I dispair at doctors!! sort of rant - sorry guys & girls

Been back today because still not eating properly as been feeling ill and chest not that good peak flow been crap etc. I told her even though i have asthma i don't wheeze therefore my chest will be clear. what does the doctor say on her next breath - oh your chest is clear and you have not got an infection or wheeze yes you have good sats which i do in an asthma attack. This is another thing they can never get their head around.

Now i can feel stuff moving in my lungs and have only had this recently so why cannot it be detected. They have done blood test still waiting on results and she gave me pred i am getting bored of this game been like it now for over 2 weeks

Is it me or don't doctors REALLY understand asthma or don't they bother training them in that condition at med school!!!

anybody else feeling the same??

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL AND KEEP WELL XX

[yaf_user681_51802]

I had this last winter - doc couldn't hear anything on my chest, but was obviously ill with chest pain too. Finally had a chest xray which showed 'evidence of long term infection'. Immediately was put on antibiotics and referred to specialist. Diagnosed with asthma aged 49. X Sue. Very frustrating at the time as nothing was heard in chest, but I knew that there was something there!

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Funnily enough that's why I stopped presenting with my chest infections. I would go with a disgusting cough / tight chest for 2 weeks, chest would sound clear and even if I got antibiotics I'd feel like they felt I was a waste of time. Since I'm a nurse I now listen to my chest, and if it's clear I don't even both going (I know, I know... not very sensible haha). Consequently I ended up with horrendous lung sounds in my lower right lobe earlier this year, and got the ""why didn't you come earlier!?"" speech - can't win!!

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Unfortunately this also reflects my situation at the moment -I did have an infects tigon but now that has gone my chest is clear and I think they only gave me pred to keep me quite. Luckily I have a GP who is very understanding (to the point of him going above and beyond to see me) but he has been away last week so I had to see another doc who gave me the anxiety lecture.

Missing silence- last week I also had the why did you leave it so long lecture. I was waiting for 2 weeks to see the nurse of my choice rather than one week to see another who is convinced I don't have asthma just panic attacks. I think some doctors need to be inside my head when I should really get help but have the dilemma of how they will react.

Take care everyone

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The ""no wheeze no asthma. Your chest is clear"" crap drives me bonkers as does the anxiety thing!! This is the reason I changes gp practices 1. if they had picked it up earlier perhaps my lungs would be behaving better than they do these days and I wouldn't be facing spending Christmas in HDU! 2. if they didn't do this I wonder how many people would present earlier and be safer and would also not be as poorly on a day to day basis! Grrr.

I've had the anxiety thing thrown at me - told it's not asthma it's anxiety. Well I've not heard of anxiety responding to asthma meds, has anyone else?!

Hope you're all feeling better soon!!! Happy Christmas! xxx

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many a time i have walked into a&e with inhaler in hand and response from them are you sure you are not having a panic attack!!!!!!!!!!!!! they should really do somthing asbout teaching this subject at med school about asthma and how it can present itself then we won;t feel like mugs when we walk in and need their help!

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I would like to pipe up here and agree about better teaching in medical school.

Also better teaching in school (while on the subject). When I was in high school (am 21 now) I was shown one video on asthma showing a kid exercising, getting a bit SOB and friend gives blue inhaler. not very detailed and I learnt nothing beyond that. Not a clue what asthma was until I got it myself a few years back.

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Just wanted to share a recent experience which highlights my thinking behind asthma training and also shows that there are people who are prepared to listen.

After being told that I left it too late last time and feeling my chest getting tighter as I completed last lot of steriods, I went to see a GP yesterday (one at my surgery but not my usual one). My chest was clear and I wasn't struggling particularly but then I had had a lot of salbutamol to even get there and it was in the afternoon (I have much worse asthma at night) I was told that I did the right thing to come in but just needed to see how it goes over the next few days. Sure enough last night was worse with SOB, coughing etc. peak flow this morning just over 50% but I got it back up with salbutamol. I don't like phoning 111 or going to OOH due to past experiences with a clear chest but fortunately saw a very we'll informed nurse (who obviously felt quite passionate about asthma training). When I described my symptoms she said ""that's asthma then"" and then commented on my SATs being ok (96%) with but they are usually acceptable even when you are unwell (she had read my hospital notes before seeing me as she knew all about my trips to A&E, blood tests I had had etc.) Even though my peak flow was ok, she said but you still need steriods and probably another lot after this to totally get on top of it (also saying that they should really have been started yesterday and she doesn't agree when GPs treat what they can see at the time rather than what is happening over time). All in all she said everything the adviceline has told me about steriods and listened knowingly about how my asthma presents. I was offered a neb and told to have it if I thought it would help (when I had a chest infection the other week, a neb was so much more effective than an inhaler so ended up visiting OOH almost nightly). She said she would include how it should be followed up in her note to my GP. All in all, I was so impressed I felt the need to share (let's hope it is followed up just as well).