I went 5 years without realizing I had uncontrolled asthma

I wanted to share this in case someone out there is dealing with the same thing and hasn’t realized it yet. It’s long, but it was a whole experience. If this sounds like you, please don’t ignore it like I did. About five years ago, I started waking up with a weird cough. A few mornings a week I’d cough up these clear, jelly-like balls, about the size of a silica gel packet bead. Around the same time I also had heartburn, so I figured this was the cause, went to the doctor and was diagnosed with GERD and put on omeprazole. Eventually the cough seemed to calm down, so I figured that was that and moved on. I had no idea that was my first asthma symptom. Two years later, I woke up in the middle of the night feeling like I was choking. I couldn’t fully inhale or exhale. My breathing was shallow and I felt like I might pass out. I had to sit up and force myself to cough for almost 10 minutes before it eased up. It was terrifying. I was in my mid-20s and didn’t even know asthma could start in adulthood, so it never crossed my mind. When it happened again a few months later, and then started happening once or twice a month, I still blamed GERD. Even on nights without a full attack, I’d wake up coughing up those same jelly-like blobs. My back would itch in a way I couldn’t scratch because it felt like the itch was inside my lungs. If I sneezed during the day, my airways would swell, I’d have a mini attack for a minute or two, and then wheeze for half an hour. I kept telling myself it was reflux. Eventually it got bad enough that I went back to the doctor and was finally diagnosed with asthma. I got a rescue inhaler and was told to use it during attacks. The first time I used albuterol during one of those late-night episodes, I was shocked at how fast it worked. My airways relaxed within minutes. I could breathe. I could go back to sleep. I’m a grown man and I genuinely felt like crying from the relief. But being able to stop an attack isn’t the same as having controlled asthma. I still had the cough. I still had the itchy lungs. I still had mini flare-ups from sneezing. I started feeling a deep tickle in my throat whenever I took a full breath. I ignored all of it for years because the inhaler could “fix” the big attacks. This week I finally told my doctor about everything. He was very clear: this wasn’t normal. My asthma was not under control. He started me on a maintenance inhaler, and I took it that night. I had no idea how bad my breathing had gotten. I forgot what normal felt like. The inflammation had been building slowly enough that I didn’t notice. If I hadn’t brought it up, who knows how much worse it could have become. If any of this sounds familiar, please get checked out. Don’t wait.