Laryngitis/Asthma linked?

[Melaine]

Slight TMI and yucky words used.
I have asthma. I'm curious if any of you who have Asthma also get Laryngitis frequently. Almost every time my family is hit with a little cold, I get really sick. It goes to my lungs immediately and I will get croupy sounding, wheezy and cough excessively. I almost always lose my voice from the extreme coughing. In this case, DH has complained of a sore throat and said he was congested (sounded totally normal), DDs have runny noses and sneezing, and I am voice-less, coughing up green mucus and doubled over because my stomach is so sore from all the coughing. It's not uncommon for me to cough so long/hard I will throw up. People hear me talking and are afraid I have something awful, but honestly, I know it is just a cold, no big deal.
I get so tired of the coughing and it is so difficult to deal with a dog and two 3 year olds when you can only whisper.
Maybe this should have been in BP, but I am really curious if anyone else deals with this. OR if anyone has any revolutionary cough/laryngitis remedies.

[egoldber]

Are you on maintenance meds for your asthma? Sarah would get like this until we started her on her maintenance meds.

[Melaine]

Are you on maintenance meds for your asthma? Sarah would get like this until we started her on her maintenance meds.

Not right now. I guess I should try again. I was SO annoyed because my doctor started me on something (samples) which worked great for a month, then I found that my insurance wouldn't cover it and it was prohibitively expensive with no off brand. Then I got freaked out about taking another prescription and afraid I would get pregnant while on it....I hate being on meds.
Argh. I guess I should set up an appointment. Thanks!

[egoldber]

Tell your doctor honestly what you can and cannot afford. There are so many choices that if one is too much, then there may be something else that does just as well. Unfortunately there are not a lot of generics for the inhaled sterorids. :( The rescue inhalers are pretty cheap, but you want to work to avoid those if you can.

Also, Sarah's asthma doctor is terrific about scrounging up $50 coupons, "trial" samples of inhalers, etc. You may not even need to be on them all the time, maybe just certain times of year and you could probably get enough free stuff to cover most of that time.

ETA: And your insurance may cover it if yuor doctor writes a note to say why one particular med is needed. Just because it isn't on their formulary does not mean they will not cover it if your doctor says you really need it.

[dylansnan]

Ugh, sorry you are feeling so yucky and you get well soon.
I have had asthma since I was a child. This is probably not helpful to you. Mine is primarily allergen induced- I sometimes might have a harder time with a cold, but not always. I have only had laryngitis twice in my life. Wanted to commiserate on lack of insurance coverage on maintenance drugs, though :-( with no prescription coverage even my rescue inhalers are almost too much.

[bubbaray]

When I was in law school, I was put on pulmicort to help manage my exercise-induced asthma. It gave me laryngitis during "moots" (mock trials and appeals).

Fast forward 20 years and I've been diagnosed with "real" asthma and put on a different preventative (alvesco). Its been 3m now and so far no laryngitis.

[Melaine]

Thanks guys. Sounds like I need to go back to the dr. and get some different meds. I do have a rescue inhaler, but it isn't a lot of help. It's a bad sign to get a cold early in the season. It usually means all fall/winter I will be coughing.

[nov04]

I've had the same problem and so does dd2. She's on maintenance steroids 8m of the year, I start steroids/ventolin the moment I get a cold. I end up on prednisone if I don't act right away and she ends up with pneumonia.

GL!