Signs Your Pet Has Asthma
Asthma is a common and sometimes debilitating condition that affects millions of humans every day. You may not know, however, that it is also a common problem for many of our pets. The month of May is National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month. Asthma can be a scary condition and, if left untreated, can cause life-threatening complications. It is important to know the symptoms of asthma and to contact Crown Veterinary Specialists if you suspect that your dog, cat, or other pet may be suffering from the condition. Below are some of the signs that your pet may have asthma.
Chest Pain After An Asthma Attack
So its 24 hours later. My breathing is normal, but my chest is sore and stiff. This is normal after an asthma attack, especially if it was bad enough that your accessory muscles were utilized to help yo inhale. They hurt because they normally aren’t used, and when they are used small muscles fibers on these muscles are torn, causing pain and stiffness the next day.
This is no different than the pain and soreness you feel after a good, strong workout, the kind of workout you do to make your muscles bigger and stronger. Of course, in our case, we dont want our accessory muscles getting bigger and stronger. Still, because I used them yesterday, they hurt today.
What is the treatment for this? As with the pain and soreness due to any other workout, this pain and soreness will go away in a day or two. If you want to take a Tylenol or something that is up to you and your doctor to determine. As for me, I just wait it out. Actually, as for me, I dont let myself get this bad anymore. Of course, if you are as familiar with this thing we call asthma as I am, sometimes it happens even when we dont plan on it. So thats why we take our daily asthma controller medicines, have asthma action plans, and avoid our asthma triggers the best we can.>
So, I shared my experience with asthma-related chest pain. For me, it is a common early warning sign. Every asthmatic is different. So, do you ever experience it? Let us know in the comments below?
Other Causes Of Abdominal Bloating And Shortness Of Breath
Abdominal bloating has many causes. It is more common in people who experience functional gastrointestinal disorders like irritable bowel syndrome or gastroparesis. Bloating can be due to the buildup of gas, fluids, or food in the stomach.
Overeating or eating foods known to contribute to bloating and gas, such as cabbage, beans, and lentils, may cause bloating.
Abdominal bloating can affect the diaphragm, a muscular partition between the chest and abdomen. The diaphragm assists in breathing, which means bloating can lead to shortness of breath. This happens if the pressure in the abdomen is enough to restrict the movement of the diaphragm.
Being short of breath can cause you to take small, short breaths. This can lead to swallowing air, which is known as aerophagia. Difficulty breathing can be brought on by anxiety or panic attacks, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease , pneumonia, and asthma attacks.
There are conditions that can result in both abdominal bloating and shortness of breath.
Any condition that leads to the buildup of air or foodstuffs could cause both bloating and shortness of breath. Also, stool inside the intestines, irritable bowel syndrome, celiac disease, lactose intolerance, constipation, ileus, bowel obstruction, and gastroparesis could cause bloating and shortness of breath.
If bloating or shortness of breath is severe, seek immediate medical treatment.
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What Should I Do If I Think I Have Asthma
If you suspect you might have asthma, you should see your doctor for a professional diagnosis. Dont ignore it if you do have asthma, the sooner you get it under control, the faster you can get back to living a full and active life. For more information on how Asthma Australia is helping people with asthma to breathe so they can live freely, visit About Us.
How Asthma Is Treated
While there is no cure for asthma, there are a number of treatments that can help control the condition.
Treatment is based on two important goals, which are:
- relieving symptoms
- preventing future symptoms and attacks
For most people, this will involve the occasional or, more commonly, daily use of medications, usually taken using an inhaler. However, identifying and avoiding possible triggers is also important.
You should have a personal asthma action plan agreed with your doctor or nurse that includes information about the medicines you need to take, how to recognise when your symptoms are getting worse, and what steps to take when they do so.
These symptoms are often worse at night and early in the morning, particularly if the condition is not well controlled. They may also develop or become worse in response to a certain trigger, such as exercise or exposure to an allergen.
Read our page on the causes of asthma for more information about potential triggers.
Speak to your GP if you think you or your child may have asthma. You should also talk to your doctor or asthma nurse if you have been diagnosed with asthma and you are finding it difficult to control the symptoms.
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After An Asthma Attack
You should see a GP or asthma nurse within 48 hours of leaving hospital, or ideally on the same day if you did not need hospital treatment.
About 1 in 6 people treated in hospital for an asthma attack need hospital care again within 2 weeks, so it’s important to discuss how you can reduce your risk of future attacks.
Talk to a doctor or nurse about any changes that may need to be made to manage your condition safely.
For example, the dose of your treatment may need to be adjusted or you may need to be shown how to use your inhaler correctly.
Uncontrolled Asthma Symptoms May Start In The Stomach
by William Allstetter, National Jewish Health
Uncontrolled gastroesophageal reflux can push stomach contents into lungs, causing irritation and asthma-like symptoms.
