You are welcome anytime! Its good to be useful :) so thank you too!

Damn sorry about the oil production...I used to have darker circles but allergy shots helped..(not 100% but better)...

How's the cough? Mines almost gone (for now) and I credit Dulera! Hope it sticks!!

My cough is still there unfortunately. I hope it goes away soon. I'm glad yours is gone. My muscles are really sore today because of walking back home carrying heavy grocery bags. The grocery store is 5 to 6 blocks away. Hopefully I'm less sore tomorrow.

Oh! I hope you feel better soon! Mine was for about 4 to 5 months this time. And it came back last night after my treatment.with a nebulizer for shortnesss of breath, ugh. Hopefully temporarily! :) yea I get tired after walking distances now too! I hate that...I used to run!! Feel better soon!!

Does wheezing always sound like a whistle or can it sound like a rattling? When at rest or when I exert myself I sometimes hear a rattling sound when I take a deep breath and feel out of breath. I cough and it goes away for a short time but always comes back. Today, I coughed up some phlegm. My coughing isn't very forceful. It feels like the mucus is stuck in my upper airways. Could it just be because my airways are still irritated or could it be another cold? I hope you feel better too redvelvet! *hugs*

Hmmm mine is wheezing with deep cough...little production. Usually rattling with mucous for me means upper respiratory infection. But it could be allergy mucous too...may I ask what color it is? That can indicate infection or not...

But Ihave been getting out of breath with little exertion (stairs to class yesterday) and its bothersome because I used to be so active! I hope tostart walking daily or at least a few times a week.

Perhaps try mucinex to relieve cough and get the mucous out (not sure how it does both but it does!) Or call your doc for a check up...maybe.one more round of antibiotics??? Sorry! Hope you feel better soon!!

I guess it could be allergy mucus too. Maybe my allergies are getting worse? I'm hoping when we're in our new apartment with good airflow and no mold I will feel better. Mold is one of my severe allergies. Ir was slightly yellowish but mainly white. It wasn't a lot , like a thick chunk. I hope it's not an infection.

I walk a lot or take the bus because of not having a vehicle. I want to be able to do that without getting out of breath. I hope you feel better too! Right now I have to take things easy. I can walk just not fast and if I feel out of breath stop to rest.

Is mucinex stronger than an expectorant cough medicine with mucus relief? I found that the expectorant stopped working. I will have to go to the doctor again if it doesn't improve.I hope you feel better soon too!

Hello Darkness,

Sorry to hear you aren't feeling any better.

I get a rattling sound sometimes as well. At times, I hear a noise in my ears and ask myself 'is that my breathing?!' I also believe it is mucus.

I have been using some 'Mucus Relief- Chest,' which is 400 mg of guaifenesin that I bought off of Amazon awhile back. Mucinex is guaifenesin as well, but I guess Mucinex comes in 600mg to 1200mg. It works okay.

I don't have a car either. Last night, I walked 30 minutes to my local shopping center. I used my nebulizer before leaving and had to use my inhaler once during my walk. There are several steep hills, which makes the journey more difficult. Anyway, this morning, I woke up at 5am, wheezing. :(

gl2010, I'm sorry to hear your asthma is flaring too! Mine is definitely getting worse. I have the rattling most of the time now and I feel out of breath more often. At first doubling my asthma medications seemed to help but not as much anymore. I've been coughing up phlegm sometimes. I've never had this happen after a cold. I'm glad you have a nebulizer! I really wish I had one! I can feel the mucus in my upper airways but it takes a lot of coughing to bring anything up. I'm not coughing hard.. Maybe I should try mucus relief in pill form too. I really don't want to have to be on prednisone. I tried to use my peak flow meter but couldn't really exhale forcefully enough. How are you feeling redvelvet?

That doesn't sound good if you are rattling most of the time. I think you should maybe go on prednisone. I know you wrote that you don't want to take it. I am the same. My old pulm wasn't going to see me as his patient once because I was refusing a Rx for prednisone. He said I was risking my life, so I ended up taking it. Or else, ask for a prescription for a nebulizer. Duoneb works great for me. If you aren't able to get a nebulizer, there is Combivent Respimat. It has the same ingredients, ipratropium bromide/albuterol sulfate, as Duoneb, but it is an inhaler. Combivent doesn't work so well for me compared to a nebulizer, but I think it is better than an albutrol inhaler.

I always have a hard time coughing up mucus. At least with Mucinex, I can get rid of a little bit. A nebulizer also helps with mucus.

I hope your asthma improves in your new home. Hope you feel. better soon :)

I'm not sure if mucinex is stronger because its the only one I use....but its not harsh on the system!

I got wheezy yesterday but today I finally did not need the nebulizer! For now anyhow. I was able to do a 20 minute at home mini workout with some stretches and weights with no wheezing! I got real tired real fast though! Thank you for asking! The Dulera really makes a difference!!

