aching, badly.

I'm not sure where to post this, sorry.

I've been diagnosed severely asthmatic by my cons and I'm having a difficult time at the moment. around 3 weeks ago, I picked up the flu, I don't get the jab as its the only the second time I've ever had it in 19 years. the first time I had it, I was really unwell and ended up out of school for weeks recovering from it. I ended up developing a chest infection which I was only waking up to take my antibiotics for.

I saw my gp when I started with severe generalised chest pain and tightness across one of my shoulder blades, she said my peak flow wasn't too bad and my chest sounded clear and that was that. fast forward a few days, I ended up at my local walk in centre (doctors ran) with chest pain, tightness and coughing up bloody mucusy stuff. I was told I had pneumonia and lowish sats and advised to go to A&E and warned I may be admitted. I went home, got some stuff together and made my way to A&E. despite not being able to breathe properly, I needed feeding.

I went to A&E about an hour after I'd first been to the walk in centre, I was saw fairly fast by a nurse, saw a doctor within an hour of checking in, who requested bloods and a chest xray. the chest xray confirmed what the walk in centre doctor had said - I had pneumonia. the doctor in A&E said my bloods weren't too bad and I could go home with oral antibiotics and steroids.

I finished the course of antibiotics and steroids and still didn't feel right, but yet again, apparently my chest was clear, slowly but surely, I started picking up and thought the worst of it was over, until last night.

I've had 4 asthma attacks within the last 24 hours. the first one I had caused wheezing both breathing and and out which scared me a lot as I'm usually a non-wheezer, chest tightness and coughing until the point of retching, nonstop. the next 2 were a lot milder, chest tightness and coughing fits. the last one I've had caused me to be so short of breath, I had difficulties actually eating. I managed to eat, and asthma attack started midway through my meal and caused me to choke on my food, once I'd dislodged it, then caused me be sick 4/5 times through coughing, as well as a lot of retching and chest tightness.

after the last 24 hours, I ache all over, my shoulders, my back, my chest and my abdo. I find ibuprofen works well for muscle pain but it usually triggers my asthma, so I want to avoid it. does anyone have any effective ways of dealing with the pain? also, does anyone know what colour mucus is if you've got an infection? I'm bringing up really sticky darkish yellow mucus up.

[Annista]

It sounds as if you're having a really rough time at the moment. I always use cocodomol when the coughing leaves me with the sort of muscle pain you describe. BUT it sounds as if you should be seeing a doctor again asap. I think 4 asthma attacks in 24 hours is quite worrying and your description of the mucus you are getting sounds like an infection to me. Don't take any chances with this - can you get an emergency appointment today?

[Hidden]

It sounds like you have an infection as you said you're coughing up yellow mucus. You also said that you'd finished your antibiotics and steroids so with these symptoms you should be going back to GP (or A&E if you have a bad attack).

I used paracetamol, cocodamol or ibuprofen. Have to be careful though as cocodamol I think can supress cough and ibuprofen is often a trigger for asthmatics (not me though).

I hope you're feeling better soon.

[Hidden]

thank you both. I tried getting an emergency appointment today but the receptionist give me the one of ""if it's that bad, go to A&E"", despite me explaining that I was having issues with my asthma & retching on the phone. I suppose in all fairness, it was almost 12pm when I rang up to see if I could get an appointment due to sleeping through my alarm, I woke up an hour later, threw up and managed to sleep for an hour or 2 longer, nobodies fault but my own really.

I have places to (attempt to) be tomorrow and therefore need to be awake early so I'll try book an appointment in the morning. things seem to have settled down unless I breathe too deep for my lungs liking, if I do, it starts a full blown coughing fit.

am I within my rights to ask for a chest xray or something if I get told my chest is ""clear""?

[Hidden]

do you ever end up in A&E, i know its not ideal but if you have an attack where you can justify going to hospital then you'd get a chest xray there? If your GPs receptionist is telling you to ring 999 instead of getting an appt then noone can say you were going when you didnt need to as you were just following the instructions you were given to get care! my GPs really good, the number of times i've just walked in and been seen almost immediately are shocking (i know its my own stupid fault) but maybe you should ask your GP to put a note somewhere that says that if you need to be seen then you need to be seen and to squeeze you in! our receptionists are pretty good - i sometimes just say that if i am seen now i might be ok, but if i wait two hours i'll end up in hospital and no idea how but they always manage to squeeze me in!

[Hidden]

I didn't end up in A&E, no. although that may be down to being stubborn. with a lot of salbutamol, the attacks are dying down, I've gone through over a full new out of the box inhaler since this latest flare started up, which is less than 2 days ago - if I can get an appointment tomorrow, I'll ask doctor about getting something stuck on my notes for receptionist.

I feel sick from the amount I'm coughing, even when I'm not coughing. I hurt all over, even places where I didn't think was involved with breathing/asthma.

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

I've gone through over a full new out of the box inhaler since this latest flare started up, which is less than 2 days ago

Make sure the nurse who makes the appointments knows that you've used that much sabutamol and why. Same goes for the doctor who sees you.

Doctors like objective facts. Unless you have specific instructions to use that much as needed (i.e. its the only option because you can't have more inhaled or oral steroids) that's way too much in such a short period.

Sabutamol is *supposed* to work for 4-6 hours so if it isn't lasting that long, the situation needs to be reviewed. Here in Israel the standard advice is anything more than 2 puffs every four hours (8-12 puffs over two days) is indication of need for immediate medical attention. A full inhaler is usually 200 puffs!

You really need to be seen, if not by your doctor then at A&E.

Hope you feel better soon.

[Hidden]

there's life, how? I don't know, I didn't get to sleep till 3:30am with coughing. gonna try get an appointment with gp and will update afterwards.

appointment for 9:20, here's to hoping I won't keel over and die on my way to my appointment.

[Hidden]

Very glad to hear about the appointment. Hope it goes well.

[Annista]

Hope your appointment went well and your GP has made a note that when you ask for an emergency appointment you need one immediately!

[Hidden]

I've been given a course of weeks course of amoxocillin, 5 days of pred at 40mg and told to go A&E if things don't start settling down after around 3 hours of taking the pred. my peak flow was 280 down from 490-500.