For most of the 25 million Americans living with asthma, symptoms are controlled with an inhaler or other medication. For some, however, breathing problems persist or worsen, even after trying several asthma treatments. For these patients, the problem may not be asthma at all, but gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. Experts at National Jewish Health say it is common for GERD to mimic asthma or worsen symptoms of existing asthma because reflux is entering the airway, causing symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and pneumonia.
“When patients come in with persistent asthma and medications aren’t helping, it’s time to start considering that the issue may be coming from somewhere outside of the lungs,” said Jeffrey B. King, MD, chief of Gastroenterology at National Jewish Health. “It’s not uncommon to find that these patients never had asthma, and that the true problem is starting in the stomach.”
Reflux is a normal function, and it is only when stomach contents rise to the back of the throat and enter the airways and lungs that reflux begins to cause health problems. A dysfunction of the muscle where the stomach meets the esophagus is often to blame. When that muscle is not tight enough, stomach contents travel up the esophagus to the airway and enter the lungs.
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Signs You Actually Have Severe Asthma
Breathing is just one of those things you take for granted until it feels like every inhale or exhale is a struggle. Unfortunately, people with severe asthma have to deal with breathing issues way more often than anyone should, and it can be completely terrifying.
Asthma is a respiratory condition that affects the airways that extend from your nose and mouth to your lungs, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute . When youre exposed to triggers like animal fur, pollen, mold, exercise, and respiratory infections, these airways can narrow, restricting your airflow. This can then make the muscles surrounding your airways constrict, making it even harder to breathe, and cause your airways to produce more mucus than normal, further compounding the problem. All together, this can lead to asthma symptoms like shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing , and chest tightness or pain, according to the NHLBI.
Like most health conditions, asthma severity runs along a spectrum, Emily Pennington, M.D., a pulmonologist at the Cleveland Clinic, tells SELF. Some people have cases where they experience minor symptoms here and there . Others can have asthma that is basically an ever-present problem and might result in scary asthma attacks, which is when symptoms ramp up in severity and can even become life-threatening.
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Do You Have Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
Laryngopharyngeal reflux or LPR is a type of esophageal reflux that doesnt involve the tell-tale sign of GERD: heartburn. As a result, patients have a difficult time understanding the nature of their symptoms. In most cases, patients with LPR dont even know they have reflux, which is why the disorder is called silent reflux.
LPR is caused by the same mechanism that triggers GERD. When the lower esophageal sphincter loosens, stomach contents travel back up the esophagus. In this case, stomach acids travel further up the pharynx, reaching the larynx and nasal pathways. As a result, a patient with LPR experiences symptoms like:
- Chronic cough
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What Asthma Treatment Options Are There
You have options to help manage your asthma. Your healthcare provider may prescribe medications to control symptoms. These include:
- Anti-inflammatory medicines: These medicines reduce swelling and mucus production in your airways. They make it easier for air to enter and exit your lungs. Your healthcare provider may prescribe them to take every day to control or prevent your symptoms.
- Bronchodilators: These medicines relax the muscles around your airways. The relaxed muscles let the airways move air. They also let mucus move more easily through the airways. These medicines relieve your symptoms when they happen.
- Biologic therapies for asthma when symptoms persist despite being on proper inhaler therapy.
You can take asthma medicines in several different ways. You may breathe in the medicines using a metered-dose inhaler, nebulizer or other inhaler. Your healthcare provider may prescribe oral medications that you swallow.
What Should I Do If I Have A Severe Asthma Attack
A severe asthma attack needs immediate medical care. The first step is your rescue inhaler. A rescue inhaler uses fast-acting medicines to open up your airways. Its different than your normal maintenance inhaler, which you use every day. You should only use the rescue inhaler in an emergency.
If your rescue inhaler doesnt help or you dont have it with you, go to the emergency department if you have:
- Anxiety or panic.
- Bluish fingernails, bluish lips or gray or whitish lips or gums .
- Chest pain or pressure.
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Unexplained Abdominal Pain Could Be A Pinched Nerve
The Medicine Cabinet: Ask the Harvard Experts
Q: I have been struggling with a persistent pain on the right side of my belly. Sometimes it feels like it moves from the back to the front and back again. My doctor first ordered blood tests and an abdominal ultrasound. Most recently I had a CT scan of my belly. All normal! My doctor now thinks it might be a pinched nerve. Can a pinched nerve cause this much pain?
A: What you describe is actually quite common. Yes, it does sound like your pain is coming from an irritated nerve leaving the spine. These spinal nerves wrap around from the center of your back to the sides of your body. Doctors call this type of nerve pain radiculopathy, or spinal nerve root pain.
Indeed, the pain can be very severe. Both the patient and the doctor often get concerned that the pain could be related to an intra-abdominal problem. So, its not surprising that you had the blood tests, ultrasound and CT scan.
Treating persistent nerve pain can be frustrating. Nerve pain often has a very irritating quality that can be more uncomfortable than pain due to other causes.
