Question:
One of my questions is about trying to determine what triggers
my asthma. I get mild symptoms every day no matter where I am or what
I may or may not be exposed to. There doesn't seem to be any
correlation between my symptoms and exposure to anything, (the only
expception being cold air). My symptoms are worse in the morning,
airflow mearsurements usually at 75% of my peak reading. I do seem to
have problems with post nasal drip. Can that be a trigger for asthma?
I use Vacanase every morning for my sinuses, and as a result I don't
have problems with a stuffy nose but it doesn;t seem to clear up the
post nasal drip.
For the asthma I am using Vanceril, Intal and Ventolin but it is clearly
not managing my asthma very well.
Answer:
Peak flow readings are usually lowest first thing in the
morning, before using a bronchodilator; and highest in
the early afternoon, after using a bronchodilator. The
goal of treatment is to always keep your peak flow in
the Green Zone (>80% of personal best). You may need to increase your preventor drug, the Vanceril
inhaler; either by increasing the puffs, switching to
Vanceril 84 Double Strength, or switching to one of the
new high strength ones; Pulmicort or Flovent [110 or 220 strength] Post nasal drip from rhinitis or sinusitis can worsen asthma;
it can get into lungs. Nasal passages need to be kept open,
so you can breathe thru the nose, to filter, warm and humidify
the incoming air. If you have a history of allergies you may want to consult an allergist
for skin tests. So you know what to avoid.
