Recovery stage

[Wheezycat]

I am recovering from my asthma deterioration that followed my cold, and I am now four days out of prednisolone and antibiotics. I am undoubtedly better. My peakflow very slightly wobbly, but nothing to write home about. It will sort itself.

But what I find so hard work is what has happened today: yesterday, for the first time, I woke up feeling I had energy, and I got on with things that had been completely neglected, while still taking it easy. Today I have had less energy, and the last hour or two those lead weights have re-entered my arms and legs. It feels an effort to get up, out of this seat.

This is normal for me, and I find it enormously frustrating, as it can take a while before this stage stops.

Do others have this? Or is it my age (late sixties) that makes getting the energy back so hard? What experiences do others have?

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador]

Nope! - it’s just your age 👵🏻🧓🏻... only joking! 😂

I’m 26 and am exactly the same after a bad attack/time in hospital. 😴😴😴, 🤸🏻‍♀️🚴‍♀️🧗‍♀️, 😴😴😴

Generally asthmatics when they finally feel good push themselves too far too fast then suffer for it the next day, either breathing wise or fatigue wise.

I’ve previously had a day when I felt brilliant - cleaned the house, did work for uni etc etc, followed by a day when I was so tired I struggled to get out of bed (I kept falling asleep everywhere!)

Hope you’re feeling better x

[Wheezycat in reply to EmmaF91]

Hi again Emma! I am glad you will be getting out of hospital!

Thank you for your encouragement, and ,yes, it sort of is encouraging, knowing it is not just me or my age. Though this has happened before I still wonder about the physiology of it. I don’t feel breathless (not that I am always good at knowing when I am) rather just exhausted. What in body is it, once I have got over the actual problem, that causes the exhaustion? Sounds like a stupid question, I know, as illness always requires recovery time/convalescence. But is this about lungs not being yet quite ‘well’ enough to carry quite enough oxygen round yet? Or something else, more general? Well, I am curious. And sometimes understanding better can help my (lack of) patience.

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador in reply to Wheezycat]

It’s usually caused by your body trying to adapt to the situation. You’ve possibly just been pumped full of drugs (including ones which stop you sleeping anyway), and you’re bodies been in fight or flight mode of a few days/weeks (even if you’re not stressed) which is tiring for your body (tho you may not actually feel tired!)

Your body firsts adapts to the drugs, so you slowly start to breathe better but might not sleep (pred/hydrocortisone!), but once the drugs stop it has to adapt again to not having them, so you’re tired from the adaption or lack of sleep/breathing slightly worse. It adjusts and your body now thinks it’s adapted properly (and now you feel good again) and your push it to do activities you’re body hasn’t prepared for, so it goes on struck the next day 😂. Give it a couple more days to finish recovering before you push it and you’ll probably not crash the next day!

We tend to think asthma is just the lungs, but it effects almost everything! Respiratory system ✅, nervous system ✅ , cardiovascular system ✅, musculoskeletal system ✅, even gastrointestinal/urinary systems ✅ with some of the drugs (esp antibiotics 😝). Most drugs go through the liver and kidneys so they have to work harder too! Everything has to recover not just the lungs, everything needs more energy to recover too so we feel tired! It’s usually just caused by general recovery (you’d be the same after surgery etc) - if your O2 sats are dodgy then you should probs be in hosp (as asthmatics shouldn’t have low o2 sats at home!). It’s just our bodies working over time and complaining about it the only way it knows how!

If you put it in sports terms; Sunday you ran a marathon, Monday/Tuesday you were achy/tired, Wednesday you feel fine. Do you run a marathon on Wednesday, and if you did how would you feel doing it? Happy or tired and achy? How would you feel the next day? 🤨😂

Hope that convoluted explanation helps, if not I’ll try again later when I’m not as tired 😂

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador in reply to EmmaF91]

Ps thanks - I’m glad to say I’m finally home!!!

[Wheezycat in reply to EmmaF91]

Yes, it helps! And I kind of know already, but I need to be reminded to be patient. It is a v rly good explanation - in fact I will try to copy and save. And pin it somewhere, perhaps, for those days.

