are athsma symtoms related to bad hearts?

[kurli]

Hi all
I have just been reading some posts and noticed that alot of people experience allergies & athsma symptoms but find out that it isnt really athsma.
I am enquiring about this because since i had my surgury 2 years ago i have had athsma like symptoms ( wheezing, tightness in chest and coughing up rubbish) My cardiologist gave me seretide inhaler to reduce the symptoms. it works at reducing the wheeziness but it I miss it for a day the wheezing returns. I have also become allergic to my cavalier king charles spaniel since I had my surgery.
These things may not be related at all but I just thought I'd see what you think as it has been mentioned on this site.. plus I as seeing my cardiologist tomorrow so it would be good to have a little more info to ask him about this kind of thing.
Thanks to everyome for the support.
Amy

 

[Harrybaby666]

Hi There Kurli...and Welcome...

Hi There Kurli...and Welcome...

As one who has had asthma all of his life among other lung diseases, I can tell you that from what my doctors have said, in my case, since I have had lung trouble since birth, and where the heart and lungs are so closely linked together, that eventually the lung problems start to take their toll on the heart...Now this might not be the case for everyone, but in my case where I have had so many lung problems...it's true...

There is also a term called "Cardiac Asthma" which some heart patients get. My grandmother has it as she is 85 and has a pacemaker. This is basically because her heart is starting to fail..(Not pumping as well as it should be).

I would certainly ask the doctor for a specific explination, and ask him to not beat around the bush, but to tell you directly and up front whether it's something to worry about. I hope this has helped you...Let us know how you make out. Take Care, Harrybaby666

 

[Harpoon]

"Bad hearts" don't neccesarily cause asthma, though you could have both.

Asthma can develope later in life too.

A lot of the symtoms, at least in breathing, can be similar at times especially if you consider congestive heart failure versus asthma symptoms...


Not everyone who has a bad heart will have asthma and vice versa, though some asthma inhaler medications can damage heart valves over time....

 

[Abbanabba]

Hi Amy, I had a lung function test fairly recently during which they gave me asthma medication to see if it made breathing easier for me - it didn't. I can only surmise that even though I may have similar symptoms, if the asthma medication was of no help, then it's not asthma causing the problems.

It may be (as Harpoon suggested) that you've developed a type of asthma, or allergy (which if you're now allergic to your dog, that may be causing all those symptoms anyway) and you might consider seeing a pulmonologist for confirmation and further investigation. There are also allergy treatments available which use a "desensitisation" programme that might help you overcome this new allergy to your spaniel. Your GP should be able to tell you more about that.

Cheers
Anna : )

 

[KimC]

Good question. I was diagnosed w/ asthma around the time that I was diagnosed with valve disease. My PCP thinks the asthma is cardiac-related and so do I. The body is a fine-tuned machine. When the pump's out-of-whack, the body reacts.

 

[kurli]

Hi all
Thanks for your feedback.
I had my visit with the cardiologist today. He seems to think that it is just late onset athsma and has advised me to keep taking the athsma meds he gave me and to do more walking. I still think it's related to my heart though because it wasnt diagnosed untill after I had my PV repalced. Anyway we'll just see what happens.
Apart from that he says everything looks good, only a very small murmer where the scarring is on my valve. He has scheduled an eco in march to take a closer look but is fairly confident that everything is working well.
He also doesnt reccommend that I have my wires removed because I have a strained joint between my ribcage and my sternum and thinks that opening me up to remove the wires will cause more pain and irritation then I allready have. Which is fine with me because I don't really feel like going into hospital again, but at the same time am getting tired of the rubbing from the wires. Oh well, I'll give a little while for the strain in my joints to heal and suggest removing the wires then.
Thanks for listening to me ramble on.
Hope all your hearts are treating you well..... or as well as they can in our position!!

 

[Mary]

I was told by a pulmonologist that asthma is never cardiac related with the exception of patients who have CHF. It's then called cardiac asthma, but isn't classified as a true asthma. I assume that is what Harry has.

I also had a pulmonary function test to check to see if my SOB was possibly caused by an undiagnosed asthma. Like Abbanabba, the bronchodilator did little to increase my lung capacity, so it was ruled out.

 

[Sherry]

Hi, Kurli,
I was diagnosed with a mild form of asthma last year (6 years post-op) and am taking Advair, which helps a bit. However, I've recently taken up swimming laps as my preferred form of exercise, and the chlorine aggravates it a bit. It's hard to tell whether it's cardiac-related or not. I did have a bad effusion after the surgery, and I've always contended that my lungs were never quite the same after that.

 

[Harrybaby666]

I have had lung problems since birth...

I have had lung problems since birth...

I was told by a pulmonologist that asthma is never cardiac related with the exception of patients who have CHF. It's then called cardiac asthma, but isn't classified as a true asthma. I assume that is what Harry has.

.

Mary,
It's actually hard to tell with me as to whether my asthma is cardiac related, and my guess is not, because I have had lung problems since birth, but my father refused to take me to the doctors....His view was "oh he's not sick...he will grow out of it...NOW GET ME A BEER!!!!" I didn't mean to post this last line, but hopefully, it gets the message across that I should have been treated sooner than finding it out in the army at 19.... Ross, also mentioned to me about the possibility of being diagnosed with "Vasculitis" because my CHF, I have noticed, comes on after I have suffered with my arthritis pain for a few hours, and my Blood Pressure has spiked up....The other day, at the Pain Care Doc's appointment, my BP was 180/150 and when I mentioned this and the other symptoms, Ross figured it might be Vasculitis and told me about it...so we shall see...Harrybaby666

 

[Yaps]

I can only tell

I can only tell

you my side..lol..I couldnt breathe, chest pains etc ..for a very long time.. they sent me for cat scan, just knew I had lung cancer.. all clear, no mass.
So then its emphysema, severe..put me on advair, albuterol, and steroids;prednisone..still couldnt breathe, constant bouts with pneumonia.
They knew I had mvp, as its in my records, knew of it since I was a child, even had an ekg 3 months before surgery, it had rbbb,enlarged left atrial,atrial fib, high pap(70 +).
They still insist I continue meds..until one Sunday night.. I nearly died.
I understand how this can occur , as the symptons are so closely related, and it was my pulmonolgist who insistedon my orignal cath.
My fingers had blunted from lack of o2..it was bad..just my take on it, they mock each other.
Love Yaps

 

[KimC]

Vasculitis

Vasculitis

Interesting comment re: vasculitis, Harry/Ross. My PCP just referred me to a rheumatologist for possible Periarteritis Nodosa. He said I fit the textbook description of the disease process but he doesn't feel comfortable making the diagnosis without a specialist's second opinion. They don't know what causes the disease, possibly a virus.

 

[SHerrin Hutt]

Well, I'll give my two cents. I had asthma long befor they ever said that I had valve problems. But this doesn't mean this couldn't apply to your case.