because i still suffer from fatigue, vibrations in my chest and light problems with breathing i have been at a lung doctor. he did a test and says Ive asthma! that was a surprise. never had problems with my lungs until a throat infection, which started my fatigue.
right after the asthma-test i did indeed breathe worse than before. but it was totally different than my typical fatigue, hot flashes, flu-symptoms, palpitations. since i reacted only mild to the test i am not sure if i really have asthma or if it is just a symptom of any other disease?
the doc prescribed Albuterol and an inhaler which contains steroid. Im reluctant to try the inhaler because (even if its not systemic) it might deteriorate lyme (or chlamydia if i have them).
i bet here are a lot of people diagnosed with asthma: did lyme get worse because using a steroid inhaler for any of you?
Posted by sutherngrl (Member # 16270) on :
Albuterol is a non steroid inhaler. I have used it for years.
Posted by sickmate (Member # 31502) on :
thats true, but the doc prescribed Albuterol AND an inhaler which contains steroid.
Posted by sutherngrl (Member # 16270) on :
Oops, I missed that. Do you have a LLMD? Thats who I would ask about using the steroid inhaler. If you are in treatment for LD, then it might be okay to use it occassionally if neccessary.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
For awhile i used mine twice a day .. then i weaned myself down to once... now none. I really think my yeast issues are closely connected to my asthma.
So... once that was better .. the asthma was better. I figured the steroid was making my immune system even more suppressed.
Think about it .. and discuss with your doctor.
BREATHING IS IMPORTANT!!
Posted by jadams (Member # 28016) on :
Sickmate, I can relate! Over the last 2 years I have had mild problems breathing even a few times where I got scared enough to use an albuterol inhaler.
This year I stepped outside when my husband was cutting the grass and WHAM the next week my breathing got so bad I had to go to the ER and get an emergency treatment. They said I had an asthma attack ( I know it was from an inhaled allergen).
This frustrates me because I hate those inhalers they made me feel twitchy, rapid HR, High BP (thats what they do).
I tried to connect it with something since I have never had this problem before and I know that it is in somehow related to Lyme disease, however, I had also just started treating Babesia which has a lot of the symptoms you have above (fatigue, hot flashes, palpitations). I have noticed that others have allergies come out with Babesia and I really think there is a connection.
Someone also mentioned that the endocrine system (thymus, thyroid) are responsible for allergic reactions and that Babesia directly affects those glands. I am hoping that with Babesia treatment my "allergies" go away. I had no problems before this disease and the fact that I had such an extreme reaction is very suspicious.
Take Care!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
jadams... SOME of the inhalers do not cause the rapid HR and BP. Find one that does not do that. I had to.
I do OK with Advair. (I have heart issues.)
Posted by Lemon-Lyme (Member # 19229) on :
I'll assume your doctor did a methacholine challenge test? If so, then you do have some asthma going on.
What steroid did he prescribe and at what strength?
Xopenx may not cause rapid HR. Although I really didn't notice any difference between it and Albuterol myself.
Alvesco is an inhaled steroid which shouldn't absorb systematically to any major degree. If used at a normal dose, I wouldn't worry about it.
I probably wouldn't worry about most inhalers (at normal doses), if you use a spacer. A spacer will help make sure the drug gets all down into your lungs, instead of your throat/mouth.
Posted by jadams (Member # 28016) on :
Thanks Lymetoo! I took the albuterol and felt jacked up for 3 days!! Messed me up bad, and it says to take every 4 hours. There's no way.
Posted by sk8ter (Member # 8671) on :
I use Xopenex and have NO heart acceleration issues with it which is a huge plus. I also use atrovent sometimes and use flovent only rarely. Hope this helps. Candida as well as babesia are a big part of this. Using a salt pipe is a wonderful addition to kills microbes in the lungs also.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
OH .. I thought you meant the steroid inhaler...
I can't take albuterol either. I have the Xopenex. Ask your dr for it.
Posted by jadams (Member # 28016) on :
Where can we find the salt pipe?
Posted by Dawn in VA (Member # 9693) on :
Well, you can't fight Lyme if you can't breathe, right? (Speaking from someone who was on Prednisone last month for such issues).
Taking a steroid inhaler (sometimes I used Asmanex when I know a "season" or "dusting" is coming 2 weeks later) is not nearly as systemic as steroid shots or oral tabs. Yes, of course there will be a lot of debate about this, but again, you gotta have lungs pumping and alveoli exchanging to fight the buggers!
