Updated health

[Naturesvalley]

Just had a review with my respiratory consultant and they are happy that the azithromycin and montelukast combination are working. So will be on that over the winter months. My peak flows have increased slightly which is also good news. I am tolerating the fostair 200/6 so will be on that long term.

Will review azithromycin in march and maybe take me off for a period to see if I can cope.

Just had a cold which turned into a chest infection but it took longer than normal to go to my chest even though I did eventually need antibiotics and a dose of steroids..not had to use my ventolin as much during this episode so things are definitely looking better.

Just had my booster vaccine as been deemed at risk by the nhs and by my gp.

[DollyDutchGirl]

So sorry to read that you are having problems and truly hope that things will improve very rapidly for you. Azithromycin is an antibiotic that’s widely used to treat chest infections such as pneumonia, infections of the nose and throat such as sinus infection (sinusitis), - and also for skin infections, Montelukast is a medication used in the maintenance treatment of asthma. It is generally less preferred for this use than inhaled corticosteroids. However, it’s not useful for acute asthma attacks. Has your consultant suggested Carbocisteine capsules - which are very good at helping to clear the mucus and general gunk from your lungs and airways?? In an effort to reduce me needing so much prednisone (steroids), my consultant recommended that I use Fostair 200/6 as MART - (2xpuffs am and pm and upto 4 more inhalations throughout the day) but - to ensure that each Fostair inhalation was immediately preceded by equal inhalations of Ventolin. She felt that this method was far better at getting the steroids directly to the lungs rather than always needing to take prednisone that has to pass through all the bodies organs before it got to the lungs. Kind of made sense really. I also still need Montelukast, Carbocisteine, Spiriva and Omeprazole. However, I do still occasionally need the extra help from a one or two week course of Prednisone so, I always have a couple of packs on hand for any emergency. They are part of my repeat prescriptions - as the consultant and my GP know that I only use them if things can’t be shifted along. Fortunately they trust my self knowledge of my body - and that if I need any more help, I know what to do. Everyone is very different and, a good consultant will (hopefully) treat everyone as an individual - tailoring combinations of asthma meds to meet each patient’s requirements. Kindest wishes for a speedy recovery and to getting your asthma more manageable.