What next?

Hi all,

How is everyone? I posted a comment on here about a month ago regarding 'Brittle Asthma' and that I had been given yet MORE medication...another inhaler...Seretide 500. Well I assumed that this was quite a high dosage and that it should get my asthma under control (prior to the Seretide, I was on 8 puffs a day of Fostair and using my Ventolin sometimes 3 or 4 times a day). Well I'm very frustrated now because the Seretide hasn't helped at all and I'm still using too much Ventalin just for walking up the stairs etc. Now the hayfever has kicked in too and the eczema has flared up AGAIN, I'm in a right mess. What happens next? Do I ask my GP to refer me to the hospital? I'm worried that if this happens, I would eventually be given a nebuliser...how do I use one of those?

Sorry for ranting. Hope someone knows some answers.

[Skee-skee]

Sorry to hear you are still having problems!

Have you been back to the GP recently? There are other things that you can try. There are different inhalers, or tablets like montelukast or theophylline. Sometimes you respond much better to one inhaler than another. It is also really important that your hayfever is treated aggressively.

You could ask your GP whether a hospital referral might be a good idea. There is no harm in asking. Don't worry about them giving you a nebuliser that would be very, very unlikely, they aren't given out very often at all nowadays.

Take care

Bryony

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Hi from me too. I think there would be no harm in asking for a referall. I did & the consultant is trying different meds as the GP's at my surgery told me they didn't know what else to do! As for the nebuliser it would probably be a last resort. I only got one as I live so far from my nearest hosp. It came with certain conditions though but I swear it is helped me. Thinking of you & hope you can get nearer to finding the right meds for you.

S.Mama

xxxx

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Only a consultant at a specilist center can offically diagnosis true brittle asthmatics. GPs tend to use it for unstable/uncontrolled asthma.

Different steriod inhalers are different drugs so therfor cant say thats stronger than that. Sertide 500 is highest they make (it can be split and then take more) it can take a while for it to kick in. There is also symicort if that fails.

Hayfever can realy play up asthma so might be an idea to get that under control before looking at the asthma side so regular antihistmanes steriod nasel sprays etc.

As for consultant dont think there but could be an idea to asked to be seen in one of there nurse lead clinics and they can look at other things. still things to try!

Nebulisers everyone says they want one, but talkign from someone who has one dont get one! You end up fixed to it sometimes and dosnt always help. They are the last resort and more recently hardly used in community unless for the worse of us out there.