Advice After Discharge

[Amync35]

I’ve just been discharged from a week in hospital from 2 asthma attacks. I’ve only been recently been diagnosed with asthma a few years ago so I’m still kind of new to all of this. Should I be calling my Asthma nurse/GP for a follow up appointment? Does anyone go straight back to work after you’ve been discharged or do you take a week off to recover? I still feel exhausted but don’t want to take too much time off work.Sorry for the silly questions. Just wondering what everyone else does and how everyone else feels after a hospital discharge.

Thank you

Amy

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador]

Hi sorry to hear you’ve not been well

You’re meant to follow up with your GP within 2-3 days of discharge, so yes you should be calling your surgery of a follow up (just explain to reception you’ve just been discharged from hospital due to an asthma attack and need to be seen).

You need to give yourself time to recover, so the majority of people take time off after hospital discharge... if only cause you never can really sleep in hospitals! Speak to your GP about it and may ask for a sick note if you need one. Going back too soon can result in another escalation of your asthma, so do take the time you need (better 2 days now, than a week off next week etc). Hospitals don’t wait until you’re fully recovered before they discharge, just get you to a point where you/your GP can manage at home etc hence the likelihood to retrigger within 2 weeks of discharge. Usually I’ll take off about a week to recover if that helps, but I also know people who take more, and others who take less. Take what you need to feel more like yourself and ready for work.

If it’s you’re first hospital experience with your asthma it’s normal to possibly be feeling a bit shook up and overwhelmed with what happened and the steroids you’ve probably been put on can make you feel much more emotional that you might be otherwise. Just take the time you need and make sure you’re confident in your asthma plan so know know how to deal with it if it happens again etc. And as I said feeling tired and washed out is completely normal.

Hope that helps and that you’re feeling a little better now

[Amync35]

Thank you for your reply. It’s not my first hospital admission but it was most scariest and exhausting one. I’m not due back to work till Monday (tomorrow). I just don’t want to go back to soon and then regret it later. Thank you for your advice 😊

[hilary39]

Be gentle on yourself! Attacks are very hard on you physically and mentally (and often emotionally since a hospital stay / being unable to breathe can be traumatic and take awhile to process).

It takes me anywhere from a few days or weeks to get over a bad attack. Often your lungs will take some time to stop being inflammed. Get more sleep than you usually do if you can, drink lots of tea and water, distract yourself with relaxing books and/or TV, and try to avoid inflammatory foods (e.g. tons of sugar, starches, alcohol etc.) when possible.

Definitely keep following up with your doctors. Are you on a long-term controller inhaler? If not, and your asthma seems to be worsening, that could be a good next step to talk over with your GP.

[redstar9]

Thanks for the tips everyone. Hopefully going to be discharged later today following a 5 day admission.

[Amync35]

I tried to book a follow up after a 7 day admission and the receptionist said I didn’t need one?

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador in reply to Amync35]

You do. You just say you’ve been told. Cause guidelines say you should. And the receptionist won’t know the guidelines. Sometimes you just need to be firm and insist

[redstar9]

I've got a follow up appointment for tomorrow.