I went to see my new doctor yesterday to get some codeine linctus to
help with a cough. Every time I get a cold I get this really horrible,
lingering cough that causes me to cough persistently for minutes on
end and feel like I am choking. It is worse at night, and causes me to
awaken and have to sit bolt upright to cough or I feel like I am going
to stop breathing. I have had coughs and colds like this about five
times in the last couple of years with various degrees of severity
(it's been ok this week), and it usually lasts 1-3 weeks.

I am 25 and of average height and weight.

My old doctor, who I stopped seeing about a year ago, diagnosed them
as upper respiratory tract infections and sent me away with
amoxycillin and the codeine.

When I described my symptoms to my new doctor, he asked me questions
like "do you have really vivid dreams?" "how long does the cough
last?" "do you have sinusitis?" and then listened to my chest and said
that it was wheezy (when I breathe deep I feel like something's a bit
rattly in there). I've always had sinus problems and have had mucus
pretty much every day since I was about 8, and I'm a mouth breather. I
get exhausted very quickly when I go for a jog or run up stairs. He
suspected asthma and told me not to use codeine.

He then tested me with a spirometer and said that I had a 30%
improvement after the ventolin. But I've been sick this week, could
that be a false reading? Would it be the same if I had no cough at the
time I took the test?

I then took an allergy test (skin prick) and I read 2.5 times positive
for dust mites and cat hair. This I pretty much already knew, dust
mites have always caused problems for me. I'm also allergic to tree
nuts and he said that this can be very dangerous if I have asthma.
Whenever I accidentally eat part of a nut in food (about once every 2
years) my throat and tongue swell.

So he prescribed a lot of medication and my husband immediately
suspected 'over-prescriber' -

Naselex to be used with FESS at night
Flixotide 125 - 2 puffs 2 times daily
Curam Amoxycillin 125 - 2 per day for 5 days (antibiotic to clear up
my current infection)
Ventolin 100 - 2 puffs 4 times daily
Panafcortelone (Prednisolone) 25mg - 1.5 tablets before breakfast

Is this a normal starting dosage? The pharmacist had this look of
"eek" when I gave him the pile of prescriptions to fill.

I started on the full works of medication last night and I definitely
felt better this morning, still got the cough but I can breathe deeper
and my nose is clear. Still lots of mucus, but it's not getting
clogged, it's draining better.

I'm thinking why wasn't this picked up before now if it is asthma, if
the doctor said that I've probably had it for a long time. I think
partially because I've never sought treatment for the sinusitis
(except one year I had a dreadful infection and got antibiotics) and
when I was younger my mum took me to lots of quacks who got me to hold
things in my hand and they would push on my arm to see if I was
allergic to them, and lots of chakra people and stuff.

Given the symptoms I've listed, is it definitely asthma or could it be
something else? I told my friends everything and they said "there's no
way you have asthma" but they're not doctors! and they're thinking of
children's symptoms.

thanks,
Fi