Asthma attack how does it feel

I moved away from strenuous sports and stopped playing soccer. I also started spending less time outside. Instead, I began doing yoga, running on a treadmill, and lifting weights indoors. This new exercise regimen lead to fewer asthma attacks during my teen years. I went to college in New York City, and I had to learn how to get around in the ever-changing weather. I went through a particularly stressful time during my third year of school. I stopped taking my medications regularly and often dressed improperly for the weather.

Eventually, it all caught up to me. In November , I started wheezing and coughing out mucus. When I consulted my doctor, he gave me a nebulizer. I had to use it to expel excess mucus from my lungs whenever I had a severe asthma attack. I realized that things were starting to get serious, and I got back on track with my medications. Living with asthma has empowered me to take better care of my health.

After my doctor formally diagnosed me with asthma, I received quite a bit of support from my family. My mother made sure I took my Singulair tablets and used my Flovent inhaler regularly.

She also made sure that I had an albuterol inhaler on hand for every soccer practice or game. My father was diligent about my attire, and he always made sure that I was properly dressed for the constantly fluctuating New England weather.

Still, I felt isolated from my peers when I was growing up. Even though asthma is common, I rarely discussed the problems I experienced with other kids who had asthma. Other websites, such as AsthmaCommunityNetwork.

It can be useful to make copies of your personal asthma action plan and share it with others who may need to know what to do when you have an attack. You can photocopy your existing plan, or you could download a blank personal asthma action plan from Asthma UK and fill it in for anyone who might need a copy.

Or you could take a photo of your action plan on your phone, so you can show or send it to others easily. Page last reviewed: 19 April Next review due: 19 April Every 10 seconds someone has a potentially life-threatening asthma attack.

Symptoms of an asthma attack Signs that you may be having an asthma attack include: your symptoms are getting worse cough, breathlessness, wheezing or tight chest your reliever inhaler usually blue is not helping you're too breathless to speak, eat or sleep your breathing is getting faster and it feels like you cannot catch your breath your peak flow score is lower than normal children may also complain of a tummy or chest ache The symptoms will not necessarily occur suddenly.

What to do if you have an asthma attack If you think you're having an asthma attack, you should: Sit upright do not lie down and try to take slow, steady breaths.

Try to remain calm, as panicking will make things worse. Dairy triggers the majority of Susan S. In fact, I can't do anything but focus on getting oxygen into my lungs. Imagine you are drowning. You can't get a breath.

You would do anything to breathe. Erin S. Her triggers include crying or laughing too hard yes, strong emotions can induce asthma attacks , pollen, bad air quality, and cigarette smoke. Everything stops, and the wheezing starts as I try to suck in air. I feel my whole body struggle just to get in oxygen. In those situations, Erin says her rescue inhaler helps, along with drinking black coffee. More Information Asthma attack video. Request an Appointment at Mayo Clinic.

More Information Asthma: Colds and flu. Share on: Facebook Twitter. Show references Ferri FF. In: Ferri's Clinical Advisor Philadelphia, Pa. Accessed July 9, Merck Manual Professional Version. Expert panel report 3 EPR-3 : Guidelines for the diagnosis and management of asthma.

Bethesda, Md. Fanta CH. Treatment of acute exacerbations of asthma in adults. Global strategy for asthma management and prevention update.

Global Initiative for Asthma. Asthma - adult.