Admission, Snotty doctor

Just been discharged after an a moderate attcak, my asthma really doesnt like this muggy weather although i personally love the hot weather, i was taken in by a lovely paramedic crew who i had before 2 years ago after a collapsed lung i must of traumatised him lol, and the A/E staff were great awating my arrival in resus, although when transferreed to the ward a doctor came to see my i was still wheezing and she turned round to me and told me to snap out of it i was like your obvisously not a resp doc which i later found out she wasnt she was a medical reg.

My sats were 94% which are ok i know but i tired explaining that i can hold my sats till i crash which she was having no off.

After another 2 nebs i was ok she came alog nd told me that wasnt so hard i sed to he no suprise i feel a bit better the amount of meds it took to stabilise me i had, hydrocortosine 200mg, pred 40mg, Magnesium, back to back nebs, theophyliine infusion and potassim drip, has ny1 else had doctors which dont understand asthma .

sorry bout rant xx

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I too had a snotty doctor once. I was admitted overnight to ""a large London teaching hospital"" where I was treated with IV steroids, nebs etc, and spent a night on the Clinical Decision Unit, needing regular nebs throughout the night and generally not being well with my asthma. A consultant came to see me on ward round the following morning and listened to my chest and said that I wasn't wheezy so could go home, but I was still short of breath, sats were varying, and I was very tachycardic from all the nebs - but she said that, being as I have home nebs, I could ""go home and treat myself"" (bearing in mind I had just been diagnosed as a brittle asthmatic), and that I didn't need a bed. She then proceeded to make hurtful judgements about me and my social life, saying that unless I got control of my asthma, something which I never have had, then I would have no friends!!! Not a word of a lie, this general medical consultant told me this, and I left the hospital in tears, swearing never to go back in again.

I hope this doesn't scare anyone, but these seems to be the place and thread to rant about silly medics!!

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Silly medic

In reply to - Feet hurting when I walk and that with my toes growing a bit sideways, I find it difficult to buy shoes without them chafing.

Answer - Have you tried buying a bigger pair?

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I have come across some silly doctors in my time and now learning slowly to take them with a pinch of salt. If they tell me to go home i do and if i later need to go back i do. I just listen to them as they are the doctor and they most of the time know what they are doing it is just time to time they are having a bad day and wouldnt we all if all we saw all day everyday was ill patients and an a and e doctor isnt there to get long term control but ot get a short term fix. I know i read that on hear somewhere perhaps was cath bear? sorry if wrong. but after you been in hospital and sent home ring your GP and get next day appointment.

To get your long term asthma control sorted.

plumie

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I have had a couple of experiences with A&E docs which I am convinced could have been handled a bit better. Once for my son and once for myself.

On the first occasion I took my son who was 8 at the time to A&E as he had been struggling for around 24 hours needing 10 puffs of Ventolin every couple of hours. He had had a terrible night where neither of us got much sleep, so I took him to be seen at 7.00 am. His sats were ok at 96% which is normal for him even when he is ill, he doesn't tend to drop until he is about to go off, but was audibly wheezing. As his sats were ok the doc said he needed 10 puffs of ventolin. I explained I had been doing this for the past day and when he isn't responding well he needs nebs. His pf was 70 (best 280). I was told he didn't need nebs as his 02 levels were fine. He had his 10 puffs and although his pf increased to 130 his sats dropped to 93. He had stopped wheezing and could go home. I refused to go saying he would drop again within the hour and was still less than 50% pf. How often should he be needing ventolin? I was told he wouldn't need any for another 4 hours and then if he needed it he could have 2 puffs. I asked for a referal to the paeds reg but was told there was nothing wrong now and if i wanted to see a paediatrician I should get a referal from my GP! So home we went ... continued with 2 hourly 10 puffs till that night then ended up being rushed in with what was described as a life threatening attack. I knew he wasn't well but what can you do when they are shipping you out of the door?

My other experience was probably my fault and perhaps I am just to used to paediatric practice and it's different for adults. So, had a viral infection (thought it was flu) increased wheezing and shortness of breath over 48 hours. Went to A&E as not coping very well and already had 2 days of Pred. Could just about walk from reception to cubicals and had sats of 90%. Chest was incredibly tight but not that wheezy and resps were about 40. Waited almost 1 hr for a neb and sats improved while on it but dropped to 94 when it finished. Was left with no one checking on me for a further 3 hours by which time my sats were back down to 91/92%. To top it all, my son called me 3 times while I was there asking me to come home cos he didn't feel well and was using his inhaler alot! So after the doc came to see me and informed me my chest sounded good and I could go home (despite my pf still being below 50% and sats hovering around 92) I dragged myself out the door and headed home. To say the least I had another bad night, hardly slept as I couldn't lie down and had to play nurse maid to my son who had caught my bug! He ended up being admitted for 3 days and my sats were still on 93% when he was discharged. 2 nurses told me it was normal practice and they are not as nice to adults as they are to kids.

So not sure what to think about that one! Not sure all the docs are that clued up when it comes to Asthma - alot seem to think if you are not wheezy you are ok. Neither my son or myself wheeze very much and feel terrible whereas my daughter wheezes alot but it doesn't really bother her. Confusing.

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It's just the case that doctors are ruder too and less tolerant of adults. Sad but true. Having spent 18 years of my life on paediatrics 2 visits to adults showed me that resp wards for adults are scary places but general doctors who know little of asthma attacks are scary people and always make sure you can name drop some doctor that is important if you can!!!

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I am very severe Brittle Asthma and like most of you my SATS stay ok untill I am about to crash.... I can also stay the same for a number of hours. I travel around allot through work so end up in different hsopitals. I have met a large numbers of doctors that give me attitude.... I have even walked out of a hospital still with a audable wheeze that you can here down the corridor as a nurse said your just hyperventiliating without even hearing the handover from the ambulance crew (I was barly awake when they got to me). I get frustrated with them when they ask to many questions when I can hardly breath...... I find the only way I get treated correctly is if I have friends with me to do all the talking... dispite having a note with my history on (number of ITU admissions... history of anaphylaixis etc). I know all the treatments as I have worked for the ambulance service before I lost my job as my asthma was too brittle for it to be safe.

I find the worst drs are the ones that dont see you when you come in... ie on ward round as they see that you have made a recovery and dont believe how sick you were. You have to take them with a pinch of salt... my GP is also terrible with my asthma... always leaves it to the hospital to do things and only just got to see an asthma specilist....

I also have Vocal Cord Dysfunction common amongst asthmatics and find hopsitlas dont know this and are worse with you ignoring this condition and just say oh it isnt you asthma your chest is clear... when I usually know its coming from my vocal cords and I cant stop it....