was waiting, I might as well take my walk on my gazelle. Which I did, then I jumped in the shower, washed the remaining dye out, then combed my hair. Just after I got done, I got this overwhelming nausea, was terrible, I actually thought I was coming down with the flu. I thought I was going to be sick to my stomach and I grabbed a dishpan. My tummy was twisting and turning just terrible. I grabbed a hot pack and tried to lay down, I was miserable for almost 45 mins--then it went away, just like it came on. The next morning, it dawned on me--it must have been the odor from the hair dye! It must have caused the nausea--otherwise, it would not have gone away. I'm not sure if walking on the gazelle made me breathe in too much of the odor--if that's why it happened. I just dyed my hair in March, and had no reaction, plus, I always use the same haircolor, and they have not changed anything.

Odors have always caused a reaction for me, it's just gotten so much worse over the last year or so.