Asthma Reviews

[Loulou9000]

Hi I haven’t posted in awhile caught Covid a few weeks ago I was very lucky, I was Ok for a week then started to feel it moving onto my chest. A course of antibiotics and steroids hit the infection on the head and it didn’t upset my Asthma and I am recovering well!

Sadly me contacting the Dr must have pinged up I was due an Asthma Review. Just had it now, is it just Asthmatics that are treated so disrespectful and patronised? Same conversation each time, why I should take more harmful side effect medication so they can tick their salbutamol quota box and why I won’t agree to taking such medication without any evidence of increase of escalation, investigation or clinical tests regarding my so called out of control asthma. Patronised how to take my inhalers regardless of 50+ years of experience living with Asthma!

When is the Asthma review going to be reviewed to improve it from a silly tick box exercise where over the phone decisions like control or lack of control can be decided without examination, tests or history. Medications withdrawn or added (or tried to be added) on a whim of ‘well you take more than 3 reliever inhalers a year so you are out of control and at serious risk of death’ scare mongering by somebody who is designated as the asthma nurse due to attending an asthma course. When will we get what we deserve, working with Medical professionals together to find the best treatment outcomes for the uniqueness of the patient’s Asthma and sling the tick box dictatorship arrogance of the surgery Asthma nurse and their questionnaire into the NHS failure heap of useless bureaucracy? Rant over thank you for reading!

[Pipsqueak77]

Hi Loulou9000

I couldn’t agree more…!

I have not attended an asthma review at my surgery for several years because of many of the reasons that you commented on.

It is very frustrating when you know more than the ‘so called expert’ sat opposite you and they refuse to listen.

The thing that annoys me more though is that GP surgeries get good money for carrying out reviews..( that’s the only reason they ever contact me!!🤔) so you would have thought they could at least plough some of this cash into better training!

All of this said… my hospital nurses are fairly good but just don’t have the time to listen so there are well trained nurses out there!

Sorry I don’t have any great answers but I also hope that this tick box attitude towards asthmatics ends asap. Alongside prescription charges for a chronic illness….? But that’s another story….. xx😆😬

Take care👍😊

[Loulou9000 in reply to Pipsqueak77]

Thank you Pipsqueak77 for taking the time to reply! I was soo frustrated I had to rant somewhere! It is a crazy pointless exercise. I wouldn’t participate, I didn’t for years, until I was told they would stop my repeat prescription if I didn’t attend! I then would book and waste Dr time to request a prescription each month but then after a few months got told I needed to attend the dictatorship review to get medication!

The whole thing is stressful never get the same person twice but the conversation is always the same of cloned Asthma nurses. Oh and don’t get me started on the stupid Asthma plan, i have never in all my years been asked for it (refused to do one, but not the point) from any health professional ever!

I have another chronic illness and the treatment is soo different, no nurse review, intelligent collaboration with Dr and myself to agree on a treatment plan. No stupid reviews or plans that nobody reads or even asks for.

[Pipsqueak77 in reply to Loulou9000]

No worries… it’s good to rant sometimes!😊

[Itswonderful]

Tell me about it!

[Ts777]

Last time I had one it wasn't even a asthma nurse that did it. Now a nursing assistant does it!!

The whole thing is a waste of time. For me it's downright disrespectful bureaucracy

[frose]

Well said!

[Maltesemama]

Hi Loulou, I too am an asthmatic who is a week over Covid. I think we dodged a major bullet! I did have an ER flare up with asthma one night. I’m using my breathing machine twice a day followed by a little device called Kan Breathe. I exhale into it and it loosens chest phlegm which I can cough up. Seems there is still stuff down there, takes awhile to get all that Covid junk out, so keep coughing to Rid yourself of it. Doc says the cough, productive or not, is the last thing to go. Good luck you’ll b fine. PSs do you tire easily? Ling

[Loulou9000 in reply to Maltesemama]

Hi Maltesemama Sorry you have been unwell with Covid too. I am much better thank you but yes still battling with fatigue. I have worse chest infections in the past and can only think the vaccinations played there part. I hope you feel better soon xx

[Merryroundabout]

Ha! Not just come thinking that then. I’m back seeing the asthma nurse (fortnightly at present) for the first time since 2018 because I had a flare 2 weeks after testing positive for Covid - and Asthma Lung U.K. nurse advised getting Pred from my GP (it being Friday) as a standby. That’s another story. I’m a lifelong asthmatic. I got told off for not having an annual review (my previous GP used to write annually to remind me & it was essential to get my prescription). I was given a long explanation, with diagrams, of how the lungs work and what asthma is which I felt was condescending. My PF even now is considerably better than it should be for my age, height weight etc, and she’s curious what in my lifestyle has caused that. Personally I’m very sceptical that inhaled steroids have no systematic effect and it took me a long while to agree to taking my preventer twice a day instead of once. I bruise for the slightest reason these days particularly my fingers, and my osteopenia has deteriorated despite my doing all the right things, I’m very wary of increasing my meds unnecessarily. To be fair she was probably aggrieved that I’d gone to Asthma U.K. instead of her, but my daughter had been told by the surgery that getting an asthma nurse review was next to impossible and I thought they’d be more in touch with the current Covid trend. Our 2nd meeting was more of a two-way discussion and she has given me some good suggestions to get back to my normal, and I think will seriously consider whether I need a combined bronchodilator/preventer - it was prescribed in 2018 because despite being on Qvar I’d occasionally used my Ventolin plus I was complaining of a sore throat and horse voice (despite rinsing, gargling and yogurt).