Morning. I was newly diagnosed on Friday after weeks of struggling to breathe. I've read everything I can - including the scary stuff - but I have to be honest I'm scared witless. Does everyone feel like they might not wake up in the morning or is it because they need to get a better grip on my treatment?
Really grateful for any advice.
Hey, and welcome 
It's understandable to be worried and scared about it, it's a scary thing. But now you've had a dx, it's the first step to getting control over it
The AUK forum is very good and people will give lots of advice and try to help you through it. It dies however have a disproportionate number of very severe asthmatics - in reality, only 10% of asthmatics fall into this category. Hopefully for you, with the right treatment it'll get under control and stop bothering you xxx
Hey Jac
It's perfectly natural to be worried but as Laurs has said now that you have a diagnosis you can gain control over your symptoms
Has your gp started you on inhalers etc yet? This should make a big difference to your symptoms and quality of life! Asthma is actually a very manageable condition and once you get on the right medication you should be able to do everything you were doing before all this started
Again as Laurs said and I would like to reiterate this forum is brilliant and very supportive but is dominated quite heavily by asthmatics at the very severe end of things so some discussions can look really scary but the reality is that very few asthmatics have these issues.
I really hope that your feeling a bit better.
Don't hesitate to ask questions or have a rant/moan about things....here's a great place to do it 
Xx
Thanks to both of you. They say ignorance is bliss.! In answer to your question about meds I am on prednisolone and then the brown and blue inhalers. I don't know whether things need to get worse before they get better but even a short walk and my chest tightens and my ears are buzzing and I'm so flipping tired.....or,am I panicking?
Hey, there's possibly an element of panicking, but as my asthma nurse reminds me, who wouldn't panic when they can't breathe?
The pred should make you feel better pretty quickly, you can take the blue inhaler as much and as often as you need to (upto 10 puffs via spacer), but being sensible about when you should get extra help with it - perhaps worth looking up on here about what to do during an asthma attack. The brown inhaler takes a while to kick in, but should hopefully be good when it does
Any concerns, see your GP and most practices have an asthma nurse too - may be worth seeing him/her? Xxx
Wow! Your a life saver today! My timing is out at the moment as our asthma nurse is on her holidays! I can't see her until the week after next. I suppose expecting instant feel good factor after three days is pushing it. By the way, I have no idea what a spacer is. I haven't done anything to the inhalers other than take them out of the box and use them as the chemist instructed. The parting words from my gp were 'if you get any worse go to the hospital for oxygen' not exactly reassuring.
Hey!
You can ask your Gp or your Asthma nurse for a spacer they are great when your struggling! A spacer is a chamber that your inhaler fits into when you take a puff the medication Is held in the chamber so you get more of the medication as you can take multiple breaths
Also did your gp talk to you about peak flows? They may not have yet and if so don't worry.
Hopefully things will settle down for you over the next few days!
Take care xx
He did the peak flow thing and told me I was really struggling!!!!! I didn't need to exhale into a tube for him to tell me that lol. I will ask the chemist for a spacer. He has been brilliant in explaining things to me. Does seem a bit daft sending someone off to collect the inhalers without explaining what you do.
I'm really grateful for your replies. I will keep you posted over the next few days
Hello Jac and welcome to the forum,
There is a term on here called 'sofa surfing' and that is what your body needs right now. Lots of rest and listen to your body when it is telling you to stop and rest. We all try and find things to occupy our minds when in this mode! If you think of the extra effort it is taking to breathe it is very tiring and your body will need spells of rest to recover.
I hope things improve for you very soon!
To be honest I posted on the forum this morning full of doom and gloom and pretty much feeling sorry for myself. Why me syndrome. I now know although it doesn't sound too good it isn't as bad as I thought. It can be controlled, it's just a matter of juggling the meds, I might feel scared but in reality it's no different to how it was three days ago and there is no reason to assume it will get any worse. Yes im tired but I've been tired and struggling for weeks. I've been pushing myself for weeks and then sleeping 12 hours straight. Now I know why and I will adopt my new position of sofa surfer.
Thanks everyone x
Welcome to the forum.jac1.
I've been a member on here for years and got me through tough times and the unwanted emotions that you get with asthma but with the right meds you will feel settled and in control and know when to get help .
I don't post a lot now as under the severe asthma unit but I remember the great advice on here in my early years ...lol glynis
Glynis as you say you don't post often I appreciate you taking the time. I wish you well xx
Here I am again wide awake since some godforsaken time. I've woken up three times not able to catch my breathe. My brown inhaler at least feels like it's doing something and the steroids have started to shift the yucky stuff but the blue inhaler doesn't seem to offer any relief. I've had the blood results back all ok - whatever that means and I'm waiting for the chest x ray results.
I went to th gp initially because I had a bit of a dry cough that wouldn't go away but you could hear it rattle when I laid down. My voice is still gravelly and barely audible my ears are still buzzing I'm still breathless I'm so damn tired I'm losing weight at a rate of lb a day and now to top it all tearful!
Yesterday after a walk I,couldn't get my breath and ended up falling.
A we'll meaning friend suggested maybe I don't have asthma and maybe it's something else causing the breathlessness and wheezing so I checked out the internet for other possibles and lung cancer left out at me. Really beginning,to,panic now.
Talk about,wallowing in self pity.
Hi Jac, welcome to the forum
The brown steroid inhaler takes a couple of weeks to start having an effect, so the relief you are getting will be a combination of the oral steroids and blue inhaler. You might not feel like its working but you would likely feel a whole lot worse without it The oral steroids reduce inflammation and mucous production, and are the 'big guns' version of your steroid inhaler (brown). By reducing inflammation and opening the airways, it is easier to shift the mucous from your airways. Using your blue inhaler regularly also helps to keep the airways open, both helping you breathe and making it easier to cough up the gunk.
Its quite important to use a spacer - usually one called an aerochamber, with your inhalers, and its frustrating that you weren't given one! Using a spacer has a few advantages:
You don't have to hold your breath after inhaling the drug, but can just breathe in and out normally through the spacer. Particularly helpful when you are breathless!
Less technique is required, as the chamber 'holds' the drug until you breathe it in.
A LOT more of the drug is actually deposited in your lungs - where it should be, when you use a spacer. If you don't use a spacer, a lot of the drug is deposited in the mouth and throat.
Using a spacer, reduces the risk of the steroid inhaler causing thrush in the oral cavity/throat.
Lynda
Hi Lynda,
I didn't realise I had to hold my breathe!!! Th chemist was great and gave me lots,of instruction. He was a bit miffed that I had been given all the meds without anyone telling me hat I had to do with them but hey ho. I have to wait till I see the nurse before I can get anything else but in the meantime my fall yesterday does seem to have helped getting th gunk moving and although I still sound funny I am now breathing easier today but I really need some sleep.
Yes, if you read the leaflet which comes with the inhalers in the box, it tells you to hold your breath, I think it's for 10 seconds - and you should wait between puffs for so many seconds too. This is to allow the drug to stay in the lungs and be absorbed. But you don't need to do this with a spacer. I hope you start feeling better soon and get some sleep
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