Hi there,
I'm like you, I'm new to all this, and got diagnosed after "failing" my PFT on the very last try. To me, it appeared that this test was cheat proof, and I was pretty surprised that what I have is asthma also, albeit a milder form. I have a need to take a deep breath on a regular basis, but I definately feel it in my lungs, not windpipe. I was prescribed singulair, and when that didn't necessarily work, I got Asmanex, which works great. Your Dr. was probably just trying something like Advair to start off with, and will give you different treatments, as you find your way to the right one for you. Obviously Advair isn't. Singulair has some side effects also.