Not sure if my asthma is getting worse, but for the past week. My symptoms have got worse even though I'm on a preventer & reliever. Sleeping isn't that bad, but I just can't seem to walk anyway. Let alone go for a morning swim, 3 days a week.
Oh well time to ring up for another asthma review, sooner than planned. As I don't have an action plan in place yet. The asthma nurse didn't seem to think it was worth it.
Sorry I know there are people worst than me, but I just had to get the rant over with. Thanks
I think a review would be a good idea if you aren't getting adequate relief from your rescue inhaler.
I understand your frustration at not being able to do the things you enjoy and a good grrrrr always helps! Lol x
A plan is a good idea and besides everyone deserves to breathe well.
It does sound like a review is in order if asthma is interfering with your daily activities.
Rant as you need to and definitely be pro-active about getting help.
I've been pretty much exactly the same recently! My asthma is nowhere near as bad as some people (whom I feel unendingly bad for!) but it's pretty life ruining at the moment.
I hope yours gets better soon (:
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I've been pretty much exactly the same recently! My asthma is nowhere near as bad as some people...
Enough of this ""my asthma is no where near as bad..."" - if you are low enough down the treatment step ladder that you actually have options to get to symptom free, all the more should you rant and pound on doctors' doors. There is no good reason to tolerate on-going breathing problems/poorly controlled asthma when there are good and safe options out there to get things under control and keep them there.
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Enough of this ""my asthma is no where near as bad..."" - if you are low enough down the treatment step ladder that you actually have options to get to symptom free, all the more should you rant and pound on doctors' doors. There is no good reason to tolerate on-going breathing problems/poorly controlled asthma when there are good and safe options out there to get things under control and keep them there.
For me atm, I also going through other tests for an unrelated illness. Whilst I know that I have every right to scream, when things aren't going well. There's that niggling feeling, that the GP won't take me seriously.
After all so far since Oct 2012, I've gone to them for constant cough, breathlessness (asthma). As well as tiredness (which hasn't gone away), gut issues, stomach cramps after food. So it's been a constant back and forth. And am waiting for a date to have a gut biopsy. So sometimes for me, I do wonder if the GP is getting fed up of me. Though I do try and keep to the same GP.
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Sorry to hear you are dealing with such a combination of heath issues. That doesn't sound like fun.
Whilst I know that I have every right to scream, when things aren't going well. There's that niggling feeling, that the GP won't take me seriously...So sometimes for me, I do wonder if the GP is getting fed up of me.
I worry and wonder about the same things even though it is only asthma he has been seeing me for sometimes weekly or even more frequently for most of the last three and a half months.
Sometimes I also find it hard to keep straight the difference between something a doctor is taking seriously but for various reasons is holding off on trying to treat/fix and something the doctor is ignoring. And if time is short during an appointment, I feel bad even asking the doctor to take the time to clarify which is which. Bit of a catch-22.
Any good doctor who understands the meaning of ""well controlled"" wouldn't consider your complaints frivolous and not to be taken seriously. The worst I can imagine a doctor might say is that given that there is sometimes an interaction between GI issues and asthma, for example via GERD, that one might need to be patient and get more information on the GI issues before one can definitively sort the asthma issue.
Do hope you start to feel better soon on all fronts.
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Sorry to hear you are dealing with such a combination of heath issues. That doesn't sound like fun.
Do hope you start to feel better soon on all fronts.
Finger's crossed once Gut Issues are sorted, then asthma issues will settle down, maybe it's just the stress of the other issues, which are making the asthma worse, than it normally is.
Thanks all.
I'll ring up the surgery tomorrow, for an appointment. I'll let you guys know how it went.
I could not have said it better Beth.
Also i know im a stuck record with this but...it os always emotionally difficult and you are bound to feel down when any health issues go from good to bad or bad to wprse and this is completely regardless of what your personal definition of good or bad may be. So dont think you cant get annoyed at having rubbish asthma just because others are worse than you. It doesnt work like that lol.
Hope you can see your gp/asthma nurse soon and that you get the treatment and plan to improve soon. Take care.
