Just wondering if this happens to anyone else? I have a very allergic component to my asthma as well as pretty bad hayfever which triggers asthma and also awful eczema.
The eczema hasn't been too bad over the past few months - a few patches of it, soon going with hydrocortisone cream. But not been able to keep any meds down over the last couple of days (including montelukast, fexofendadine and citerazine), also only on 10mg pred
Lungs aren't overly happy but the worse thing is I'm itching everywhere and eczema is really flaring!! Putting it down to no antihistamines!
I got noro virus last Xmas and couldn't keep meds down and within 24 hours I had horrible eczema and hives all over and I was soo itchy. Like you I'm on montelukast, fexofenadine, ceterizine, piriton and varying amount of pred. Also betnovate cream for eczema.
On a normal day if I've taken all my meds I'm not too bad but if I come into contact with anything I'm vaguely allergic to then I swell up/itch despite the above meds.
Oh the joys of being atopic!!
B x
Ah cheers B, glad I'm not the only one, though obviously not glad you struggle too!!
I've had the noro virus before and it took ages to go away properly and left me feeling quite fluey. I was hoping this was a 24 hour bug, but as this is day 3 and though I'm no longer being sick I feel awful still - hope its the virus and not flu - like being out of hospital!
Is there anything you do for eczema when it flares? It's been ages since I was really bad with it! But itch everywhere - agh!
I guess this isn't *technically* asthma, so I hope no one minds me posting!!
Noro was horrible, and I ended up in hospital on iv replacements for everything which was not ideal, especially as I was kept isolated due to the noro!!
Erm tbf when my eczema flares my asthma is also bad so I'm on increased pred already. Other than that just dermobase emollient cream and betnovate steroid cream but it usually settles with the pred (annoyingly!!!)
Hope you get some relief soon!
B x
Yeah on the pred down to 10mg - that's quite an achievement!
Not so yeah on the iching and the stomach bug - hope it gets better soon!
It isn't technically asthma - but for some of us it is all part of the package. I also have the happy triple three. You aren't alone.
Monoleukast supposedly helps with the eczema too - I wonder if not being able to keep the monoleukast down is aggravating the atopy?
B - yeah noro is awful, I had it about 5 years ago and felt so ill for weeks with it!! It goes on for so long even after the actual sickness goes. Sorry you ended up in hospital with it when I had it my asthma was well controlled and pretty mild so wasn't really effected!! It's odd eczema is normally well controlled with the meds I'm on for allergies because of asthma, I don't really know whether it would flare at the same time as asthma independently of meds, but not going to experiment lol!!
Beth - I reduced to 5mg yesterday on the say so of the awesome nurse at my gp practice!! During an admission they always up the steroids and start long winded tapers (like a 5mg per week reduction) which I used to do, but was being admitted on doses of 30mg plus and the normal ""high"" doses weren't as effective so would have to increase to 60-70mg for the same effect. Being allowed to taper quickly helps psychologically as I'm not flaring on higher doses and having the side effects. She's also asthmatic so gets me
That said I've had the longest time at home since an admission a few dicey times, but which have been resolved by having nebs at home!!! Autumn also seems to agree with me!! Fingers crossed for a period of control! My brain (and arms LOL) need a break from hospital and cannulas and ABGs etc!!
Turned into a bit of a ramble hope you're both ok
Laura x
Hi Laura,
So glad you've managed sometime at home without admission and that the home Nebs are helping keep you out. Even thought hthe itching and sickness can't be fun.
Like you, my asthma is very allergic and is accompanied by hayfever and eczema. I think some of the things that trigger my asthma make my eczema flare too and I've been told my eczema isn't as bad as it used to be because of all the antihistamines and asthma stuff. This means that I can just treat it with creams as necessary.
September is usually a good time for me too (between hayfever and cold season) and I think I finally managed to get some control of my hayfever towards the end of August (better late than never) so my asthma wasn't as bad. I also have been trying some different meds. II even considered going to my winter dose of antihistamines etc but was told don't you dare by the nurse who was amazed she hadn't seen me for three weeks. However, the kids at school have been kind and I have developed a cold within the first two weeks of term (which must be some record for me!)
Take care.
So very glad to hear about home time and an asthma nurse who understands a fast taper. I have the same feeling about steroids: slow tapers just increase the chance that I'll have another flare while still on a relatively high dose and so I end up on them forever, plus as you say, when a flare does happen, you have to use a lot more steroids to quiet a flare down. Good luck with the 5mg and may you have a long long pred free time after that!