Unfortunately my experience has been it can take me weeks to fully stop having these down days. And that, of course, could be my age. I don't spring back generally as easily as I once did. So I really dread colds not just short term, but for quite a while.

As for the affects the body.......well, from the start when it kicks off it really affects my innards and the coughing does not help. What a palaver it all is!

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador in reply to Wheezycat]

Yes everyone takes different times to recover and unfortunately age does tend to lengthen recovery 😒

I’m glad it sort of made sense to you. Adding to the marathon analogy- when do you think you’d contemplate running another marathon (if you could 😉)? After 1 week, 2, a month etc? The answer to that is probably how long you need to keep things slow for your recovery!

My answer is usually 2-6 weeks depending on how ‘difficult’ the marathon (attack) was. If yours is 8-10 weeks then it’s 8-10 weeks! 😅 x

[Wheezycat in reply to EmmaF91]

Oh, goodness! I never, ever think of running marathons! I think they are all daft! Last Sunday we had a biggie running straight past our house. Our road was closed all day. We can walk out of the house, but heaven, or someone, help us if we have an emergency!

Interestingly, a friend suggested I compare with how I feel when snorkel. Would that feel good? Or would I be hampered? This to help me realise how my lungs feel. I am bad at that, especially when things get a bit more worrying. The snorkel idea works for me - I love it! I could snorkel now, but only very gently. But it would still feel nice.

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador in reply to Wheezycat]

There you go - everyone has a sport they can relate too! I used marathon as an example cause everyone knows what hell they are! So same questions but for snorkelling! (Your friend is very wise 😉). It would feel nice today, but would you feel odd tomorrow? (Sorry, never snorkelled so don’t know how it’ld feel if you did it when you shouldn’t 😅)

I compare to gymnastics as that was my sport before this all kicked off! Do I feel up for single somersaults, or doubles? How much pain would I be in tomorrow if I did a double today? Etc etc 😂 At my worst I don’t feel up to cartwheels, and I know I should probably do something if I mentally ‘can’t’ do a forward roll (roly poly). Unfortunately this is almost all mental gymnastics now, but it is a good judge for me (tho so few understand it 🤣) x

[Wheezycat in reply to EmmaF91]

Last time I had more of a biggie, I went to my yoga class once a bit recovered, but not fully. This is yoga for wrinklies I hope you understand. I did about half, felt fine, but told myself it was stupid to push it further, so stopped and just rested. All fine, until about an hour or so later. I was completely shattered!

[Wheezycat in reply to EmmaF91]

Snorkelling is lovely! And in a lovely environment. Don’t labour under the illusion I am any kind expert! I just do the beginning stuff when I get a chance, which is only occasionally. But you hear yourself breathing loud and clear when you wear a snorkel. As you are breathing through a tube, I suppose there is some restriction, but at the same time I can envisage it, so I can easier assess my lung health. It sort of works.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Wheezycat]

I literally came in here because of the snorkelling! Which I could not do on a recent holiday grrr as I was so short of breath splashing in some warm shallow water... I love it and I like to torture myself with reading about diving which no one sane would ever let me near.

To go back to the original point Wheezycat - and I love your way of describing it Emma - it's definitely not just age! I am always overestimating how long it will take me to get over things and overdoing it. Last week I had 6 days in hospital and on the Sunday after I came out I was wiped out (actually better the day I came out). About 7 years ago when I had asthma but no drugs because they insisted it wasn't, I did feel short of breath and my HR went crazy but mainly I was so incredibly tired from *anything*. Even walking down the corridor. My asthma is worse now than it was then, but day to day I am not that tired now that I have some meds that sort of work.

I just fell asleep on the sofa today after a day working from home - think yesterday when I had an appointment then went into work was too much but I really haven't done what I would consider much today! I'm being quite well behaved this time too - I took 2 days actually *off* work at the start of the week! I have an office job and I always feel like I should be able to do it sooner

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador in reply to Lysistrata]

🤣 love that it was snorkelling that pulled you into this post!

