How do you tell apart anxiety attack from asthma attacks?

[Kaynil]

It is usually not much of a problem for me to know if it is asthma: shortness of breath won't calm down with water and blue can will help them. I feel other symptoms overlap a bit when it comes to asthma and anxiety but basically, if it has an emotional trigger it's anxiety.

Tonight I didn't have much of a reason to be anxious. If at all. I just had a dinner with a relative I get along very nicely with. I had asked for time off work and I felt that helped reduce a lot the stress I had accumulated. While I experienced minor anxiety attacks in the last month at work they both were pretty mild and I pretty much feel way more relaxed now that the pressure of work is not there for a while.

So on our way back to the bus stop, I felt the tightness on my chest and arm and I started wheezing. If it wasn't because I already made this mistake before I got diagnosed with asthma a few years back, I would have mistaken this as evidence of my lacklustre fitness. Rather than stopping my friend who was walking ahead I decided to keep pushing myself a few blocks out of concern of missing the bus until I completely lost control of my breathing and my head felt but light and aching. I sat but honestly by that time it felt more like an anxiety attack. I couldn't make the long breaths as my friend was trying to instruct me because I couldn't suck enough air to retain it and I felt embarrassed and knowing the bus was coming in a few minutes. So I feel like I had a mixture of both. Now, I need a replacement for my blue asthma inhaler so I didn't have it with me. The episode was relatively short considering I managed to collect myself before the bus arrived. I couldn't breath nose only but I was calm. I had to pause to breathe when I spoke without being able to complete sentences in one go, which I have always related to asthma.

However, now thinking back on everything and the fact I didn't need a breather thing makes me wonder if I didn't confuse them or if I had a mixture of both with the anxiety kicking after asthma.

Anyway, I thought it was a good opportunity to ask here if you knew how to tell them apart in case someone here also has to deal with both things. I imagine symptoms for both might vary slightly for each person but it still would be a very good insight.

Also, I had already planned to make an appointment with my doctor, so besides having a general check, I will be getting that salbutamol. So don't worry about me.

 

[janemariesayed]

It is usually not much of a problem for me to know if it is asthma: shortness of breath won't calm down with water and blue can will help them. I feel other symptoms overlap a bit when it comes to asthma and anxiety but basically, if it has an emotional trigger it's anxiety.

Tonight I didn't have much of a reason to be anxious. If at all. I just had a dinner with a relative I get along very nicely with. I had asked for time off work and I felt that helped reduce a lot the stress I had accumulated. While I experienced minor anxiety attacks in the last month at work they both were pretty mild and I pretty much feel way more relaxed now that the pressure of work is not there for a while.

So on our way back to the bus stop, I felt the tightness on my chest and arm and I started wheezing. If it wasn't because I already made this mistake before I got diagnosed with asthma a few years back, I would have mistaken this as evidence of my lacklustre fitness. Rather than stopping my friend who was walking ahead I decided to keep pushing myself a few blocks out of concern of missing the bus until I completely lost control of my breathing and my head felt but light and aching. I sat but honestly by that time it felt more like an anxiety attack. I couldn't make the long breaths as my friend was trying to instruct me because I couldn't suck enough air to retain it and I felt embarrassed and knowing the bus was coming in a few minutes. So I feel like I had a mixture of both. Now, I need a replacement for my blue asthma inhaler so I didn't have it with me. The episode was relatively short considering I managed to collect myself before the bus arrived. I couldn't breath nose only but I was calm. I had to pause to breathe when I spoke without being able to complete sentences in one go, which I have always related to asthma.

However, now thinking back on everything and the fact I didn't need a breather thing makes me wonder if I didn't confuse them or if I had a mixture of both with the anxiety kicking after asthma.

Anyway, I thought it was a good opportunity to ask here if you knew how to tell them apart in case someone here also has to deal with both things. I imagine symptoms for both might vary slightly for each person but it still would be a very good insight.

Also, I had already planned to make an appointment with my doctor, so besides having a general check, I will be getting that salbutamol. So don't worry about me.

This is something that I think needs a little research. I don't have asthma but I do get panic attacks. The panic attacks I get rather sound like some people who I have heard explain asthma attacks. Both make you feel that you can't breathe. But a panic attack can be overcome by deep slow breathing whereas an asthma attack needs medication spray. One can't die from a panic attack but I think one may be able to from an asthma attack. I don't know really too much about asthma.