Having the correct medication can make such a difference

I hope this helps someone else.

I suffer from asthma very badly in the summer months therefore it must be pollen related.

First doctor - 6 years ago - I was diagnosed with asthma, the doctor gave me antibiotics

and predisalone and a blue inhaler but the first two didn`t help and because I had trouble

breathing I found it difficult to use the inhaler so I soldiered on without anything.

Second doctor - 2 years later, prescribed more antibiotics and more stronger predisalone,

no help again so soldiered on again.

Third doctor - August this year, prescribed antibiotics, predisalone and a blue puffer inhaler.

I tried the inhaler, it helped when I could take a deep enough breath but this was very hit and miss.

I spoke to a friend who I know suffers from asthma and she said she has aerosol inhalers

(both the preventer and reliever) which sounded much better to me as they squirt the dose into you

as oppossed to my having to take a sharp breath in.

Forth doctor - early September - I asked him for what my friend has and he gave me the blue aerosol

reliever inhaler but said I wouldn`t need the preventer. This new inhaler was much better and always

gave me relief when I found it hard to breath but I still had the awful cough which was waking me

every couple of hours at night which meant I was now exhausted as well as having asthma to contend with.

Asthma nurse - Monday 27th September - I said I had spoken to asthma uk and they suggested that I

also have a preventer inhaler - she gave me (Qvar 100 Aerosol, dose, 1 puff in the morning and the same at night) I started using it straight away on the Monday, since Wednesday night I am now getting 6 hours sleep at night which I top up in the daytime with an afternoon nap.

It is only 6 days later, Saturday 1st October and I am feeling 95% better already.

The cough has gone, the shortness of breath has gone and I look forward to an 8hour nights sleep.

I don`t need my blue reliever inhaler.

*If only I had had these inhalers from the beginning. When I think how I have suffered year after year

it makes me very angry because I need not have suffered at all.

Thank you my friend Eve and thank you Asthma uk.

[angievere]

I'm really pleased for you Joan and thanks for sharing. It just goes to show how the treatment of asthma varies. I read about Avamys (for rhinitis) on here and asked GP if we could try it for my son. GP hadnt heard of it (it's fairly new) but prescribed it, and it's made such a difference. That showed me we have to be proactive and not always rely on the medics. Wish I'd found AUK and this forum years ago!

[Hidden]

i agree, its only since i've been on here that ive swotted up and been able to have the ammo when meeting gp's and they used to the same thing to me...its a chesty cough.

I think all gp's do this and now thats it apparent that this is asthma and its what ive been telling them for years they now listen to me...sadly after much suffering though.