Talk about crazy spelling... Should be asma! Anyhow... Since last year I've had stretches out of the blue where I can't breathe. Feels like I'm trying to suck through a straw almost with wheezing/coughing. Just came out if the blue. Some days this happens 5-6 times for an hr or two each time, other days I'm fine. Have woken up a few times short of air. Not from excersize, just happens at random. VA "doctor" won't treat anything unless it happens while at an appointment. Yeah, like I can schedule that?! More or less said i was obese, loose weight. Might be allergies. I'm 5' 10", 205lbs, that's obese?! I weight about same as I did in high school nearly 15 yrs ago. That was after it took about 6 weeks to even get an appointment. Lasted about 8 mins. Anyhow, anyone on here have tips? Maybe OTC meds that might help?
See a different doctor. They can do tests where you blow into a tube, can diagnose asma that way. Some people find relief from sticking their head in the freezer to breath the cold air during an attack.
I think you are still allowed to go,'you'd just have to pay for it. That sucks, bit not as bad as multiple asthma attacks per day.
My wife used to put our son (pre-teen to high school age) in the bathroom, close the door, and turn on the shower........hot. Something about the steam helped him breath a little better. He also ended up using an inhaler for several years. I think he still carries one. Could it possibly be due to anxiety? Those symptoms are similar to an an anxiety attack, and you don't even realize what it is. Lots of stress in your life? Major life changes? Stress manifests in some pretty weird ways.
I'm the same weight and height, Dr said the same thing to me. I said what are all the fat asses at Walmart then? They make me look anerexic.
I'm just under 6' and 230 right now. The gubment #'s say I should be about 160lbs. Yeah, and look like a beanstalk. I'd be happy about 190-200.
Then go back to the VA. Some VAs have so called emergency rooms or urgent care. If you can get there on one of those days, maybe you'll be able to make your point. You may also want to see a VA rep and have them go to best for you. Seems to me you need a pulmonary assessment. There are "rescue inhalers" with albuterol. I will tell you that there are asthma attacks that you can get into and not able to get out of so you want to get to whatever it is that is causing your breathing problem.
I can't afford of out pocket Dr. This 8 min visit cost $350 to the VA (I got the bill for some reason). I went to ER about a month ago, lost feeling in my legs. My back Dr always told me it was SERIOUS if that would happen. (I was medically separated from the .mil for a back injury) Well I couldn't drive and it was an emergency to me, so the ambulance came. Ended up being pinched spinal cord. Actually can be serious! VA is trying to not pay for all that because I took it on my own to go and didn't clear it. They are saying it wasn't an emergency. I should have waited 6+ weeks for an apt with them. I have no illusion that I'm "fit" but he seemed to be hellbent that being "obese" was the cause. Sure plenty of stress... Rather not air my laundry for all. I thought maybe allergy related but claritan an and zrytec haven't helped that I can tell. Just seems weird I guess that its an "out of the blue"
Albuterol is a life saver, I'm prone to bronchitis and pneumonia over the winter month and there have been times when I don't think I would have gotten a breath without my rescue inhaler.
I've had asthma my entire life. Was worse when I was younger, just once in a while now. Usually from allergy issues or cold air. I tie a wet hankerchief on my face when I split because of the wood dust that blows all over... especially oak. That really can get me goin'. When I was in my teens, exercise induced asthma along with allergies caused it. I have an Albuterol inhaler now that I use only when needed and that could be less than once in 6 months, or not at all. My allergies did kick up more than usual this year tho. I'm 245 and 5-11 so losing weight will always help. Mucinex expectorent sometimes can help loosen things up in your lungs so you can get it up and out. Unfortunately, some of the things we take to minimize allergy symptoms by drying up the nasal passages, makes the lungs tighten up.
That would never work for me. Sudden cold air (even an air conditioner) in the winter slams my lungs shut. When it's below 10 degrees F I breathe thru a neck warmer or scarf.
It's a sad state of affairs when the government or insurance co's start telling the dr. how to treat things. That's what's happening way too often, and has been for way too long. I hope you can get this resolved, nate.
Nate, you really need to peruse this through your VA rep. The VA doesn't want any more horrors stories. They can outsource you if you cannot be seen soon.
Same here. Doing even minor carpentry work with oak puts me into a full blown allergy attack, which sometimes ends up in an asthma attack. Usually my nasal inhaler (a corticosteroid) is enough to stop it, but if it goes too long I need a rescue inhaler. Usually my allergies don't kick in till late fall but this year they're killing me, no idea why.
You're going to see a lot of good docs retiring early or changing careers because of this. We didn't go to school for eight years plus residency training to have a socialist government tell us how to treat our patients and run our practices.
The VA doesn't care. One "peon" (me) isn't going to bother them. Between budget cuts, Osama Care, and usual .gov ineptitude its no surprise. They wonder why vet suicides are high. Well its pretty depressing to "waste" many years of my life, being fed all sorts of "promises" and when I need help with things its 12ft of red tape. They are fighting for me to pay for an ambulance ride and civilian ER visit after I lost feeling waist down and called 911. They are saying it wasn't an emergency. Don't know about you guys but it was pretty frigging scary to me! Ambulance alone is almost $2000 for a 10 min ride. Sorry don't mean to but h but
It's already happening. Stories of experienced doctors getting out is all over the net. We have a local doc in the Bangor area who has been very popular. He's no longer accepting patients on the exchanges with any type of insurance. Cash only. He's flooded with people wanting his services. He'll prolly get out too when the guv figures this out and trips up referrals from him to hospitals or specialists. Today's socialists just know what's best for us, don't you know... ...