Yes - I think if you look back to how bad you were in the past (and low limited you were activity wise), you can see how long it might take you to recover!

Look after yourselves x

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to EmmaF91]

Lol I'm a masochist who likes to.read about stuff I can't do! Though snorkelling is generally achievable when lungs are less annoying than this year.

My recovery time tends to be 'until I get bored' which is not an accurate metric. I need to behave myself now though so I can go away for my birthday next week and visit my 'niece and nephew' (of the furry, dead mouse-loving variety).

[Wheezycat in reply to Lysistrata]

I’m off to London on Monday where the Frida Khalo exhibition beckons. I would weep if I missed it!

[Wheezycat in reply to Lysistrata]

I love the idea of diving! Years ago I absolutely planned to get my PADI certificate when I got a chance, but then I realised the idea terrified my husband, so I decided to spare him and shelve it. Not, to be frank, that I have had much in the way of opportunity to learn! I settled for snorkelling instead. And I love it! What is better than being in water, following a particularly cute/interesting/funny/curious sea creature? If I could swim in that style in pools I would be there in minutes. But lane swimming? Can’t bear it! For me it spoils the experience of enjoying being in water.

[Wheezycat in reply to Lysistrata]

One of the advantages of being older is that I have no employer. I still do bits of work because I want to but that ‘must go in to do.....’ bit is a thing of the past. Thank goodness. I still hate cancelling client’s appointments.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Wheezycat]

Thankfully my job is one that can be done from home and they have been very understanding (well, they called me an ambulance last week when I was trying to tell them I was fine!) I would find it much harder with other jobs and the employers some people have to deal with, who see illness as some kind of choice.

[Tabitha58]

Oh this came at exactly the right time for me! I have been unwell for six weeks after picking up a virus that then turned into a chest infection. Steroids and antibiotics saw the chest infection off and I expected to feel well again (oh - had an asthma attack that saw me at A&E the day before I was diagnosed with the chest infection. I tried resting, I tried pushing myself, went back to resting, now back on pred and antibiotics and thoroughly fed up as I am entering week seven of being unable to do much at all!

I really thought I was just being a wimp!

The pred makes me high - so I need to be careful not to overdo things - it also stops me sleeping and I took it at about 2 yesterday as that was when I arrived home from the docs.

Have taken it early today!

I have had so much help from this forum - far more than from the medical peeps! Well, I don't suppose you lot could prescribe me the drugs - but you give me lots of useful info!

Thank you x

[EMR30 in reply to Tabitha58]

I'm new to all this having only recently been diagnosed with asthma. I've had a frustrating week of expecting to be back at work each day only to fail and then feel frustrated, guilty etc.

You have all been brilliant in giving the assurance I needed - that I just have to accept it takes time to get over infection and asthma attack.

I'm finding that patience (which I do lack) and time is essential once the panic has subsided and prescriptions have been completed.

[Wheezycat in reply to EMR30]

Yep! That’s me! Panic and patience, the two Ps.

[Thomas45]

I had a similar common cold which after a week became clogged lungs and sinuses. After a week of antibiotics and steroids I'm much better but lack energy and motivation. I have done some shopping, been to the podiatrist, done some work at the library where I volunteer, fed my cats and cleaned up after them, and updated the village website which I run, but all without much energy. I went to bed last night at 9pm and 12 hours later I'm still in bed.. Normally I have more get up and go.

[Wheezycat in reply to Thomas45]

It sounds to me like you did loads yesterday! Have a quieter day today perhaps? My get up and go has improved today, but I need to portion my energy out. I don’t want another day like yesterday.

[baroque570]

Hello, Wheezycat from across the Pond. Yes, it's perfectly normal to feel like the 'day after the night before' when you've pushed yourself too hard too soon after an illness. We all do that when we've been down for a bit and are anxious to get back to normal. Give yourself at least a few days of feeling better before you start moving again at full tilt again. Good luck. You'll soon feel much better, I am sure.

[Wheezycat]

My previous experiences with this, specifically, an asthma excarcerbation, has been that it can take up to two months before feeling fully normal, not just a few days. But I am getting there.