How do you ring for help....

[Tabitha58]

....when you can't breathe???

I am fine, and I didn't need help in the end but it was a sobering experience.

I went to bed, lay down and started to cough - and I coughed and coughed and coughed until I was retching and thought my lungs were going to end up in the sink!

I staggered downstairs and put the kettle on and coughed/inhaled steam in the hope it would help: taking inhalers was impossible as there was no respite from the coughing. I eventually decided to ignore the 'if you make it whistle you are breathing too hard' with the spacer and managed to get some salbutamol into my lungs.

After what seemed an absolute age the coughing subsided a little and I was able to breathe between bouts.

After it was all over I realised that at one point I had considered phoning 999 but there was no way I could speak to tell them anything.

I have now told my family that if they get a phone call from me and all I am doing is coughing/retching/gasping please send me an ambulance!!

There are times when living alone is a bit scary!

I did also learn to give it a bit of time and get some medication in my body before ringing anyone

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador]

There is a text service for 999. It’s aimed at hearing/speech impaired people, however anyone can use it. However you have to register for it. (You do need a mobile tho) here’s the link to register

ngts.org.uk/how-to-use-ngt/...

Alternatively you can set up a support system. Tell family/friends etc if you text 999 to them they need to send an ambulance to your house.

I hope that helps and that things have calmed down now! Look after yourself x

[Tabitha58 in reply to EmmaF91]

You are amazing! Thank you so much for this information

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador in reply to Tabitha58]

No worries 😉

I’ve been in that position. I used to text 🏳️ to my friends at uni if I needed a lift to the hospital (5 min drive round the corner so quicker than an ambulance). They knew that I was bad enough to need to go in but not ‘drop everything’ bad, just ‘finish your shower then can you pick me up’ bad (I was ‘surrendering’ to my unstable severe asthma) 😅. For drop everything I used 999 or 🏴 which they knew was an acute severe attack. It worked well for me at the time!

The 999 text service is slightly slower than a 999 call but if you can’t talk, you can’t talk! I found out about it from a paramedic on a first aid course - he made everyone sign up just in case!

Hope you never have to use either! X

[Kitten-kat23]

Thank goodness you recovered. I'm lucky I live with family. It must have been very scary. I'm sorry I have no advice, I tend to hammer on the wall with my walking sticks. I think you have done the right thing, by letting your family know.

[Js706]

It isn’t ideal but the call handlers on 999 are very patient if you’re struggling! I’ve been stuck alone at home before , unable to walk any more than a few steps and couldn’t even say “ambulance” or “asthma” in one go without having to take a breath but still managed to get one out to me.

We just went for very slow one syllable answers and they took my address first so the paramedics were on the way while I gasped the rest of my details out 😂 and I was then blue lighted the 2 mins around the corner to a&e so it was a pretty bad one! So even in the really nasty ones as long as you can get some sound out it’s possible to get help quickly 😊

[Tabitha58 in reply to Js706]

Yes, I think I was just suddenly struck by the situation and it made me nervous about how to access help when it was needed. I have registered my phone for the text service but you are right that I could probably get a word out at a time!

[Js706 in reply to Tabitha58]

Yes it definitely can be quite shocking when it comes on suddenly - and that experience did prompt me to register for the text service for future. But it was nice to experience how good and patient they were with me, definitely made me less concerned about being stuck in that position again!

Especially as my next solution would have been to go and stumble around the street looking for someone having just moved in or trying to walk in to a&e (which I did once before with that level of attack, never again!!) 😂

[TJRN1959]

I have made myself a stock of little cards, about the size of a credit card, plastic laminated, and I keep these in various wallets and pockets so that there's always one to hand. Printed on the card in big red letters it simply says "I am asthmatic. If I can't speak to you then I need an ambulance. Please dial 999. Thanks." I've never needed it because in each of my crises there's been someone around who knows the situation and has called for help, but it's nice to know that I do have a Plan B.

[Tabitha58 in reply to TJRN1959]

Also a brilliant idea!

[ChrissieMons]

Get a red button. You don't have to be aged & infirm, but it might just save you.

[Tabitha58 in reply to ChrissieMons]

Funny how we fight against things that make us feel 'old' isn't it?