There is no single best approach. Finding the right therapies and medications to control persistent pain is a process of trial and error. The goal is to find the most effective combination with the least amount of side effects, while trying to keep costs reasonable.
What Causes Stomach Pain Nausea And Dizziness
Indigestion is pain and burning in the upper abdomen, an feeling of fullness after a meal, belching, and gas. Gastritis is an inflammation of the stomach lining, causes stomach upset, irritation, and pain. Medication side effects include nausea, vomiting, stomach upset, weakness, dizziness, seizures, and more.
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Need More Support And Advice
We know that living with asthma and any other long-term condition can sometimes be challenging.
Call our Helpline on 0300 222 5800 to talk to a respiratory nurse specialist. Or you can WhatsApp them on 07378 606 728.
You can get advice about any other conditions affecting your asthma. You can also ask about any conditions linked to side effects from your asthma medicines.
Next review due December 2023
Neuropathic Pain Of The Abdomen And Lower Limb
Back pain that is radiating into the abdomen can be related to neuropathic issues. A lower back pain that radiates to the back, or a stomach pain radiating to the lower back can be suspicious. And when any of these combines with an unusual sensation, you can be certain that its neuropathic pain.
The disorder of a nerve or group of nerves is the major cause of neuropathic pain. This causes spontaneity or a decrease in the threshold for excitation ability. In this way, there is an abnormal increase in the sensitivity ability of the bodys sensory system.
For example, there are common causes of nerve lesions:
- Compression
- Toxins, etc.
These are vulnerable conditions that may give rise to a diseased neuron with increased sensitivity.
Any cause of compression of the sciatic nerve in the pelvis will most likely cause sciatica. This will not feature as a lower back pain radiating to the front of the abdomen, but the buttocks, and legs. This answers our worries- can pelvic tilt cause sciatica? or can uterine prolapse cause sciatica?
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Why Asthma May Trigger Gerd
Just as GERD can make asthma symptoms worse, asthma can exacerbate and trigger symptoms of acid reflux. Pressure changes that occur inside the chest and abdomen during an asthma attack, for example, are believed to aggravate GERD.
As the lungs swell, the increased pressure on the stomach may cause the muscles that usually prevent acid reflux to become lax. This allows stomach acid to flow back up into the esophagus.
Heartburn is the main GERD symptom that adults face. In some people, GERD can occur without causing heartburn. Instead, symptoms may be more asthmatic in nature, such as a chronic dry cough or difficulty swallowing.
Your asthma may be connected to GERD if:
- it began in adulthood
- symptoms get worse following a large meal or exercise
- symptoms occur while drinking alcoholic beverages
- symptoms happen at night or while lying down
- asthma medications are less effective than usual
It can be difficult to identify symptoms of GERD in children, especially if theyre very young. Infants under age 1 will often experience symptoms of acid reflux, such as frequent spitting up or vomiting, with no harmful effects.
In general, infants and young children with GERD will:
- become irritable
- arch their backs often
- refuse to eat
Gerd Causes Direct Bronchospasm
This interesting theory postulates that the esophagus and bronchioles share some of the same nerves. Microscopic amounts of acidic stomach content enters the airway and irritates your esophagus. A signal is then sent via nerve pathways to bronchioles thereby irritating them and causing them to spasm . This is how acid reflux may indirectly cause bronchospasm, or so the theory goes. This mechanism is referred to as the vagally mediated reflex.5This theory essentially asserts that acidic stomach contents do not have to be inhaled into the lungs to cause asthma, all it has to do is irritate the esophagus.6 This response may also be a natural response to prevent pathogens from entering the airways .
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How Your Sciatica Nerve Can Cause Abdominal Pain
A person may experience abdominal pain due to sciatica, which is caused by the compression of a nerve in the lower back. The symptoms of sciatica can be both temporary and permanent. This article will discuss abdominal pain as a symptom of sciatica and other possible sciatica causes that may include abdominal pain.
Can Montelukast Cause Problems
Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains the most common ones associated with montelukast. You will find a full list in the manufacturer’s information leaflet supplied with your medicine. The unwanted effects often improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine, but speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following continue or become troublesome.
| Common montelukast side-effects | What can I do if I experience this? |
| Tummy pain, feeling sick , diarrhoea | Speak with your doctor if this continues |
| Headache | Drink plenty of water and ask your pharmacist to recommend a suitable painkiller. If the headaches continue, let your doctor know |
| Throat and chest infections, high temperature , skin rash | If troublesome, speak with your doctor |
Important: if you get any of the following symptoms, please let your doctor know straightaway. These can be a sign of a very rare but serious disorder called Churg-Strauss syndrome: flu-like symptoms, tingling feelings or numbness in your arms or legs, difficulties with breathing, and skin rash.
Taking montelukast can sometimes affect your mood or behaviour, such as causing nightmares or other sleeping problems, anxiety, depression, agitation, irritability or restlessness. If you think you are being affected in this way, speak to your doctor for advice.
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