Newbie saying hi and a question

Hi all,

I have been reading this board for a while and finally plucked up the courage to write something here, so hi to everyone.

I was admitted to hospital after a bad attack and was released yesterday and this has kind of shaken me up big style. Although I have been in hospital before Im not sure what was so different about this, but this time round I feel emotionally drained and well as physically. Has anyone else experienced this? I even cried on a fellow patient yesterday and this was once I had been told that I cold go home! Thankfully she was really lovely about it! I know you cant tell without seeing me what is normal for me, but I suppose what I want to know is if it is normal to feel so drained after such an event?

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

[yaf_user681_25830]

Hello SaintsFan, and welcome,

No, I don't think that is unusual at all. I think hospital admissions are ALWAYS traumatic, no matter how often they happen to you. Not only are you not well, but you have to cope suddenly with a different and - at times - frightening environment. When you are acutely ill, you don't have the time or the space to process the emotional content of the experience - which is why I think it hits you afterwards, when you get home. I always feel very unsettled when I get home after a hospital stay - jumpy, a bit tearful, just not myself.

So, be reassured, to feel both physically and emotionally battered after a hospital stay is very normal, and I'm sure many on here will tell you similar tales about their experiences.

Just remember that you have been through an ordeal, and that you must try to look after yourself accordingly. Get plenty of sleep and rest, eat good food, do things that make you feel good, distract yourself with activities that you can manage. Just look after yourself until you are feeling much better.

I do hope that you feel better soon,

Love,

Maz

xx

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Hi SaintsFan,

Welcome to Asthma UK; I hope you'll find us a good source of information and support. I'm sorry to hear that you've been struggling recently.

Firstly - and we say this to all newbies - please do not be frightened by what you read on these boards. By the nature of this forum, it tends to attract people who are severely affected in disproportionate numbers - in fact, people at the severe end of the spectrum, with uncontrolled asthma, make up a tiny proportion of asthmatics. The vast majority (95 - 97%) of asthmatics can be completely or nearly completely controlled, with minimal or no effect on their day-to-day life, once the right combination of medication is found. The sort of accounts that you might read on here, of poor control, multiple medications, hospital and intensive care admissions, and so on, really are not typical of what asthma is to most people. Asthma should be taken seriously - in the worst cases, it can be fatal - but once it is treated it should not stop you leading a normal life.

Secondly, in terms of your own problems - it sounds like you've had a really rough time recently, and that takes its toll physically and emotionally. I think a lot of us can relate to feeling emotional and 'wrung out' after a hospital admission. Lack of privacy and sleep while in, and often high doses of steroids, don't help the issue. Mazza is right to say, as well, that it is often impossible to process what has happened to you while still in the hospital environment - which is why all those emotions tend to kick in once you are at home, or when you are told you can go home!

Hopefully all of these feelings will gradually subside over the next few days and weeks. If they don't, please do visit your GP and have a chat - they may well be able to do something to help you deal with all of this. In the mean time, be kind to yourself, give yourself plenty of time, and don't feel bad about feeling this way - it is totally normal.

I wonder who looks after your asthma for you? - are you managed by your GP or by a hospital consultant? Obviously the fact that you have had several hospital admissions with your asthma means that it is not as well controlled as it might be. Looking at your profile, there may be other medications you can try that would improve your control. If you haven't seen a hospital respiratory specialist as an out-patient, it is worth asking your GP to refer you. If you are under a hospital consultant, then perhaps asking to see him/her sooner rather than later would be a good idea.

Hope this helps and you feel better very soon

Em H

(forum moderator)

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PS - I have just realised the implication of your screen-name - since my husband is a life-long Pompey fan (and yes, I am being dragged to Wembley this year ) I am not sure I am really allowed to talk to you!

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Thanks to you both for your replies.

It is nice to be reassured that its is relatively normal to feel like I do right now. I am going to try and make an appt with my GP this afternoon to talk through if there is somewhere else that we can go with this and see what they say, as my PF has dropped a bit again already since being released yesterday.

I am not currently under a specialist chest consultant, although I am seeing a consultant in regards to why I keep getting infections (both chest and ear) and I am due to be having lung function tests to see if we can get to the bottom of it, as I ended up with pneumonia two months ago and since then I am on antibiotics almost every couple of weeks for a chest infection.

P.S. EmH - Dont worry you can talk to me - I am a Saints rugby fan not Saints football