AHHHHHHH! BEWARE RANT COMING!

Have just come back from the doctors. Been off work now for almost 10 days (I'm a teacher) and am absolutely fed up with my crazy doctor! To start with he talked to me for 10 mins about how he has a new computer system that he is very pleased about and did I know that my bloody pressure is do and I need to get that checked. He then asked me how I was. Well I can hardly talk man! My voice is hoarse and talking is an issue - not a great thing being a teacher. I can't do anything without being totally out of breath and still coughing. I explained to him that last week I had to go to the hospital as I felt so unwell and they gave me 2 nebuliser (rather than several hundred puffs of Ventolin the asthma nurse gave me the Friday before) treatments and I felt better after it. He said that hospitals always do that and it is a load of B***ks (his words!) and people get dependent on it. But I said I felt better and surely that is a good thing! Oh no. He now thinks that after having 2 courses of Prednilisone (excuse spelling) (which I think are causing me to have restless legs? - doctor doesnt know - what a surprise!) that we should get rid of everything I was taking before apart from the Symbicort. So no more singular and ventolin. Apparently there is a new ""Smart"" way of treating asthma using just Symbicort. He gave me a card with it on and was very excited (trust me he was) about getting the surgery stamp on the right part of the card and that did I know that soon I will be able to go into any hospital/gp surgery and show this card and they know who I am (but not yet apparently - so don't get too excited!) So almost in tears with absolute no trust of the man whatsoever he said goodbye and said I should take the rest of the term off from school. LIKE THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN! So I am in no better situation. What I am sure I need is a couple of nebuliser treatments. Help me people! I am going nuts!

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MissC, a couple of nebuliser treatments is not the long term fix sounds, nebs don't last. You need a long term treatment plan and the SMART plan is one that has been around for a while and many people are seriously benefiting from it. I realise your GP was hardly tactful but he may actually have been right. I am more concerned that you said you could barely talk, not being able to talk or unable to talk in complete sentances you should be seeking medical attention via the A&E. Give the SMART plan a chance you may well find it works for you.

Bex

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Ok so a little calmer now!

Thanks Bex, you might be right. Going to at least give it a chance. Im just fed up really and not bein able to sleep is killing me - not good when having litle sleep. I am finding talking difficult but my peak flow is still good. It is usually 475 and at the moment it is 350. I am desperate to go back to work and after 10 days now surely I should be better!

Thanks for your reply.

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MissC, there is nothing more frustrating than going to see a Dr and not getting the result you are expecting. I am well known for taking changes and unexpected news badly. I am sure I am the bane of my consultants life sometimes although he does know me and knows he needs to break something let me be angry/upset for 24 hours then allow me to calm down think about it and realise as always (damn the man) he is right.

Good luck on the SMART plan I sure somewhere on here there is more information on it.

Bex

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Hi there

Just something I picked up on from your post - that you feel you should get back to work ASAP. Please please please (with a cherry on top) dont rush back, you will only make yourself ill. I made this mistake just last week, I was hospitalised on the saturday night with an attack, then carried on and worked tuesday night (on a hospital ward) and ended up in A&E again in IV meds, lots of nebs, steroids...the whole 9 yards.

So although you are looking forward to going back to work, please dont do so until you are sure you are ready, else you will get worse again. I wont be making the same mistake again!

Take care

Emz x

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Miss C,

Sorry to hear of your frusterations. Last year I was diagnosed with a second respiratory condition, so I got a second opinion from a lung specialist (usually see an allergist/asthma doc). Well the lung specialist decided I didn't have asthma, didn't need asthma meds, and took me off of everything. Did pretty well except for the wheezing daily for two years. It all ended in me getting very sick, and him telling me in his office that there was nothing that he could do about my chest pain??? It was horrible. That said it seems that if he had taken me seriously, his practice advocated more single therapy approach (taking only one inhaler to prevent), while when I went back to my allergist (who's wonderful) she immediately put me back on singualair, two preventer inhalers, and xopenex for rescue.

Also...not to be rude...but some of the posts on here say that when you go to A&E or I guess the doctor's office, at least for a couple people, they sometimes have you take your MIDI inhaler instead of using a nebulizer? I know that a rescue inhaler is supposed to work really well with a spacer, but if I'm really sick a neb. still works better to get all the medicine in. It just does. So there is a time that I would definitely ask for a nebulizer treatment too.

Bee