Asthma Attack 'n' Back (to A&E)

[servewithmintsauce]

Had hockey trials tonight so I was grafting hard at the ice rink this evening. I was worried -- without good reason -- that by telling the coaches that I have moderate-severe asthma I would look like I'm making excuses (I'm not that great at ice hockey) so I said nothing and pushed. I used my inhaler, 4 puffs through my spacer, every time we got a break. I used it when I got off. But it wasn't enough.

I went quickly from 'something's not right' to 'oh no I can't breathe'. We were so lucky that the hospital is literally only a couple of streets away from the hospital so my dad drive me there because it was quicker.

I was triaged within minutes (although it felt like hours) and although my sats were 94%, I was really really struggling and wheezing and having retractions and I couldn't even speak. My heart rate is usually about 90-100bpm but it had gone up to 130-145bpm.

They put me on an oxygen-propelled nebuliser of Salbutamol and Ipratropium which helped a bit. They gave me prednisolone. Shortly after the prednisolone (but not because of it) I worsened again and they just whacked in some more nebulised Ventolin (in addition to plenty of puffs through my spacer) which helped quite a bit. The pred was kicking in too by that point so all of that plus more Salamol through my spacer and some time just with the oxygen alone meant that I could go home a mere 3 hours after going in.

I've got pred and instructions to use up to 10 puffs of Ventolin with my morning meds (at least 4), and 4 puffs in the evening, and to taper it down once I'm feeling back up to scratch. I also have to follow my action plan and see my nurse or GP ASAP so that's a call for tomorrow!

I'm lucky to have a strange sense of humour that allows me to keep laughing even with the pain of appendicitis or a cluster migraine, or through an oxygen mask, human pincushion time (blood tests) and everything else so after the second neb I was back to my old 'humour in bad times' self, as you can see in the picture below. Or above. Or wherever it appears!

Camera was iPhone 5S and filter was 'chrome'.

Not really a question or advice, I just wanted to share.

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Sorry to hear you got a bit of a fright but never, ever, feel that telling a sports coach that you have asthma will be taken as making an excuse. If you come across a sports coach that does so walk out; the coach will have just proved to you that he (or, of course, she) is not that good and you would be better off elsewhere.

Glad to hear that things are better now.

[freefaller]

Sorry you have had such a bad time. Hope you are feeling much better now and I heartily agree with MaggieHP.