Question:
Those of you with asthma (or an abundance of medical knowledge)
I received the referal to meet with my surgeon...however, my PCP refused to "medically clear" me for surgery for right now. She wants me to have a pulmonary test done, (which I have tomorrow) and she has also started playing with my asthma meds (I was on Flovent and albuterol...she's keeping me on albuterol and switching me from Flovent to Advair.) On the one hand I'm happy about that b/c obviously I'll start feeling better once I get the right combination of meds but on the other I'm a little worried because I don't know if this will prevent me from having this surgery. As long as my asthma gets under control, will I have to worry about whether she'll medically clear me or not? Also, my friend and I went out to eat yesterday and she asked me a question that I blew off but am more concerned now that I've thought about it. My doc said that Advair is an oral steroid and will work better than the inhaled steroid I was on...and when I asked her if I'd gain weight on it, she sorta "poo-pooed" the whole idea. But then my friend had the EXACT same thought when I told her about it...so if any of you are on Advair or know about it, can you let me know if, once I'm cleared for surgery and have it, it would work AGAINST my weight loss? Finally, I've had asthma since I was a baby, never outgrew it or anything...and when I was really young, it was severe but grew less so as I got older. Now, it's getting uncontrolled again and I was wondering if this is due to the amount of weight I've put on over the past few years. Sorry, I know that question was looooong, but if you can answer any/all of the questions, I'd feel so much better. Thank you! — jenn_jenn (posted on July 15, 2003)
July 15, 2003
Jennifer, The advair should not make you gain wait it is different than a
regular steroid you take orally and it will improve your asthma. it wont
necessarly prevent you from having surgery unless it does not improve.
— Susie T.
July 15, 2003
Your doc is on the right track! First, she realizes asthma is a
co-morbidity that helps get the insurance company to cover the surgery;
second, Advair is the newest inhaler on the market, as far as I know - my
sister and I love it, it does in 2 puffs a day what the others did in 10 or
14 (and has no more potential for weight gain than the others,
either!).Also, you shouldn't worry about asthma preventing "clearance
for surgery" - probably a majority of us have it by the time we're
heavy enough to qualify for surgery (even though I realize yours was
childhood-onset). By the way - Advair IS an inhaled steroid like the
others! So best wishes!
— Postop_nurse
July 15, 2003
Jennifer, My Mom takes Advair and has not had any problems gaining weight.
As far as I know, you only gain weight with steriods if they are taken
orally or by IV. On the plus side, the better your asthma is controlled the
less likely you are to have problems after surgery. You don't want to have
to do breathing treatments with that open scar there. It is the pits!
— doglover
July 15, 2003
I am scheduled for surgery tomorrow and I'm on advair and singulair for my
asthma. You don't get the hunger and weight gain you do from other asthma
meds like prednisone. I used to have alot of problems with my asthma until
I was put on these two meds and now my asthma is controlled. You might
want to ask your doctor about singulair as well. It is a pill that I take
once a day and I noticed a difference soon after I began taking it. Good
luck.
— citygirl1971
July 15, 2003
There is something about Advair though...I believe I read in the insert
that your body may take more time to heal after surgery. That would be a
concern. I did gain weight on my last inhaled steroid and iv steroids made
my weight go from @160's to over 200 in less than 2 months. My old pcp
also poo pooed this. But you know as well as I do, that you do gain weight
from regular cortico steroids. We call the weight gain in our faces 'moon
face'. Although I do know some people, kids especially who do not seem to
gain weight on steroids. Go figure.
— kathy B.
July 15, 2003
I have severe Asthma and Copd, I use 3 inhalers; Albuterol, Flovent and
Atrovent, I also have an unkwown underlaying lungdeacease which the pulmo
follow carefully and to top it off I also have severe sleep apnea.
Regardless of that, the pulmo has just cleared me for surgery with special
instructions. Give all you have in you for the lung function test, so the
doctors truly can see how your lungs are, and don't worry even if you have
to repeat the test after a while, it's all in your best interrest. Hugs
Tove
— Tove Annelise H.
July 15, 2003
advair is not an oral steroid, rather an inhaled one. It also contains a
long acting bronchodilator (serevent) It has been a tremendous help for
many people w/asthma. I don't know for sure, but I beleive most inhaled
medications cause less systemic side effects than medications taken orally.
(always make sure to rinse your mouth after using inhaled steroids.) good
luck and i hope your asthma improves w/ your weight loss. obesity is a
restrictive lung disease and when you add that to asthma(an obstructive
lung disease) i'm sure it cannot be easy.
— annette G.
July 15, 2003
Jennifer, I too have asthma (since age 10)& in Nov was diagnosed with
emphysema (BTW I am not a smoker & never have been..it is due to
uncontrolled asthma & second-hand cig smoke) with that combination they
call it COPD & I have sleep apnea ...My breathing got worse in Nov
& I was using my Proventil inhaler approx 20 times 24/7 if not more but
wasn't actually getting any relief from it...my pulmonologist put me on
Singulair & Advair 500/50 & a CPAP...they didn't work...finally
added a nebulizer every 4 to 6 hours...after frustration of it not working
he sent me to an allergist...& found I have more allergies than I had
last time I went (1995)...started me on allergy shots...& took them
every day til I hit maintenance (now 1 every 2 weeks) & the shots
actually caused the Advair 500/50 & Singulair to start working like
they should & I hardly use the nebulizer & only the Proventil about
1-2 times a day if that...but the pulmonologist also said I if I would lose
the weight I would benefit more so!! Haven't really noticed the weight gain
but as the one post said these problems can only help get you approved for
the surgery..My Dr's approved me & now if I can get my iron level up
from an 8.8 I'm scheduled for surgery Sept 15!! Good luck!!
— Rhondaroo78
July 15, 2003
My wifes asthma was so bad pre op her PCP put her on medical disability.
Once she lost about 40 pounds it went away! Her pulmonologist said her body
cavity was small and so jammed with fat her lungs couldnt expand. Like a
woman wearing a corset. No room to breathe. She went from 23 prescriptions
to just flonase and allegra for allergies. It was a miracle.
— bob-haller
July 15, 2003
My wifes asthma was so bad pre op her PCP put her on medical disability.
Once she lost about 40 pounds it went away! Her pulmonologist said her body
cavity was small and so jammed with fat her lungs couldnt expand. Like a
woman wearing a corset. No ropom to breathe. She went from 23 prescriptions
to just flonase and allegra for allergies. It was a miracle.
— bob-haller
July 15, 2003
I use Advair. As one poster has already said, it is inhaled, not oral. They
also mentioned the need to rinse your mouth after inhaling it. I can tell
you the reason for that is steriods in your mouth can cause thrush (very
uncomfortable). All you have to do to prevent it is drink something and
swish it around before swallowing, no big deal. I've had no weight gain
from the Advair at all even after using it for a couple of years, but when
I had to go on oral steroids a few months ago for a case of pneumonia I
gained at least 15 pounds.
— Chyrl W.
July 16, 2003
jennifer.
I have asthma and am on Advair. It has been a great help to me. I had
surgery on May 13, 03 and have not noticed it affecting my weight loss. I
have lost 38lbs so far. Which is ahead of what my Dr expected. I have been
on Advair for about 2 yrs now and I feel great. Have had no bat attacks
since put on it.Good Luck on your surgery and the Advair
Marcia Kline
— Marcia K.
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