Discharged from hospital after 2.5 weeks 3 days in Intensive care.

[akela6th]

I'm new to this forum. I thought I would join after I have just been discharged last night from a pretty traumatic hospital admission. I have been asthmatic since age of 13 but have had several years where it had disappeared. 

Just before Easter my husband had a flu type illness and he really was very unwell.On the Weds before Good Friday I started coughing lots.By early evening on Good Friday I was struggling with breathing so contacted 111 who said I should go to a&e within hour. My husband insisted on calling ambulance as in past have been in ITU cos of asthma. I was taken very rapidly to a&e where I was taken straight into resus ahead of others . I was given 4 salbutamol nebulisers ,then a different nebulised drug to no avail. Was given injection of hydrocortisone no change,then started on Magnesium Infusion causing heart to race. I basically was exhausted I could not hold my head up,I could hear distant voices but had collapsed. The hospital got the intensive care team to a&e to assess me and my husband said they were doing some pretty severe tests to try and get me to respond but to no avail!. I ended up on Intensive Care in stage 1 respiratory failure!! I spent 2 nights in side room ITU then 3/4 day/night on High Dependency Unit.I was then transfered to a normal ward however within 12 hours of being on normal ward was moved to side room and Isolation/barrier nursed. I had proved positive for the H1N1 FLU(Swine Flu-2nd time I've had it!)nurses,cleaners,visitors had to gown,glove and mask up!!! I was then diagnosed with secondary pneumonia and exacerbation of my asthma!! After all the lines that were put in whilst in ITU my left arm was black with bruising as had lines going into arteries taking blood hourly!! Drs were talking about putting a picc line as they were struggling to find a vein.Thankfully I avoided that and was treated with more oral antibiotics (had IV ones in ITU),nebulisers,oxygen and inhalers.

I was in hospital for 2.5 weeks and came home Monday night. I have decided to join this forum and post my story to share the fact that my asthma seems to disappear for years then suddenly flare up due to infection. When it does flare up I go downhill fast!!!!! It's important you understand your asthma yourself and make others aware.

I am now home but have a written action asthma plan with emergency steroids.I have got to have a follow up appointment with asthma nurse,respiratory consultant and have also got to have a scan of my heart .

It has been a scary few weeks and I am still very weak but I'm getting there.

[linlow]

Golly, that is one heck of a story.  Congratulations on surviving it.

[TaurangaSue]

Wow! Keep resting. I was ill last October and ended up with pneumonia. You are right. It all happens very fast. Take care. X Sue

[akela6th in reply to TaurangaSue]

Out of curiosity you said you had pneumonia in October how long did it take you to feel like you had any energy. I have had it before and remember feeling very weak but it's almost that I felt stronger in hospital. Since I got home and came up to bed Monday night I have got no energy at all !!

[TaurangaSue in reply to akela6th]

About six weeks to two months I would say. I was sent to hospital but went home once diagnosed. Was pretty ill, but not bad enough to stay in hospital. Was there about six hours while they found out what was wrong via xrays, blood tests, ecg and that horrible thing they stuck right up my nose. X

[Karjade]

Omg that is such a scary story. Many people underestimate how serious and potentially fatal asthma is. The hospital sounded brilliant and really seemed to know what they were doing unlike some hospital stories I have read on here. I hope you make a speedy recovery and take care xx

[akela6th in reply to Karjade]

Have to say hospital were very good they sent me through to resus ahead of others and insisted paramedics got a line in me(had to put it in my foot as apparently was septic and shut down?) They treated me with different nebs pretty much one after another and other treatments. We're desperately trying to obtain blood gases blood tests. They involved the ITU team who kept my husband and daughter informed. I also suffer with severe chronic pain and hospital had the pain team involved very quickly and one of pain consultants did injections in my back. The only 2 issues I had was having to wait a long time for pain relief at times as took 2 nurses to check it. Also because I was in side room I had several occasions when got missed with drinks ,water being changed ect but after I addressed it several times it got sorted

[Emmav1]

Just read your story, what a terrible time you have had, very traumatic for your and your husband too. Wishing you well, it's a long battle to get well after something like this I am sure.

[akela6th in reply to Emmav1]

Certainly feel like could not fight my way out a wet paper bag at the moment.

[linlow]

that is the effect of coming out of hospital.  It hits the vast majority of people, though some more than others.  Don't worry, you should get over it fairly quickly as you adjust to being at home again.

[Kitten-kat23]

I hope you are feeling much better. Thank you for sharing. 

[Shezxx]

Gosh I'm so glad your ok. Thank you for sharing your story I do hope everyone reads it bcoz your so right it's up and down asthma. That took a lot of courage to share thank you and hope you get better ASAP X hugs X 

[akela6th in reply to Shezxx]

Thanks for your reply after my 2.5 week stay I was home for 4 nights but ended up blue lights and sirens back into hospital due to severe difficulty breathing again.kept in another 5 nights IV antibiotics again then oral antibiotics and steroids. Came home yesterday so let's start recovery again!!

[Shezxx in reply to akela6th]

Oh no hope u get this sorted and start to feel yourself very soon.  X hugs X 

[Hidden in reply to akela6th]

Hope this time you are home for good. Sorry you had such a hard time. Thinking of you and we are all here for support when needed xxx

[diana-stoyanova]

Damn... I'm sorry but it sounds God-awful. I hope you're doing fine. My exacerbations come as thunderously as yours but I've never (thankfully) beeen diagnosed with swine flu! Follow your action plan and be strong!

-D

[akela6th]

Would you belive it rushed back in again 22nd June two weeks PNEUMONIA AGAIN another close admission to ITU well 2 occasions first when taken in warned hubbie and daughter may well end up there again but I was ok and was transfered to the emergency floor the dr came and saw me 3 times that night and basically I went onto ward on 2 litres of oxygen but they had to keep increasing it and when I was on 35 litres of humidified oxygen they said that if things didn't stabalize then I would have to go to ITU and they would take over my breathing but I won and stabilised had various nebs, iv ,antibiotics ,oral antibiotics and steroids and escaped 2 weeks later. I've been home 2 weeks tomorrow but still don't feel I could fight my way out of a wet paper bag!!!

Any advice greatly fully received.