Nebs at home make such a difference. I was reminded of that Monday night last when I escaped A&E partially because of my home nebulizer. My doctor sent me to A&E with a note to consider hospitalization because he wasn't happy with the control I had at home. They checked me out, but decided I could go home since I had a nebulizer and could treat myself with nebs 4x day just as easily at home as in hospital - and certainly with more comfort.
I'm ok but feeling a bit frustrated at the moment. I managed to get down to 0 for five whole days at the end of August/beginning of September. Now I'm trying to taper down from 40mg again, grrrr. I could only negotiate a 5 day/5mg taper though. I hope I get through it before another flare. I'd really like to have another 0 stretch before the worst of winter weather hits.
Heya,
Kayla - thank you its lovely to have got to spend some more time at home! The sickness last week wasn't nice and still feel queasy, but at least it (touch wood!) hasn't triggered anything else off! Its a bit of a bummer that you already have a cold - kiddies love to share their germs, don't they? Looking at doing some supply teaching, but that's my main concern - colds etc usually trigger off my asthma, even before becoming as brittle as I seem to be at the min (a short term thing I'm hoping ). I guess I am just having a moan about the eczema - annoying but its not gonna put me in hospital LOL.
You sound as though you've had quite a rough patch this summer, so not surprising you're not allowed to reduce the antihistamines - don't run before you can walk? How are you doing? xx
Beth - thank you its a pain that you ended up in A&E but at least they let you home!! The home nebs make a huge difference, don't they? Are you only allowed to use 4 a day, or can you increase it if necessary? I only ask because the guidelines that I have is that I am allowed to use them when necessary, but if I have to use 2 in 4 hours, then I have got to go in. I have both 2.5 and 5mg, so tend to use the 2.5s, because then *technically* when bad I can use these hourly and stop at home ... I am not sure what my consultant will make of this though when I see him in a couple of weeks
I spoke to my mum this morning, who ""told me off"" (I'm in my mid-late 20s! LOL) for reducing the steroids to 5mg as my consultant specifically told me not to go below 10, as this is meant to be my maintenance, and my lungs are grumpy, so I've gone back to 10. Hopefully I wont have to go back up again before seeing my cons! I agree with hoe frustrating it is flaring on high doses of pred - when I've been admitted on 30, my cons has put it upto 70mg. They send me insane on such high doses. At least now if I flare I can hopefully just go to 40 and then back to 10 without a taper. Wishful thinking maybe? Its a shame that you've had to go back up again, I'd imagine that even if your lungs weren't great on 0mg pred, psychologically it must have been good to be steroid free?
I hope you do get some pred free time before the winter and that you can stay free of it
Laura xx
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Beth - thank you its a pain that you ended up in A&E but at least they let you home!! The home nebs make a huge difference, don't they? Are you only allowed to use 4 a day, or can you increase it if necessary?
I can increase as necessary. The problem right now that the peak flow keeps dropping to crazy low levels: i respond reslly well at first to ventolin but then it drops back to 20-40% personal best (PB) when the ventolin wears off. Sometimes I actually make it four hours before that happens but other times I need to do 2 puffs with the inhaler within an hour or two after the neb. My GP knows this and told me just to make sure my heart rate doesn't go up too much. He didn't give me a specific rule about when to call it quits and go in, but I told him that the rule I was using was that if I really couldn't make it to two hours with out a second neb, and not just a puff or two , then I'd get help. He seemed ok with that.
I only ask because the guidelines that I have is that I am allowed to use them when necessary, but if I have to use 2 in 4 hours, then I have got to go in. I have both 2.5 and 5mg, so tend to use the 2.5s, because then *technically* when bad I can use these hourly and stop at home
Your rule sounds similar to mine (2hrs) except that I only use 2.5 nebs.
I spoke to my mum this morning, who ""told me off"" (I'm in my mid-late 20s! LOL)
I'm in my late fourties and I get told off too from time to time by friends (at least one of which is old enough to be my mum). Today one of my good friends wanted to go running with me but when she heard how I sounded she wouldn't let me go with her even though I told her I was just about to do a neb and would be ok for an hour or two thereafter. And she's younger than I am.
I think the people who love us most think they have telling off rights regardless of age... And of course they do because it's all part of loving and taking care of each other.
Hope you are feeling better soon and can have another go at five when you are ready.
Huge congrats on staying out so long and getting the pred down so far, thats amazing and hopefully you wont need methx! Im hoping to get to 10 or even 15 would do after this admission, but at mo cant get below 30, whether I do it fast or slow or alternate days, anything to trick my body!
