How Can I Be Sure If I Am Experiencing the Symptoms of Asthma?

Question

I am an asthma patient who has got an appointment to see the doctor. I am suffering from dry cough for the past two months and is not at all reducing how hard I try. It does increase when I am at home. I think the main trigger for the cough is the dry air that is prevailing at my home. The cough begins with the sensation of crawly feeling in my throat at the back of my nose. All these symptoms can be controlled when I take SUDAFED, but once its medicinal power is gone the symptoms are back again. My mucous membranes are inflamed since I am experiencing this problem. The cold I usually get from my two young children of three and two years of age. I also do experience an infection in my upper respiratory from the past two years which is getting horrible day by day. I have not been ever treated for asthma or allergy, and I am not at all sure about these diseases. Will SUDAFED help me in any way if this problem is related to asthma? I have also come to know that feeling difficult to breathe due to exercises is also a symptom of asthma. I have not experienced such a difficulty because I was inactive for the past twenty years. A piece of advice would be really appreciated.