Whinge : Been in A&E for the 5th time... - Asthma Community ...

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Whinge

cconsta1 profile image
7 Replies

Been in A&E for the 5th time in 4 months this week.

I'm so frustrated and now my consultant is just like "ah yes your asthma is poorly controlled even though you're on quite a lot of medication, I don't know what we can do about it though" then sent me home once my peak flow was a little higher which as soon as the effect of back to back Nebs has worn off goes down again.

Ah ok thanks

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cconsta1
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7 Replies
Helen0909 profile image
Helen0909

Oh my word..i really feel for you. This is dreadful..but sadly not un common with Consultants and their medical teams. Its shocking the way they speak and treat us, as though we haven't got a clue about our own bodies, lungs, and asthma management. Its disgusting. Often we have far more experience and knowledge of the workings of asthma and more imortantly, our own asthma, and what we react to and respond to. Consultants are in the main all text books..which may impress their staff but no one else...Asthma can never ever be under estimated, they should know this. especially if your lungs are experiencing a sensitive period. The fact that you were sent home before 'you' were ready is wrong and disgusting. The fact that they didnt get you properly stabiluzed over a suitable period of time with the nebs is disgusting. The fact that they didnt get your peak flow, oxygen sats and steroids all working as strongly as possible before they let you home is disgusting..im so sorry you have been through this..you are not alone..i hope you feel better soon and wish you a gentle and sunny werkend..Helen x

Wizzer profile image
Wizzer

Hi cconsta1. So sorry to hear what you're going through. It must be very frustrating and distressing to find yourself in this positiion. it appears that many consultants and gps are too quick to just get asthmnatics back on track with a quick fix, but as you say you can quickly go down hill once the treatment stops. I don't think enough is done to really stabilize the condition it's always the same old treatment, and then basically get on with it. I really dont think the condition is taken seriously enough by many people. Sorry i cant offer any words of advice or help but i do hope you soon feel better.x

kimmy22 profile image
kimmy22

I'm really disgusted to hear your story but unfortunately these real life stories are too common.

Hospitals have that dreaded tick list of temp/bp/oxygen sats and God forbid they can't tick any of these boxes with high scores. No infection means nothing wrong with you. One nurse actually once said to me - "well I could breathe like that if I wanted to ! ". Disgusting .

My consultant retired last year and my new one initially seemed to be amazing . Introduced new lines of investigations which helped a great deal. Last month - he floored me by saying basically - ok I have got your asthma under control - ( this is my 20 year brittle/chronic/allergic/a-symptonatic/ definitely uncontrolled asthma ) so I'm looking to reduce your check ups down to annual and you need to learn to be independent of our and outside care (counselling/vocal therapy). I have seen him 3 times and j feel he has basically implied everything I have been told and treated for in last 20 years is written off. Other than now controlled asthma all my other problems are in my head ! And they wonder why I am riddled with anxiety . !

Sorry - rant over . On a good note my gp has said he will write to this consultant and explain all this for me. Kim

Triggerina profile image
Triggerina in reply tokimmy22

I know how you feel. Three years ago in A and E with an asthma attack I was told by a Staff Nurse I should go home as I was not wheezing.( I was coughing badly and had a peak flow of only about 25%of my normal!!!I rarely wheeze but cough )

I was furious and would not go as I knew I was sliding in the wrong. Direction. They did treat me eventually.,

Unbelievable....

cconsta1 profile image
cconsta1

Thank you for the replies guys, sorry for such a whinge, I've been on preds none stop since February/March kind of time and they are making me kind of crazy. So to still be having attacks even on 40mg as well as fostair, qvar, spiriva and motelukast is frustrating and kind of scary. I got through 4 ventolin inhalers in the last month. I constantly have one in my hand lol

It's especially scary when this time last year I was only on symbicort and motelukast with pred treatment for flare ups. It feels like my consultant is kind of saying, you just have to live with it.

But I worry about loosing my job and the effect it's having on my children and sometime I just have to let it out to some people who understand

Thank you again :-) x

johnsmith profile image
johnsmith

You are now at the stage where you need to look further afield to see if there is anything different than the standard approach from the medical profession which is clearly not working very well.

One of the things that is known is that the puffers and the various drugs contained within often work for a short while and then stop being effective. This short while can be quite a variable. It is also known that symptoms labelled as asthma can have different causes.

One aspect which is not looked at by the medical consultants is the role that muscle behaviour has in the control of asthma. Here I am talking about the muscle control that occurs from the brain and the spinal reflexes. This sort of muscle control can work to help the body in its everyday activities or it can work to cause the body difficulties when the body needs to engage in everyday activities.

A person called Singh claimed that chiropractic had no effect on helping asthma indicating that it was snake oil for want of a better word. Singh wrote a book against the chiropractic profession. My experience is that chiropractic will not cure asthma it can help reduce the incidence of asthma attacks and the pain and discomfort that goes with it for people who have certain muscular conditions. These conditions being muscular spasms in the ribs and the back. Another condition which becomes a problem as people get older is that there can be increased muscular tension which causes the lungs to become more restricted and airways to become more compressed. This sort of muscular condition will cause the muscles which influence peak flow to become weaker.

It is worth seeing a McTimoney chiropractor to see if you have muscle spasms which need to be unspasmed. I am fairly certain that in the investigations that you have had that none of the consultants you have seen ever checked your muscles using their hands for muscle spasms. A McTimoney chiropractor will not be able to cure the asthma problem. They will be able to investigate and reduce certain things that are causing your breathing system to overloaded thus reducing the possibility of bad asthma attacks.

Another angle to investigate is posture. This is an area that is not addressed by the medical profession as posture is dependant on muscle control and not drugs. Posture will have an influence on how bad your asthma is. By improving your posture and the muscle balance that goes with better posture the asthma problems you have will reduce. Better posture will probably not cure your asthma. It will however reduce the problems you have with asthma and breathing.

For improving your posture you need to see an Alexander teacher.

stat.org.uk/

Is a web site which can give you better information on this.

Try an Alexander Teacher and see if it can make a difference.

Hope this helps.

kimmy22 profile image
kimmy22

I don't believe you should ever apologise for winge-Ing - breathing with asthma makes us exhausted. No wonder we nearly all have anxiety issues too. I often think in the nicest way possible , of course ,..... That I wish my husband could have a chest infection or be really breathless for a week - just so he has a vague idea of what it's like ha x.

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