I would see if you can get a prescription for a nebulizer! I was barely able to get up the stairs for my class....and I didn't have an attack because I did the treatment before class. (I also ate too big of a dinner which makes it hard to breathe for me!)
How's the cough?? Any improvement?? Did you get some prednisone?? Or methylprednisolone? (I prefer methyl)

Hi gl2010,

I've been coughing today but haven't had the rattling as much. It's still there but not as bad. Maybe it's because I rested up today. I'm really hoping that I don't have to go on any other medications. First I added symbicort because of a really bad attack where nothing was helping. I ended up going to the ER. Then singulair was added because symbicort wasn't enough. Once right before Christmas 2012 I had to go on prednisone for a couple of days because nothing was helping. It's not that I can't breathe just get out of breath sometimes. I hope I feel better soon too! Today, was better than yesterday. Have you ever had a cough that lasted a long time after a cold?

Hi redvelvet,

I'm glad that the nebulizer helps. I really do need to look into getting one myself. I know I always feel much much better after the breathing treatments in the ER which are basically a nebulizer treatment. I'm glad that you were able to do a mini workout! :) If I eat too big of a dinner or get too bloated I feel out of breath too. I still cough fairly often but it's more of any annoying cough today. The rattling isn't there as much. I'm a little worried though because if a dry scratchiness in my throat that I had the last time right when I was getting a cold. I hope it's just irritation and not a cold again. I haven't gone to see a doctor about this again yet so no prednisone. I think resting today has helped. I just wish the cough would go away for good and the rattling completely too.



Do either of your suffer from severe food allergies that require an epi pen? I have one to tree nuts and to strawberries(I think because I reacted to a strawberry smoothie even though strawberry didn't show up on the scratch test). I carry an epi pen. I read that those with asthma are more prone to developing severe food allergies.

Hi Darkness,

I'm glad your rattling wasn't too bad today. Years ago, I used to get infections/colds in which I would have a horrible cough with asthma symptoms, but then after a month, I would get better. I haven't really had a cold for years...until this winter. My cough was bad for about 6 weeks and since then, I just get coughing attacks, which leads to tightness in my chest, wheezing and/or I become out of breath. I am on Symbicort as well. I wanted to cut down on it, but it seems that will never happen! Does Singulair help your asthma? My Dr wanted me to take it, but I refused because I read that it can cause hair loss.
Symbicort and Duoneb are likely causes of hair loss for me as it is.

I have never gotten checked for food allergies, but I wonder if there are some foods that I am allergic to. Last summer when I was eating strawberries, I wondered if I was allergic to them. I can't recall what made me think that...I think my throat was irritated. I had allergy testing done via blood tests for animal dander, pollen, mold, mites, etc and I know I'm allergic to all that stuff, but the only thing that showed up that I was allergic to, was mold. I guess blood testing isn't accurate!

Hi gl2010,

My rattling and coughing have got worse again. :( Last night my coughing was so bad when I tried to go to sleep that I had to take an expectorant/cough suppressant again. I have enough cough medicine for tonight if I need when I go to sleep. I'll have to get more soon. It's a big bottle and I will have gone through it all. I'm on my third bag of 25 cough drops too which is almost gone. I've been coughing up mucus again. I'm not sure what's going on but I think I need something else to take. The problem is that my family doctor has been out on maternity leave since December! She's had different doctors filling in for her. I saw one of the doctors who was filling in on April 1st. I called yesterday just to take the office hours only to find out that the office is closed until May 1st!!! So if I do need to be seen I will have to go to an after hours clinic or the ER. Yes, singulair has helped but right now none of my asthma medications are really helping much at all. The coughing and rattling are really getting to me. I'm sorry to hear that your medications have caused hair loss.

There's a condition called oral allergy syndrome. In oral allergy syndrome, your immune system treats proteins similar to those in pollen that are sometimes found in fruits or vegetables the same way. It's as if it says, "Close enough!" and attacks it. That's called cross-reactivity. There are lists of foods if you do a google search. Maybe that's what caused your itchy throat? I have heard that blood testing isn't accurate for all allergies. Could you get the skin testing?

I'm so sorry that your cough has gotten worse. When I had a bad cough, I took Comtrex Cold & Cough and it helped a lot. I guess it is good that you are coughing up mucus. May 1st is a bit if a wait to see a doctor. You probably need an antibiotic or prednisone to clear up whatever you have. Did the doctor you saw on April 1, not think you needed anything?

I could get skin testing, but since I have vitiligo, I am worried that the testing can cause vitiligo patches on my body. The same goes for basically all of the other asthma corticosteroids besides Symbicort; there is a possibly of messing up my skin color. Therefore, I'm stuck with Symbicort, which probably is making me go bald! I will Google oral allergy syndrome. Thanks:)

I hope you get well soon and I hope you can get in to see a doctor. You should mention your asthma meds aren't helping and ask for a nebulizer & Duoneb:)

Hi gl2010,

I'll look for Comtrex. I'm feeling even worse as I write this. Feeling hot and cold, headaches, shakiness, short of breath, weak. No fever. The doctor I saw on April 1st said my lungs sounded clear that it was a post-viral cough that could last a long time. He didn't give me anything for it. I definitely need something.

I hope googling oral allergy syndrome will give you some answers. I hope I can see someone and do feel better.