For the last week i have been having daily attacks ( as many as 5) where my chronic symptoms worsen quite rapidly but then respond to a neb. these nebs are over and above my regular prescribed ones. This for me is not my normal pattern so im confused as to why this is happening but i suspect it is linked to my poorly controlled hay fever which is also very problematic.
I have seen my GP who offered a planned admission but as im staying within my guidelines for staying at home i declined,but if at any time i reach my admission leve criteria then obviously i would go in .
Has anyone had this problem and if so how did you cope? (im obviously used to the persistent cough wheeze etc but not in attack form)
Sounds like the typical chaotic pattern of difficult / brittle asthma.
I had a bit of a pattern like that a few years ago. How long are the nebs lasting? I assume it is less than the 4 hrs. I think when it happened to me I usually ended up in hospital as I got so knackered and just couldn't cope.
Using S/C solved a lot of it for me but I am not sure if you have been offered it with cardiac issues etc.
Hayfever is a real pain at the mo - It was chucking it down at work today, yet I was sneezing my head off! ( though may be dusty office)
If I were you, please don't growl at me, I would go in for a planned admission and get it nipped in the bud! You need to be a bit better to go to Lourdes.
Take care
Love & huggs
Kate
XXX
Kate- knackered sums up how i feel perfectly!! don't worry i wont growl !!!!
If home situation was better i would go in now but hubby is in Spain as his father is close to passing and my dad has just been diagnosed with cardiac probs and i don't want him to have to deal with my kids unless essential. I'm lucky that friends are helping out alot but obviously cant help overnight
I did try s/c briefly during a recent admission but cardiac problems soon put a halt to it which was a pity as there was some improvement. Yes nebs are less than 4 hrly more like 2-3 hrs. (i have been allowed to neb this regularly with my cons permission).
I have to admit i was hoping not to have to take my chair to Lourdes but atm it will be coming(humph poor person who has to push me!!)
Hi Hops,
Sorry to hear that you're struggling so much. I have had this sort of pattern in the past, with the nebs giving some response initially but then lasting less and less time (again, I have permission from my respiratory consultant to neb at this sort of level for a while at home). I don't want to worry you, but in me this sort of pattern is often a sign that I am building up to a big attack, and often if this happens and I don't go into hospital and 'nip it in the bud' then I do end up going off in a big way and often being ventilated. I am sure, as Kate says, that this is partly related to the exhaustion of having to deal with this level of symptoms, and the struggle to walk around the house, to the toilet and so on.
Of course, that is not to say that you will be the same, but I think you need to view this increased need for nebs as a warning sign, much in the same way that someone who was normally better controlled would notice and take action if their peak flow began to drop.
Only you can know what sort of level of symptoms you can put up with and when you should seek help. After years of experimenting, sometimes with bad attacks from misjudging things, I have got to know roughly what my limits are in this regard, and I do generally stick to them. Maybe you do need to discuss with your consultant what sensible limits would be, in terms of more than x nebs in 12 hours, for example. I know that if I get to a certain stage neb-wise, or if I am needing multiple nebs to recover from walking to the toilet, for example, then I really need to be in hospital.
For others reading this, please note that if you have home nebs you should have clear guidelines from your doctor about how frequently to use them, and you should stick very closely to these guidelines. Nebbing more frequently than recommended is very dangerous and could result in you ignoring the symptoms of a life-threatening asthma attack and not getting yourself to hospital when you should be. I am a doctor, and also a very experienced brittle asthmatic, and the level of neb use which is appropriate for me, and agreed with my consultant, is very unlikely to be appropriate for many people. In particular, if you are needing nebs to recover from walking around the house, that is a serious sign and you should call an ambulance immediately.
Hi my son has severe asthma and has just gone back to school after two weeks on bed rest, I try to keep him out of hospital as you do to keep family life as normal as poss (especially with what's happening in your family). The thing that works for my son when home nebs stop helping for so long , we take him in to casualty and have a neb there with oxygen, that works wonders, he was singing and even dancing afterwards!!and home we all go. Oxygen seems to be the magic ingredient, if you went now and improved you could be well enough to stay with the kids instead of being admitted. You may need a couple of sessions and may need to go back daily but family life stays intact, and you get the help you need. Good luck
Rattles
Hi Hops' hubby Andy here
Thanks for the support you have given Hops. After a lengthy discussion between her nurse and her cons she finally was persuaded to go in last night as she wasn't improving and it was obvious on my return that she did need to be in. She was admitted to HDU and is having all the usual treatments. the aim is to have her home by Wednesday. She is still determined to go to Lourdes on Friday but im not sure she will be up to it but hope so for her sake .
Please send hugs to Kirsten! XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Love & nebs
Kate XXXXx
Hi Andy,
Thank you very much for passing on the info about Hops, please do send her our best wishes, I do hope she improves and gets out soon.