Heya,
Sparkly - thanks hun I am super thrilled too!! I don't think I will be on 10mg for long as appear to have a cold/infection. Have earache, always a warning sign for me ... *sigh* BUT A WHOLE 2 weeks (tomorrow) since getting home gives me some hope and I am thrilled to bits with it. Now just needs to stretch out a bit and not ever need another admission I think the next drug planned for me at the min is azithromycin as I get a lot of infections which always trigger asthma. Hoping tbh to come off the uniphylline as a trial and also avoid any of the more scary options! But I will settle in the short term for the control I have had over the last couple of weeks, as while it isn't ideal, at least its enough to be able to cope at home
Beth - yeah, your rule sounds very similar to what mine is. I have both 2.5 and 5mg nebs. I generally try to sort it out with 2.5s though as I don't want to become too reliant on uber doses. Do you as a rule use nebs 4x a day? The last 2 times I have been discharged that was what the instruction was, but I try to use nebs as little as possible and stick to my inhalers where I can (fostair, salbutamol, atrovent). Not good that your PF drops so much though mine can vary from between just above 100 to 620 day to day - but then I seem to be insanely brittle at the min. Glad I am not the only one who gets told off but then its only because people care. I don't find them caring frustrating, its my lack of control which frustrates! I am going to wait to see my consultant before dropping below 10mg of pred now, that's what my maintenance is supposed to be! How is things going with your consultant now? Are you feeling any more settled/reassured/listened to?
Thank you everyone, your support means a lot
Laura xxx
• in reply to
I generally try to sort it out with 2.5s though as I don't want to become too reliant on uber doses. Do you as a rule use nebs 4x a day?
Only when my lungs are misbehaving. This summer even with the cough from hell I wasn't using anything more than the puffer a couple of times a day and some days I wasn't using any reliever at all. June July are usually my most symptom free months.
I try to use nebs as little as possible and stick to my inhalers where I can (foster, salbutamol, atrovent).
Me too., but when things get bad its a balancing act. My impression is that there are two goals with nebs, especially when they want us to do them on a regular basis. One is to keep the lungs quiet so that inflammation has a chance to heal and the other is to keep the daily amount of ventolin down. If one is using ventolin reactively as symptoms arise there comes a point where one ends up using more ventolin with the inhaler than if one had used a neb proactively an hour earlier, plus the miniflare within a flare just irritates the lungs all over again and slows down the healing process.
Not good that your PF drops so much though mine can vary from between just above 100 to 620 day to day - but then I seem to be insanely brittle at the min. yeah. Not good. My PF typically ranges about 110-400 during the course of the day. The real bad lows are usually early am, unless I'm having a really bad day. 400 is when I get especially lucky with a neb or a two puff booster between nebs, but even that's not my personal best. PB is 480, but i haven't made it there in a long while. The more usual day time ups and downs go from 180-360. Going from +600 to 100 must be brutal.
its only because people care.yup
How is things going with your consultant now? Are you feeling any more settled/reassured/listened to?my gp is being very supportive, but the pulmo is still not settled. I should have called up to let him know about the pred going up, but I'm still upset about the last meeting end July where it was very clear that he didn't have a plan beyond telling me my symptoms were merely overreactions and reducing meds further plus all the other things I mentioned in that other thread. And I'm even more upset now that I have proof that if you actually do blood gases when I'm flaring and not 3hrs after it's resolved that you do see low o2. The doctor I saw for followup after a&e (not my usual GP , we were out of townn on vacation) told me that the blood gases showed that I was *not* over reacting.
But it is really important to get this settled. I don't need to tell you that breathing at 100 isn't fun even if I do stay calm and plug away at it and even if I can make it better with ventolin at least for a bit. Several friends have suggested another pulmo who i'm going to try to get an appointment with, but I still haven't made the call. I really need to do it.
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when I had it my asthma was well controlled and pretty mild so wasn't really effected!! It's odd eczema is normally well controlled with the meds I'm on for allergies because of asthma, I don't really know whether it would flare at the same time as asthma independently of meds, but not going to experiment lol!!
a few dicey times, but which have been resolved by having nebs at home!!! Autumn also seems to agree with me!! Fingers crossed for a period of control! My brain (and arms LOL) need a break from hospital and cannulas and ABGs etc!!
hope you're both ok 
but then its only because people care. I don't find them caring frustrating, its my lack of control which frustrates! I am going to wait to see my consultant before dropping below 10mg of pred now, that's what my maintenance is supposed to be! How is things going with your consultant now? Are you feeling any more settled/reassured/listened to?
interesting....
I have no idea if I have asthma????
Question for those with Asthma in the 1960s.
Using Fostair 100/6 & Ventolin Advice 
