Had mild asthma for about 20 years easily manageable but last September caught bad chest infection walking phenomena, since then extremely breathless all tests done ,X-ray ctscan echogram which showed slight thickness of heart wall but they say not bad enough to cause breathlessness, my spirometer year was done firstly by GP who stated results were not that good and referred me to Consultant , based on what I have seen mine are not bad 65% to 70% is what I have been told !!
My problem is for my Job I have to do a fitness test at the end of the month which I have no hope of passing but consultant was not really interested changed me to Fostair and put me on Respimat but I have been on it for about 2 months and have told him that it does not seem to do anything , but I seem to have been dropped and I don’t know what to do next .. I’m going to lose my job!
Any suggestion would be most grateful
Thank you
Written by
Gazzer12
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I would ring Asthma UK. They may be able to help you know where you stand with your job. Also, they may be able to help you address concerns to your GP. Don't let your GP fob you off. Don't go into your fitness test without knowing where you stand legally. Good luck. x
Asthma is also a protected condition under the Equality Act 2010 and they should be listening to you. In addition there may be something which is making your asthma worse that no one else has picked up on. Write down the symptoms you’ve been having, record your peak flow before and after medication. And I agree with emmasue please ring the wonderful asthma U.K. nurses they are experts in their field and very friendly and always put me at ease.
Check with your doctor. Most asthmatics have Ventolin (salbutamol) which is a quick acting reliever that can last up to five hours but has an immediate effect. Some people will take it shortly before they do more strenuous physical exercise eg go for a run or cycling. Maybe this might help you before the test. However check with the doctor as you are on a couple of medications and you need to make sure what medications you can take together.
Thank you for your reply much appreciated , I already use salbutamol and have for many years with the brown inhaler as a preventative, this brown was moved to the fostsir last Oct with the respimat vapour inhaler but none of these are working and I am still breathless a lot more than what I was last August after my bad chest infection!!
Yes, Gazzer 12, definitely call Asthma UK on Monday, the Specialist nurses will give you all the help & advice you require, they are so easy to talk to & will make you feel very much at ease, I too was advised last year to change over to Fostair,I was originally on symbicort 400,the only symptom I had with the symbicort was a constant cough that lasted for about 10 mins every time I took it(morning &evening) I discovered that the Fostair,after taking it for a few days made me quite ill much worse that I had ever experienced before,terrible breathing problems & bad chest pain,as a matter of fact I thought that I was having a heart attack the pain was so severe ,I phoned my friend who immediately told me not to take anymore Fostair as she has had asthma for many years,she said Fostair was a much cheaper version of inhaler & many people had mega problems with it,( although I am sure it. would agree with some people,as it is not always the cheaper versions that do not work well)I was fortunate that I still had some symbicort left,so just started taking it again and apart from the cough I have never really looked back...Once you speak to the Specialist UK Asthma nurse,you will feel a lot better,& will be well prepared to see your GP,in my humle opinion Gazzer 12 you may require an antibiotic for your breathlessness,& if it gets much worse you should call. your nearest NHS 24 (phone no.111) as it is a while
to wait until Mon if you are too breathless,but of course you will still call the Specialist UK nurse on Mon...I hope all goes well for you Gazzer 12 & Good luck & God bless you always...x
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i hate doctors -its official
Baffled not sure what to think? Is it asthma or not? 
