Asthma exacerbation hospital visit

[Skyblue1202]

So yeah I am basically in hospital for a chest infection and asthma attack and exacerbation.

What is slightly weird that has happened (I'm posting this in pcos too) is that it seems i have come on a period whilst being in hospital after not having one for a year. The last time i was i hospital for the same reason I was put on prednisolone and got some old brown spotting.

Is this a known side effect to anyone. I think the hospital wants to further investigate but kind of wish I hadn't said anything because I just want to go home which doesnt seem likely this week.

[Hidden]

At the moment you are in the best place. It sounds like you have type 2 brittle asthma and to add to the problem a chest infection. Let the medics sort you out before and do not leave their care until you are 100% better or you will probable be readmitted again. Hope that you are on a respiratory unit.

[Skyblue1202 in reply to Hidden]

Yeah on the acute lung unit. Thanks for reply.

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador in reply to Hidden]

Erm... brittle asthma is something completely different. It is the old fashion term for severe asthma now and can only be diagnosed by a tertiary hospital consultant (resp specialist centre). It is different to ‘normal’ asthma in that you are basically unable to get control despite being on all available meds of you. Many severe/brittle asthmatics are on (or have been on) long term prednisolone or have biological injections (if they have a type of asthma that can be treated with bios). They have symptoms everyday (and many have what is classed as attacks everyday) and are admitted to hospital 4+ times a year (usually for days at a time), often via resus (requiring a lot of meds in a&e to stabilise them each time, such as IV hydrocortisone and magnesium as well as b2b and regular nebs).

For example, I have severe/brittle asthma, and in the last year have had 10 admissions (about 40-50days in hospital in total), this is despite; Benralizumab injections, relvar 184, spiriva, azithromycin, prednisolone (40-10mg), famitodine, fexofenadine 180, avamys, cerelle, carbocisteine plus salbutamol via pump and nebuliser if needed. All these drugs are to try and either control my asthma or prevent triggers. The last year was a good year for me, and I know there are a lot worse out there.

Please can you stop diagnosing people with brittle/severe asthma, when they’re on their first attack. Any asthmatic can have severe asthma attacks and be admitted (esp with chest infections etc, but also other triggers, plus non-adherence to their med regime) but not everyone who goes to hospital has brittle asthma. Type 1/2 brittle (other than being an old fashioned description) also describes the ‘style’ you’re attack comes in... fast and hard (I have a friend who can go from ‘fine’ to tubed in about 30secs but luckily this so far has only happened when she’d already got help) or slow and steady spirals (it builds up for days/weeks but nothing you can do stops it). You can’t tell which type someone is just from ‘I’m in hospital’

Also the discharge criteria for asthma isn’t ‘100% better’. Most hospitals want you to be off nebs for 24hrs with PF >75%, as the final part of recovery is meant to be at home. Most people cope with this discharge criteria well so long as they take recovery time at home. For any condition you are expected to finish recovery at home, and most people will only be readmitted if they didn’t manage the discharge criteria appropriately or they didn’t finish off recovery.

Throwing around terms like brittle or severe when they aren’t appropriate are going to scare people because often it’s a life-limiting condition either in terms of length or what you can do (many are unable to work etc).

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador]

Yes steroids can do funky things to periods. Prednisolone (or its alternatives) is a ‘fake’ hormone and it’s that which can affect cycles I think. When I’m on high dose/hydrocortisone therapy my periods are usually a lot more frequent, and a lot heavier.

Hope that helps and that you feel better soon

[Skyblue1202 in reply to EmmaF91]

Thanks.

[twinkly29 in reply to Skyblue1202]

Same here. No particular pattern to how they get screwed up but it finds a way somehow!

[Skyblue1202 in reply to twinkly29]

Yeah I have pcos so not had one for a long time. I'm sure it's down to the pred but will let them do the tests they need to do