No wheeze, no asthma..

So I was admitted to hospital June 26th with an asthma attack, discharged myself on the 28th. Back in on the 8th with asthma, kept in for eight days, was discharged on the 15th, I've been on prednisolone 40mg for about 4 weeks, and my gp suddenly took me off them on Friday. Back in recuscitation tonight with an asthma attack but no wheeze, therefore all the doctors are telling me its something with my throat, not my chest. Apparently it's not asthma and I had 2 nebulisers before being refused nebs. Told them I need prednisolone, they say I don't.

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This isn't good, I don't understand why they would take you off pred after 4 weeks, as it goes against all the guidelines. What did the GP say about it? Like his/her reasons? OOI how did you feel coming off pred? Physically/mentally?

You said you had ENT checks and it showed no issues - this should be on your notes!! What were your sats doing in resus? Clearly the dr there was irresponsible to withhold nebs and further treatment! I am not a wheezer, and always go to resus when I end up in a&e (all too frequently) during a severe acute. Unless you *really* need to be in resus you don't go there - its terrible treatment has been withheld!!

You said you discharged yourself on 28th June? How did you get round this? As a minor until you're 18 I thought an adult would have to countersign? Did your cousin also agree you should be discharged?

what meds are you currently on? Did you get home nebs? Was it just a trial when you had them before?

Feel better soon!!

Laura x

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I knew as soon as the pred was dropped, I would be back in hospital. And I was right. I came off pred yesterday and ended up back today. They made the ENT people come and do another camera up my nose because the first time it wasn't noted. They also lied to me and told me I was having an atrovent neb and they instead gave me a saliene neb- basically just water. At long last they've given me pred and finally started to give me proper nebs. And no, once you turn 16 you're no longer a minor in hospitals and can discharge yourself. I did it because it was my school prom and leaving assembly, and even though I knew it was stupid, I don't regret doing it.

I haven't spoken to my cousin since she kicked me out, so she doesn't know I've even been in hospital recently.

I'm currently on pred, ventolin, symbicort, montelukast and loratadine. Got an appointment to speak to a cons next week r.e. home nebs, I'm sick and tired of being told different pieces of info that contradict each other. They want me to have a neb. They don't want me to have a neb. I should be on pred. I shouldn't be on pred. So angry with doctors!

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what happened to the atrovent, cetrizine and fexofenadine??? have you thought about changing cons to get to the bottom of this - it seems mad that they are dropping meds when you've just gotten off HDU??? What are they doing now? Hope you feel better soon x

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I'm so sorry you had a rough time with the doctors. Some doctors have great difficulty getting around a missing wheeze, especially if they hear some air movement. They understand the idea of a ""silent chest"" but they don't know what to do when they hear air moving. If you are someone whose personal best is above average, then even at 50% personal best you can sound like you are moving a good deal of air. What the stethoscope can't tell them is how hard you are working to keep that air moving.

I think it was wrong for them to tell you that they were doing one thing when in fact they were doing another. However, saline nebs aren't just placebos. Saline nebs are sometimes used to (a) make people more comfortable when it is too soon to do another neb (b) help people cough up plegm. Is it possible that they think your difficulties are due to post nasal drip that has settled in your lungs and needs to come back up?

I agree with Soph as well - if your GP or cons isn't being supportive then you might consider finding a new one. Asthma is such a complex illness and there has to be a high degree of trust between doctor and patient because most symptoms don't conveniently happen on cue in the doctor's office where she/he can see them with their own eyes. Not all doctors ""get"" how to work with young adults especially ones that have had to grow up too quickly. (I'm assuming that if you were living with your cousin you fall in that category).

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Discharging me this morning, feeling better now. The point is, they've messed me around with meds etc. I was told atrovent is only for people with emphysema, so they stopped that- it was the only thing that helped A LOT.

On the bright side of life, I'm in st Mary's hospital in paddington, where Kate Middleton has just gone into labour xD

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Sorry to hear you are still struggling.

This is a problem I regular have with GPs and OOH doctors but never with A&E. I find the no wheeze no asthma so frustrating especially when you know that pred will sort you out. The way I see it is if the meds are helping then they should be given regardless as to whether or not there are the classic signs of asthma (not everyone has them) and my cons sees this as part of my asthma diagnosis.

Who took you off the meds? If it was a GP/non specialist, then yes atrovent is not usually used in asthma (two gps were quite surprised when the cons recommended it for me) and is does seem quite harsh to come off pred so quickly when you are struggling. Does your cons know about this? My meds were becoming a little messed about but now my cons is the only one who changes them (or at least advises) which makes it a lot easier as she seems to have her own plan. I wouldn't be worried about them looking for other causes (a lot of my asthma is due to ENT problems anyway so once they are treated my asthma improves) but it must have been annoying to have to repeat such awful investigations.

I hope your lungs are improving and you manage to escape soon.

Take care

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The asthma nurse took me off the atrovent. I think the problem is that I don't have an ongoing cons, I just see a different one each time, so they all have different things to say. It's stressful having to explain my asthma symtoms and triggers over and over again.

Anyway, been discharged and they finally gave in to my whining and gave me some pred, so hopefully things will get a little better soon

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There is many options before home nebulisers. I was in and out of hospital every 2 weeks, requiring lengthy stays and ICU admissions before they would even consider nebulisers with me. There's things like oral theophylline, increased inhalers and many other medications that they will try before home nebs because your judgement on how unwell you are can become very clouded.

I was in a bad situation with my local a few weeks ago, where I was told I was not wheezing, was hyperventilating and basically ignored for 4 hours. By the time I got to the ward I was feeling very rubbish, plugged my own nebuliser and had several nebs, and that was with the nurses knowledge because they didn't agree with the doctors decision. It's not very often it happens like that, but it does very much knock you down and make you feel very small. But you have to remember that that was one group of doctors. A&E have many other doctors, and I think you should try and get a referral to a proper respiratory consultant as once you have one, they can help get you a care plan for when you attend A&E and if you want, you can always request a second opinion. I'm very surprised that having been in HDU you've not been referred to a specialist center for proper follow up, especially as you live in London and have the Royal Brompton and London Chest Hospital on your doorstep.

I would wait and see what happens as you reduce your steroids before you request nebulisers at home, because as I said there is many alternatives, and nebulisers come with their own long list of problems.

Hope you're feeling better soon.

Vicky x