One little point - I am sorry to mention this, but could I ask that you create your own account if you want to post with updates about Hops? Creating an account is completely free and should only take a couple of minutes. We do ask that people don't post using other people's accounts, although I know that you were only doing so so that you could update us on how Hops is doing. Thanks.
Em H
(forum moderator)
Hi
all
just a quickie to let you know i escaped a couple of hours ago, am feeling alot better than i did in the last few days before admission.
I am allowed to go to Lourdes yippee!!!
BUT im literally not allowed to do anything tomoz and my con has spoken with the Dr who is traveling with us so im feeling a bit happier. I have also had to agree to be pushed everywhere(tbh getting around home is doing me in so have agreed!!)
As for what happened with the frequent attacks , my con has said we will see what happens but has said it could be the way things are heading for the mo and if so, he has said I DO have to go in sooner than i did as it was nearly ITU. We are going to talk about it more when im back.
Thanks for your support again guys.
Dr Who is travelling with you ???!
should be an interesting Lourdes trip!
LOL I wish it was David Tennant who was coming with us although i doubt he would do me much good during attack as he would just increase my pulse even more which i could really do without as its rather high atm!!!
Well im all packed a ready to go as is Chloe but was most upset my amount of space given over to meds and nebs but needs must.
right take care all i will check in on my return on the 25th.
Best wishes and good luck, Hops.
Best of luck, Hops, hope you have a good time and don't have any attacks.
Take care,
Em H
Bonjour!
Lourdes was absolutely amazing and had a major impression on me am hoping to return with HCPT next year. I didn't have to worry about not being able to walk anywhere as there were always plenty of willing pushers!!! The group i went with were fab and all so supportive, though I did have to explain to quite a few people about brittle asthma!. The lungs sadly weren't on their best behavior and i came very close to checking out the Lourdes A+ E but with some superb care from the 2 nurses who were with us I only missed going to the baths, unfortunately as well as bring back Holy Water I have also brought back a chest and sinus infection , thankfully i had my supply of anti bs with me so started them quickly.
Right am off to N Devon tomoz so better go and supervise hubby doing the packing!!!
Hops I thought I did some pretty mad things at times but really! Please stay safe and avoid Barnstaple A&E if possible and deffo stay away from Derriford because it will only go to confirm their already held opinion that all brittles are totally potty. see talk.nhs.uk/blogs/asthma/de... for my last encounter!
Bex
Loved the blog Bex, i will be back to read more when im home!!lol!!!
Fraid i can be totally potty but its all in the name of trying to be a 'normal mum'.
I will endeavor to do my best and stay away from ANY A+E depts in Devon, even though im on hols i still have contact with my community matron and have copies of my drugs list and protocol's stashed in various nooks and crannies around the car, in neb boxes etcetc!!!
Thankfully hubby and dad are able to erect my teletubby dome(our rather large tent!!) while again i sit and supervise.(ie neb!!!)
Right im off to bed ready for a reasonably early start back on 10/8
take care all
Hops I am soooo pleaed you managed the trip and had great time!
We are also off to north devon on sunday camping with an unco-operative set of lungs, thanks for the tips on hospitals to avoid Bex. I have just seen weather forecast and thinking this could be a very short trip lots of heavy rain forecast. We havent braved camping since Sean was about three, we went france and it rained non stop and his chest complained all week and we ended up coming home early and driving striaght to local hospital. This isnt something I would reccomend cos it was a nail biter ofa journey but ending up in a foreign hospital trying to expain non text book asthma wasnt ideal.
Anyway Hops have a great time, im just off to hang out last wash load...as you do at 1am
Julie, Hops, I re-iterate you are both totally off your tiny little rockers! I think I will have to set up a refuge for sodden campers down here in South Devon! Please please stay safe all of you.
Hugs
Bex
Julie - I hope you got back ok with no problems since?
We have returned home 4 days early for a couple of reasons.
1) I ended up spending 2 nights in Nth Devon hosp Mau thanks to asthma/infec and was told in no uncertain terms that I am not well enough to be camping and to go home!!! I have my nurse coming to read the riot act out tomorrow!!
2) On the day i was discharged and we were considering coming home we got a call to say the my hubbys Dad had died after a short battle with cancer, so he needed to get home to get to Spain for the funeral on friday.
3) We were FED UP with the rain!!! it started the day after we arrived and hasnt stopped since!!!
I have to admit what i saw of Nth Devon was very nice and hope to go back when im well and the weather is better!!
I think im now going to hibernate until I can shift this silly infection, I cant risk going in as have no -one to look after kids as Andy in Spain and parents still away.
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pattern of attacks changing (may contain potentially frightning info)
advice wanted 
Shielding/work anxiety.
