Nearly 2 weeks of pred and still not right :(

[Agrajag]

I think this might be a long post so please bear with me.

About 3 weeks ago I had my first ambulance ride to A&E with my first serious asthma attack since being diagnosed. Several nebs and IV steroids later, they sent me home with some antibiotics, saying that it was a chest infection which had set me off.

Throughout the course of antibiotics I still did not feel right, and when I saw my GP a week later, she was not at all happy that they did not send me home with some oral steroids as well. She prescribed a 5 day course of prednisolone. That very night I got worse and was blue lighted back to hospital, this time for several days.

The eventually let me out with a higher dose of pred and told me all would be fine.

Thing is, I am still not 'fine'. Since coming out of hospital the GP has weaned me down to 30mg per day, yet I am still getting wheezy and out of breath on exertion. So long as I sit about on my bum doing nothing, I am fine, but as soon as I get up to do anything, my lungs throw a hissy fit.

I'm due to see GP again on thurs but I'm not sure what to ask for. Surely the meds should be working better than this?

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Do ring the asthma nurse at asthma uk it is a free phone number 0800 121 62 44

Mon to Fri 9am to 5pm

they are the asthma experts and they helped me a lot

I hope you feel better soon

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Yes, definitely ring the helpline. I did today and it was very useful. She checked what dosage of prednisolone (which as it happens was the right one), but she said that doctors can undersubscribe it sometimes. They may also be able to suggest other things to talk about with your doctor.

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have you had a chest x ray or other investigations? It may be that you would have been better treated with IV antibiotics whilst in hospital... oral antibiotics dont always sort out chest infections, particularly if you have a lower respiratory tract infection. No amount of steroid will improve things if you still have underlying infection going on.

Hope you get sorted soon and start feeling better..

Lynda

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So I just posted something similar. I was on 10 mg. oral steroids for about 2 weeks (as I also have arthrits), then we had a hurricane here where I had a really bad asthma attack, and got a sinus infection!

Anyways, I went up to 40 mg. pred. on about 10/28, nebs 4x a day, and a higher dose of inhaled steroids. And am still on 30 mg pred. I just had to talk to my pulmonologist today, as I didn't think going down to 20 mg. today was a good idea, as I still get wheezy about half way through the day. I'm perfectly find sitting on my couch at home, but forget everything else!

This was all after an emergency visit to his office last Wed. where he also kept the pred. higher.

It's quite frusterating sometimes. One of my doctors quoted the old ""slow and steady wins the race"" like the tortoise and the hare. I rather like that, as I think she meant I have to be stubborn as the asthma, but I will eventually get there.

Anyways, I just wanted you to know I was thinking the same thing about this attack taking forever to get better too.

Bee