What should I do? Been wheezing for the past week.

LoL God must be guiding me in trying to figure out how to approach a posting here, because I've wiped myself out twice. I'm a retired nurse with extensive background in teaching nurses, EMT-A and Paramedics, and new docs in emergency, trauma, and disasters.

The key question here is when to seek care and who should you go too?

I'll start with the final answer first. When presented with something happening to you that you don't have an absolute answer and it frightens you, that is the point in time to give the responsibility of determining the cause of the problem to a person of more skilled knowledge.

This statement if used will keep you out of trouble from something that is potentially serious that is treatable, from turning into something that can kill.

This is where I'm hoping not to offend. Time is not your determining factor. The presenting problem is the determining factor.

Our bodies are amazingly designed to respond to things going wrong within i.e pain, fever, changes in heart rate/pulse/blood pressure, breathing. All of these changes occur because of sensors within our body that work to keep our bodies working well. When something causes a change in one of the these  enough that we are aware and concerned, we should seek care.

I, specifically, used certain words in the final answer for a reason. "When presented with something happening to you that you don't have an absolute answer". Stef324, you have a history of asthma. Previously, only associated with a cold ( virus versus ambient temperature induced). But you state you didn't have a cold. Your symptoms were similar to your symptoms associated with a cold. This caused you confusion because your symptoms weren't following the usual scenario.  Yet they seemed to be similar. This for you was the unknown. When you reach the point in the decision making process that you say to yourself "this is new and unknown", that's very important.  This is the time to seek counsel of a more knowledgeable practitioner. 

"It frightens you".  I used frighten because I'm talking about a basic human emotion FEAR. Fear is hardwired into our brain and all it's controls. Hours of anatomy and physiology teaching/learning re: how fear works for us isn't really necessary to understand that it is a protective mechanism. Fear alerts us that something is wrong and we need to react. In the decision making process at this juncture, make fear work for you. The greater the fear, the quicker you seek help.

Who do you give the responsibility too? This is where fear can really help. "The greater the fear, the quicker you seek help.". Great fear call EMS. Lesser fear >>ER, Urgent care center. If you have access to  PCP(primary care physician) this may be a better first choice than ER or urgi care center because your PCP knows you and your history. Time of day and access can determine where you go.

The key here in the new and unknown situation give the responsibility to the generalist practitioner not the specialist. Let the generalist i.e PCP work the problem by physical examination, testing, and treatment. A PCP is trained to know when you need to be referred  to a specialist. In the case of Er and urgi care docs, they are also trained to determine when to refer too or bring in other specialists.

Docs use the same decision making process that I suggest for you. At the point that a doc determines that the presenting problem is beyond their knowledge level they refer to a person of higher level of knowledge.
 

Wow Sass! I knew you could answer so many questions on these threads, but I didn't know you knew THAT much about Asthma!

You are SO RIGHT! And even though we "usually" don't have an Asthma attack, that doesn't mean that one isn't waiting right around the corner! I had one a few months ago... Just 2 days after getting my annual physical.... "Nothing wrong with you"..... she said.

2 days later, I started having a little trouble... sore throat..... then sniffles, then all hell broke loose. THEN I called the Doctor... I just knew... .

I found my Nebulizer, and that is another point..... If you have HAD a history of problematic Asthma, you should get a Nebulizer... Order one online... they are MUCH cheaper than having your DOC "give" you one.... Your Insurance will be billed, and what I had to pay was twice as much as I could have ordered on myself.

Start those treatments with your prescription ampules... Use your long-term inhalers, like Advair... Also have a rescue inhaler on hand. And I always have to take an antibiotic, like the Z-pak... It's just that Asthma will usually turn into something much worse, than a simple Asthma attack.

I never knew what started this LAST problem.... Sure it is Winter, but I hadn't been out in it that much... a simple "cold" will signal an Asthma problem, and it's then that we can't control it ourselves.

One time years ago, I was treating a flare-up.... Got so bad one night, I could not exhale~! Called the Doc.... she said to do ANOTHER treatment.... I called her right after, to tell her it didn't help....

Rushed to Hospital.... I was really getting scared by this time... THEY hooked me up to another treatment, then gave me a shots of Adrenalin, and some sort of Benadryl... I sat there, on that bed, and thought for SURE I was going to sleep and just plain die! Then I had to lay down.... All the meds started working......It was like my lungs opened up....and finally I could breathe... Lots of antibiotics....

THEY fixed me all up.... so thankful my Doc didn't tell me to keep working at it... Slept for the rest of the day....

From now on, whenever I get that "feeling".... I am on it.

So Stef, make sure you pay attention to your symptoms... There is always a cause, or a "reason" things happen.... and sometimes, we have to turn it over to someone else... and get help.... Take good care!

Stef, I was just thinking..... When it is really cold out, and I HAVE to go somewhere, I wear those little flat "masks" over my nose and mouth.... I bought a pack of them at the dollar store.... and they really help!

I also wear them when either painting, or spraying any kind of chemical.... Your lungs and Bronchial tubes just don't like anything "foreign" in them.... Even if you around some sort of Industrial spraying, or chemicals being used.... You can get into a lot of trouble!