Allergies, Asthma or whatever

[OakLeaf]

If you had asthma you would feel like you were trying to breath through a soda straw that was in your mouth. The end sticking out of your mouth would feel like it was totally pinched closed. Basically, you would be trying to suck air through an opening that no longer exist.

Mild asthma doesn't always feel that way. A person could definitely be unaware of it, and just have the cough because crud was building up in their lungs because of incomplete exhalations; or not even that symptom. Sometimes asthma is very obvious, but the only way to really know you don't have it is to have a breathing test that compares the amount of air you can exhale in one second, against your total lung capacity. Even though asthma feels like you can't get air in, in reality it's that you can't get air out.

[Peanut03]

I agree with the others, that is probably not asthma. I have had bad allergies for the past two years, and last year I finally went to an sinus doctor (otolaryngologist). He prescribed Flonase and sSngulair. The Flonase dried my nose out too much, but it did work. This year I went for my follow up appointment and told him about it. I also said that I had just started using a Neti Pot. He was supportive and told me to discontinue the Flonase but continue the Neti Pot and singulair and see how it works. I recently added Zyrtec to the mix and I have been great. So, I take the Singulair and Zyrtec at night, then do the Neti pot in the morning.

[Eden]

I don't have asthma at all. I was prescribed Singulair this year, because of the amount of breakthrough allergy symptoms I was still getting.

There is of course no way to tell for sure without being tested (I was) if you have asthma or not, but the OP's symptoms sound identical to mine. I get a nasty hacking cough from a lot of post nasal drip.

[Flybye]

You can take 1/2 of a Claritin if it dries you out too much. Singular works on both allergies and asthma and is a great option. Any allergy medication with a "D" after it contains a decongestant, which I'd steer clear from.

[ACG]

THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. I went to whole foods invested in a neti-pot. Bought a saline nasal spray. It works just as well as the over the counter stuff, and I don't have to wait 12 hours. I called my doc who will schedule me for an allergy test, etc. I feel better already. Thanks for the support.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

The nasal saline rinse (Neti-pot type setup but a different brand Ayre with a squeeze bottle) changed my life.
I used to wake up in the middle of the night with gummy clogging in my sinuses and could not sleep or breathe well when it happened. I would have to just get up and suffer through it.
My neti rinse every morning is so soothing and really clears my head and sinuses and feels wonderful. It is natural and easy. Makes all the difference in the world for me. Now it's a daily or every other day simple routine just like brushing my teeth. No more icky clogged mucus sinus gunk for me!