Hi, I have had a chest infection for 5 weeks I've had amoxicillan for 7 days and pred for a month tapering course. I was starting to feel better until last friday when I started coughing badly again and short of breath
I went to the doctors today and lets just say my treatment was appalling, she told me its just a long virus and she has had it for 5 weeks to and there is nothing they can do. She told me I have brittle asthma which I haven't actually been diagnosed with my notes just say severe.
She told I was taking to much pred and I shouldn't be tapering even though cons recommended it and advised on the tapering dose, and she went on and on about the side effects of pred, and how I would have osteoperosis in the near future.
I was actually in tears by the time I left as she also refused to refer me to another hospital that specialises in infection and accsued me of throwing my toys out of the pram (her exact words) when I told her my reason.
So I still have a really bad cough no antibiotics and just told its because my lungs are brittle"
I have another pack of amoxicillan at home wondering if I should just start that
Lejaya
p.s. sorry about the italics not sure why that happened
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lejaya
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Hi Lejaya..how unkind..I suppose she wanted to warn you against the ills of steroids but you were particularly unwell and fragile so that was not the time for sure..some doctors are no psychologists..Anyway I wouldn't self medicate..go to the A&E or the walk-in clinic and get a proper check up so you will have the right treatment. Take care and let us know how you are getting on. xx
I've lost 20% of my bone density in 3 years through over using prednisone so I try to avoid it now where possible.But I do understand that you need to take it, your doctor was being harsh with you and that certainly wasn't the time to discuss the effects of the drug, I broke my ankle in two places due to this and now take calcium tabs to help stop it getting worse.Best thing to remember is that your young and I'm sure have a long way to go before you need to worry about osteoporosis.I was taking press every other week for years and I'm much older than you so try not to worry.Take care.x
What an awful doctor! I would put a complaint in to the manager, and make sure you see someone else in future! I have had this virus too and I coughed for England even when I had finished my rescue pack. It took around another 2 weeks or so before it eased.
As long as you feel ok and you are not coughing up coloured gunk then it should start to ease off over the next week or so. If not I would go back and see someone else.
Oh just a thought - you could ask your pharmacist what they think. Mine is brilliant. x
hi thanks for your reply I will be making a complaint tomorrow and from now on I will refuse to see her. It really was awful she made me feel like it was my fault my chest is bad and really laid into me when I told her how much pred tapering helps me no support nothing.
if I'm no better by next Friday I will see another doc most of them are lovely
You are welcome lejaya. You know your own asthma better than any of us so you need to do what you think is best. Hopefully the cough will start to ease off soon. Take care, x
I am glad you will report as no doctor should be that mean to you. You need help. I had a bad run with virus 4 months ago setting off asthma too. The second antibiotics they gave me were clarythromycin which are hard to take but seemed worth it.
Hi there, So sorry you had a bad time with your G/P. Is this a doctor you see regularly, if not go back and see one you do know.
Also, if you have an infection, it may be that Amoxicillan is not the right anti-biotic, your doctor should have done a sputum test, to check. Don't take another course of the same Anti-biotic, you may need a different one. Sometimes an infection doesnt produce a lot of sputum, but if you are getting brown gunge then it may well be.
Lots of people have had this awful cough virus thing, I was super ill with it over xmas, and of course it morphed into an infection.
With regards the prednisolone, you should take it according to instructions given by your consultant, they often have different views to G/P's. In fact my G/P and consultant are friends, and recently had a disagreement about my meds. Quite funny actually. Consultant won out.
With regards to Osteoporosis, a few things I have learnt, I had my first bone scan more than 10 years ago now, and it was not great, but I was advised to take up weights and walking. I walk 30 mins almost every day, unless super sick. And weight train 2 a week 30 mins. Particularly using big muscles. (i.e. Butt, Legs, Core) My last bone scan 6 months ago now, was better than the one 5 years ago. My consultant found that almost unbelievable. Prednisolone is an evil that so many Asthma sufferers have to put up with, I can say it has saved my life more than once. Don't despair you can take control. Oh Also make sure you get your Vitamin D checked, and get prescription level tabs if necessary or they can give you an injection if really low. This is super important for bone health.
I think you probably should wait a couple of days, and make an appointment for later in week, if you are still unwell. With a different doctor. Or get in touch with your consultants secretary, and see if you can on the clinic list as an emergency.