(Ditto to above: albuterol in and of itself is NOT a steroid inhaler; it is strictly a bronchodialator. As you mentioned, there are those "combo" inhalers that have both ingredients. The one I mentioned above does not- it's ONLY a steroid, no albuterol. If your asthma is well-controlled with just albuterol or Xopenex, an isomer form of it, then perhaps you don't need the latter.
Perhaps consider asking your doc for one of each. For ex, if you have strictly "allergic asthma", like it only rears its ugly head hard at this time of the year, you may only need the steroid one for a stint, not all year long. Check w/your allergist/pulmonologist.)
Posted by sickmate (Member # 31502) on :
yes, i did the methacholine challenge test and reacted to it (bronchial hyperreagibility). my llmd says this overreachtion of my bronchial system doesnt necessarily have to be asthma. i dont know what other reasons there are for bronchial hyperreagibility.
he also said it should okay to try the steroid inhaler to see if it works. i am really afraid of trying cause i reacted terribly to (oral) steroids and never fully recovered.
Posted by chiquita incognita (Member # 30381) on :
I wonder if these could be symptoms of chlamydia pneumonia? The infection is not contained by the immune system so it continues to cause problems even years after the original infection subsides, including symptoms which mimic heart disease and other things. www.cpnhelp.org or is it .com?
N Acetyl Cysteine is supposed to be able to support the body's immune responses to the infection
A herbal product I have used with success to open and relax the bronchial airways is GAIA HErbs Respiratory Defense. Also GAIA Herbs Breathe Naturally or Calm Breath by HerbPharm are very supportive for asthma patients. I used to work in a healthfood store where I saw lots of people really respond very well to those products. The Breathe Naturally has some green tea/caffeine just to let you know. Respiratory Defense has echinacea which should not be taken more than 10 days in a row without a 2 week break. It's anti-viral but I have also seen a lot of asthma patients do very well with it.
This is for adjunct support
Best wishes, CI
Posted by Razzle (Member # 30398) on :
I prefer Singulair (non-steroid oral medication) to manage my Asthma...without it, I can't breathe at night. I also have MaxAir as a rescue inhaler (non-steroid), but it makes me jittery so I don't use it unless I'm having a full-blown Asthma attack.
Make sure they do a chest x-ray if you have shortness of breath... I had a pleural effusion one time and thought I was only having an Asthma attack...didn't go to the ER until my PICC line arm started hurting (thought I'd slept funny on it and maybe damaged it or something)...the PICC was fine - it was the pleural effusion that was causing the pain and shortness of breath.
Posted by sickmate (Member # 31502) on :
lemonlyme, he prescribed a combination of formoterol/beclometasonedipropionate. the latter is a steroid. i still dont know if i should take it. is just read this med should not be taken if you have an infection of the lungs. how can i be sure i dont have one? also my breathing problems are very mild and not as severe as my fatigue and neuro stuff.
chiquita, yes i have also thought about chlamydia pneumonia. but the tests were negative or only very slighty positive, a pcr was negative. and ive also reacted terribly to meds that usually treat chlamydia (i used them for lyme before this asthma-fatigue-stuff started). so i am still unsure about that. are there other infections that can cause asthma-like symptoms?
razzle, yes i will have an x-rax of my chest these days. but since i had two before i dont think it will show anything.
Posted by chiquita incognita (Member # 30381) on :
Hi Sickmate
I am only a layperson and you should definitely check this out with your doctor. That said, in my best understanding, even a "slightly positive" test for c pneumonia means that while it was a past infection, it continues as a current issue. Because your immune system can't hold it down.
It can cause heart symptoms and other things.
Sending you a PM....
Best wishes, CI
Posted by Lemon-Lyme (Member # 19229) on :
Hmm... well, I think Beclometasone is one of the older steroids, so it may absorb systematically to a greater degree than newer medicines.
If going the inhaler route, you may want to ask your doctor for Alvesco instead. Or even Flovent should be better than Beclometasone.
Singulair is another option, as someone else mentioned. But I could have sworn I read it (or some other leukotriene inhibitor) had a negative effect regarding respiratory infections, so perhaps it's not so great for the immune system either.
If you happen to be in the UK or Canada (perhaps other non-US places too), there is also Intal/Tilade, which is a cromolyn solution inhaler. Not a steroid, typically used for children, and probably won't work quite as well as inhaled steroids do. But no steroid absorption at all, since it isn't a steroid.
Some people have had some improvement in 'asthma' symptoms from zithromax (killing chlamydia pneumonia most likely) and of course there is also babesia. But I'll expect your doctor would have ruled those out.
If you do go with some type of inhaled steroid, make sure to get a spacer. It's a little tube that connects to the inhaler which helps make sure the steroid goes into your lungs, not your throat/mouth.