Rose xx
GPs don't really seem to get bored of people - don't know how. At the moment mine wants to see me every week as a routine thing and then extra if i feel I need it. as ive mentioned on other posts if i delay seeing the doctor then i'm worse when i get there so myappts take twice as long, and if i try to have a telephone appt instead they usually still want to see me so i end up having two appointments, so ive learnt its better to just go! Much quicker and easier for everyone
If GPs are good they don't seem to have a problem with people going in a lot. At one point a couple of years ago I was dealing with a combination of issues and sometimes ended up seeing my GP two or even three times a week (not every week but in several weeks over a period of a few months, probably never a gap of more than two weeks). She actually told me that I must go back and see her if I needed to, or told me when to come back again. She just greeted me cheerfully every time, and would talk to me for well over my appointment time if needed. As I started to go less frequently we would joke about how long it had been since I'd been there.
I do understand the worry about taking up time etc. because although my GP was brilliant, I still felt the same way about wasting her time and worrying abuot being a hypochondriac.
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As I started to go less frequently we would joke about how long it had been since i'd been there.
I have this with my go too, or when I take the kids I joke and say 'i bet youre glad its not for me this time!'
Still doesn't stop me putting things off because I've already been x amount of times that week/month. I got told off for not coming in sooner with this latest chest infection, oops.
haha I am exactly the same! I have to see my GP this afternoon and though he has never shown any indication of being annoyed about seeing me yet again (though I used to see him pretty regularly, he just sticks his head out, sees me and says 'oh hi, come in'), I am worried that he's going to get fed up with me again!
I'm also worried because I have to see him for 2 totally different things, which I know isn't advised but I need to see him for asthma asap and have also been told I need him to see me to check my injured shoulder, and apparently both need to be done soon (well, the asthma really can't wait, I almost called OOH multiple times this weekend and maybe I should have just to take pressure off my normal GP and let him focus on the shoulder thing!) I'd have booked a double appt but was lucky to get this one, next one with any GP not until next Mon at least, prob later now.
I also frequently have the 'well it could be worse, I don't need hospital' feeling which makes me feel like I shouldn't complain, but Beth is right - no-one should have to put up with poorly controlled asthma, it's just that for some, nagging their doctor won't sort it whereas for others it may just be they need a better plan. It's also easy to get 'used' to persistent symptoms and as long as they don't get really bad, figure 'well it's not that bad, I'll just live with it'. My ability to do this can be fairly impressive, like now where I keep thinking, 'well I can still walk around and do things I want to even if I do them slowly and need LOADS of reliever which isn't lasting, so it's not that bad'. Even though it's got worse, and if I left it longer it might keep on that way.
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I'm also worried because I have to see him for 2 totally different things, which I know isn't advised but I need to see him for asthma asap and have also been told I need him to see me to check my injured shoulder, and apparently both need to be done soon (well, the asthma really can't wait, I almost called OOH multiple times this weekend and maybe I should have just to take pressure off my normal GP and let him focus on the shoulder thing!) I'd have booked a double appt but was lucky to get this one, next one with any GP not until next Mon at least, prob later now.
Hope your appointment went well and that you managed to get both issues discussed.
Thanks Butterfly - haven't been yet so crossing fingers...could be interesting.
Crystal, meant to say before - hope you managed to get an appt soon with the GP, and that your gut issues settle. Never nice having those
QUICK UPDATE:
Good News: I have an appointment for Thursday. YAY ME - much quicker than I thought.
Bad News: My preventer has decided to pack it in. Even though it still had a strong puff to it yesterday evening. That will be the 2nd time it has gone awry way before my prescription is due. I'll swap the canister over to a spare one.
Oh & my reliever is almost out as well. Though I'm picking that up today. So no emergency there.
{INSERT} head banging on table here.
UPDATE:
Didn't see the Asthma nurse, as there was a trainee GP (with a qualified GP there)
He has put me on a procector - I can't remember what's it's called. - though it's only a temp.
he's placed the preventer to 1 every month. Though I don't need to collect 1 every month, as there's a note on my records, stating my previous inhalers have packed up rather short. So I'll end up having a spare one. And has increased the strength of it.
He's even advised that I keep atleast 2 relievers around, just in case. Which she's placed onto a separate prescription. So it won't affect my repeat prescription script.
Also he wants to specialise in Asthma. So has asked if I wouldn't mind having my asthma reviews with him instead. It will mean I need to go to the local hospital, but its not to far out. Just as long as my own GP agrees.
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- if you are low enough down the treatment step ladder that you actually have options to get to symptom free, all the more should you rant and pound on doctors' doors. There is no good reason to tolerate on-going breathing problems/poorly controlled asthma when there are good and safe options out there to get things under control and keep them there.
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