Don't let the B'stds get you down. They don't know everything.
How terrible! I have been in your shoes before and doctors can be horrible. A good GP will recognise that you know your body best. This GP is just thinking of targets. I would definitely complain and don't let them push you around. Severe asthma is not something to take lightly.
Hi Lejaya - you have obviously had a hard time and there is no excuse for rudeness by your doctor. However, there is a lot of good advice below, probably based on their own / my own experiences taking antibiotics etc. Prednisolone should not be taken regularly. When I have had a bad turn I have been prescribed that drug to be taken for 5 days only, the length of the course only. Brittle bone is an issue and my hospital consultant prescribed CACIT, powder sachets that you take in water twice a day to prevent weaking bones. I too have found Amoxicilin is not appropriate for me and I was prescribed a week's course of Doxicilin. Interesting to hear that Risabel below found weight training at the gym helps prevent weak bones. I have been going to a gym for 15 years and ran a lot but since being diaganosed as Chronic asthmatic three years ago, I can only powerwalk at best, plus lift weights so I shall continue on that course too. Best of luck Lejaya and it sounds to me you should consider finding another doctor.
hi thanks for all the replys I have to taper pred now as a week is no longer enough for me and I only take it when I I really need to
my main problem is that amoxicillan doesn't work for me i have tried asking for a different antibiotic several times but no one listens. I find clairithromycin very good but I never get this anymore.
does anyone have any idea on what I can do?
I have asked my cons and he wouldn't do anything either which is why I wanted to be referred to a hospital which specialises in infection but my doc refused
also I think I deffo still have an infection as my phlegm tastes infected (sorry) but hey ho no meds for me
I think that you should definitely go back to G/P and get a sputum sample analysed, (all G/P's can do this, it just takes a few days ) then you can get the right Anti-biotic or even find out you don't need one. Amoxicillan is wide spectrum, and is a first base Anti-Biotic. Azithromycin, or Ciprofloxan both have anti-inflammatory effects as well as being anti-biotics, but you need to know that they will kill the bug that you have. There are so many resistant strains of bacteria out there.
In the past I have actually been changed mid course of Anti-Biotic, as GP discovered the one prescribed would not work on the bug that I had. (She took sputum samples.)
I have read on here that sputum samples arnt very accurate also due to my work it Is almost impossible for me to do samples I think I will just go to a walk in or a&e if things get any worse I honestly can't handle going to my gp surgery again
I mean obviously I would see a different Doctor but It's still to much for me atm
In my opinion you need different antibiotics you should definately drop predisilone slowly so say six a day for four days five for four days and so on as just coming off them isnt good ask to transfer doctors
If the infection is due to a virus thn atibiotics are no use at all. The only way to determie it is to put asputum sample in. Ths should identify the bug responsible and which,if any, antibiotic is required.
I've seen so many posts about samples coming back negative when there is definitely an infection and other posts about doctors not recommending sputum samples anymore because they are not accurate. They are not the only way to diagnose bacterial infection blood tests show it to but obvious not appropriate for gp surgery.
in the past I have always been given a different antibiotic when one hasn't worked without doing samples so don't understand why I have to do them now.
I work very far from where I live so I cannot do this and I am on report for my sick days at work so I guess bacterial or not this infection will not be getting treated any time soon.
and btw all I wanted was a bit of support not to be badgered about doing sputum samples. thank you to everyone else who gave helpful and kind responses and didnt keep going on about samples as if I didnt already know.
Well, doc are just people too. I had a brief conversation with my gp when I was 24 about my asthma treatment and what goals I had - I said I wanted to be a triathlete, she replied (and I've remembered it with fondness ever since), that: 'You and I both know that's never going to happen'.
The last time I saw an asthma nurse, when I was 29, Gail, she told me I should get a job (I said I was studying music theory), and when talking about breathing, she balked at the lifelong difficulty I had breathing through my nose and charmingly advised me that I must therefore make a horrible noise when I eat'.
I think the italics are just fine, they come in mid-clause and so have the effect of actually propelling the reader with greater speed into the renewed gravitas of the text - this would be hard to achieve usually, as one looks for a clausal juncture that will allow italicisation to act as a mere 'mode of emphasis' or rhetorical quotation (a quote of itself without a prior object). I don't actually know how to do italics on my computer.
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