Peak Flow

[Richie527]

Hi 👋 I am new and have left an intro thread. I am also newly diagnosed.

Thank to those who kindly replied to my thread.

I am using an app called PEFLog on my phone. Here is a screen shot of some of my readings for the club members here who are clued up.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

Hi, I use this app too. I like the fact it shows variation as well as the peak flow numbers themselves.

Do you have any particular questions about what this shows? Obviously I'm not a Dr but is consistent with what I know about asthma patterns: average daily variation more than 20% and a strong response to reliever medication. It looks like a mountain range which is fairly classic with asthma that isn't controlled.

With preventer medication working you should be seeing much less variation, mostly in green zone and less need for reliever meds. It should start to look much flatter and less mountainous.

I notice you're using your best peak flow (700) for the zones rather than predicted/reference value, which is great and how it should be used - always better to use the best when you know it.

Hope this helps. If you wanted to chat it through with the AUK nurses for an expert opinion, they have a WhatsApp chat number where you could share this - 07378 606728 (Mon-Fri 9-5 like the helpline).

[Richie527 in reply to Lysistrata]

I’m hoping this Seretide will work soon. I have had a bit of a rubbish time last few days. Saturday especially. And given I started the Seretide last Saturday I am sort of disappointed nothing seems to have happened. It’s like watching a pot boil.

After about 20 minutes after Ventolin I can get quite high numbers, hence the best effort number. I had to Google what that was about, but it’s a lot of effort but then a couple of hours later it’s all dropped back again.

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador]

Hi

It may be worth asking about having a short course of steroids just to help things settle. Your lungs are obviously irritated at the moment and you’re having basically nightly issues. A short course of pred should calm that down and then make it quicker for the inhaler to kick in (or for you to tell if it’s not working properly).

Just an idea to maybe discuss esp if you’re finding things aren’t improving. And I know it’s already been suggested but contact AUK and discuss things through with them. They are great

[Paradigm]

Hi, just wondering if it has a facility to track ventolin intake. My current app is a bit rubbish, but my preferred one started charging to export data.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Paradigm]

I use this app too -it does, but it's a bit annoying in how it shows it IMO. If you look at Richie's chart, there are crosses along the bottom to show Ventolin use, and at the top (hard to see) there are orange lines showing pre-post readings. The 'Bronchodilatation' text at the top shows average values for pre-post reliever.

I like the rest of the app but personally don't think this bit is as good as it could be, and I don't think it's easy to see. I did raise this with the developer as it's a feature I like to use but he insisted it was better this way.

I also think it could do with a colour code to show if a daily reading was close to Ventolin use, but again he didn't agree and said you could track that on the orange lines for pre-post Ventolin. I actually think those are two different things (deliberately tracking pre and post vs indicating if a reading may have been affected by recent reliever use).

I also find it irritating that I can't get it to show anything between 4 weeks and 1 year -so I can't say, show me the last 2 months or whatever. It has show 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks then 1 year.

Sorry...I get very nerdy about apps lol. I am still in search of the perfect one - this is the best I have found so far and I haven't yet shown it to my consultant/AN. I should add it is not a free app but it's about £2 and you only pay once, not to export data.

[Paradigm in reply to Lysistrata]

Ah, yes. I agree with you. My most recent subpar choice was picked out of exasperation that nothing seems to work.

I wish my asthma simply was down in the morning and up at 4pm like a normal al asthmatic!

[Richie527]

Yes I think it does. I tried it. There’s an option for 15 minutes after medication.

For me I see an improvement after VENTOLIN but it doesn’t last. A bit like taking a pain killer I guess that wears off.