What do I do?!

[Lotti_321-]

So fed up, Thursday night woke up with coughing/ tight chest. Peak flow was at 230.

Went to drs in the morning and got steroids for 5 days. felt just as bad that evening with salbutamol not helping. So I went back that they wanted to send me to a&e but we compromised with a nebuliser at drs. But with strict instructions to go if I felt worse.

So after trying to ride it out all weekend i went last night and was triaged and was then forgotten about for 5 & 1/2 hours.

In that time I kept take salbutamol regularly and didn’t say anything as I thought they were busy. But by the time I eventually saw the dr my peak flow was back to normalish (which didn’t surprise me, with all the meds I’d taken in the waiting time). So just told to ride it out, especially since I didn’t have a wheeze. Even though I couldn’t take a full breath in & hold it.

Still tight chest, especially at the base of my lungs & coughing. Tired from a lack of sleep.

Just fed up, sorry to ramble on I just wanted to get it all of my chest! I’ve got another appointment tomorrow with my gp who wanted to send me to a&e but after there reaction time and time again I hate going- but I don’t know what else to do.

[ccccc]

Hi Lotti

Sorry to hear you've felt so poorly, I can sympathise with you regarding A&E, the last two times I went I waited so long I started feeling better as I was taking Salbutamol while waiting to be seen, and the last time I went the triage nurse though I wasn't having an asthma attack as my peak flow wasn't bad enough! So now I have a nebuliser and steroids at home and that usually keeps me out of hospital. It's difficult with A&E, they seem to think because you can talk a little bit you aren't in real danger so they leave you in a cubicle for hours on end and they are so busy nowadays too. Just keep on with the GP until you feel better but don't be afraid to go back to hospital either.

[risabel59]

Hi Lotti, sort to hear you are so unwell, if you are not getting better and going back to your GP, it is possible that he/she can get you an emergency appointment with the respiratory team at the hospital rather than going through A&E. I would explain your last experience and ask your GP to call ahead so that you see the right person rather than turn up.

Also the Asthma nurses on the Asthma UK help line are very helpful.

However if you are struggling to breathe, speak words in sentences or have blue finger nails you should go to immediately to a&e.

It sounds as though you have a good GP.

R x

[Lotti_321- in reply to risabel59]

Thanks I saw my Gp again this morning and I’ve got steroids for a further 5 days and he’s going to write to my consultant and hopefully will be able to get an appointment through soon.

[ccccc in reply to Lotti_321-]

Forgot to say - my friend who has brittle asthma has a letter from her consultant that she takes to A&E with her that explains her symptoms and what to do etc so maybe look into getting one of those off your consultant the next time you need to go to hospital?

[Lotti_321- in reply to ccccc]

Thanks that’s a great idea. I’m hoping that the clinical tests they’ve done over the past 12months show something. As my results are always all over the place especially as often tested after a lot of steroids. And the consultant says that it’s understandable being so young that my lungs would bounce back quite soon ( as I can go through periods of being well but when it’s goes bad it’s it hard to control and takes ages to get back my normal)

I just need to start putting my foot down and explain my thoughts better at my appointments.