Cold air this morning set off my asthma started coughing tight chest etc used my reliver didn't help much decided to go home from work and get in touch with docs to be told "people leave it longer before seeing docs "WHAT
Any advice welcomed gonna try to sort it myself
You have to do what you think is best for you . Your asthma plan should guide you in the possible action you should take. I have an emergency pack so would start with that and contact my GP on the first working day. However if I felt i needed further help I would contact 111.
I hope you feel better soon
Was told by asthma nurse when we made the action plan to ring ASAP if I was struggling after using reliver just to be spoken to like a child by receptionist thankyou for your tip about 111 ill probably be using that later if I don't improve soon
Bit late replying to you but I was told I could use 15 puffs of ventolin at one time. Found out at Christmas that in East Sussex we have community hospitals that are open 7 days a week 365 days a year and if GP cant see you, you can ask to get an appointmentmat Comm. Hosp. Out of hours its via 111. Hope you got some help in the end🤞
Puts me in mind of the line from Singing in the Rain, "People? I ain't people!" Sorry, I can just hear myself saying that to your doctor's receptionist. I usually say, "I'm struggling with my asthma despite following my asthma plan and my plan suggests additional treatment ASAP", or words to that affect. The very mention of asthma guarantees a same day call back from a GP or nurse practitioner, followed by a same day appointment or prescription.
If your GP surgery is triaging asthma patients using a receptionist, it doesn't sound like a safe system. I suspect that the receptionist has no such role though. When you get to speak with your GP I would mention the gatekeeper receptionist and ask what protocols the surgery has for asthmatics as you don't feel confident in being able to access the necessary treatment if the receptionist is going to block you.
In the meantime, if the 111 Service is difficult to access, I would go back to the GP surgery and assert your need for additional same day asthma treatment if your symptoms haven't settled. Good luck.
I think you need to go back to gp surgery and insist on an appointment. Having said which my surgery only really offers same day appointments these days. You have to ring at 08:00 and insist on appointment then.
If you can’t contact surgery today then I think you should phone 111 NOW. Please don’t wait. I tried 111 a couple of weeks ago, for a different reason and was 79 in the queue!! Gave up and called an ambulance because couldn’t wait. 111 could make you an appointment with gp or out of hours doctor etc.
the Asthma lung UK helpline is really helpful. I would call them. Also do you keep an asthma diary of PF as that should Also give you an indication of where you are. Also I would call back the surgery and try to get to speak to the asthma nurse. They can get a prescription for you if you don’t have an emergency pack at home.
Cheers
R
If you like me you are with a gp surgery, with no asthma nurse, only same day appointments and a triaging receptionist who does not accept an asthma attack as a reason to talk to a gp, then you have an issue.
With my gp practice it is only one receptionist who does not accept asthma easily, so you have to try to avoid her.
The bad receptionist simple says, if your asthma is bad then call 999, if your asthma is not bad, then you do not need to talk to a gp.
So ring back and try to speak to sonebody else, it is unlikely all the receptionists are so bad.
Really has put me off ringing docs again for anything thankfully my chest has calmed down alot after resting at home and using reliver
Have you tried being vague about what issue is? Eg I need to speak to my gp about my asthma? If “bad receptionist” is still stalling then I’m afraid I would be making a formal complaint to practice manager. It’s totally unacceptable to be told either phone ambulance or you don’t need to speak to a gp, by an unqualified receptionist. I haven’t had to discuss my COPD/asthma with gp for a long time, but when I did my GPs worked extremely hard to support me without having to go to A&E. They totally understood that my going to hospital put me more at risk due to hospital acquired infections.
That's exactly the response I tend to get from our GP receptionist. I once ended up in bed, using ventolin multiple times a day trying to stay out of A&E while waiting 3 days for an appointment. No wonder A&E is in the state it is if so many receptionists are telling asthma patients to call 999 when what they really need is a same day GP/nurse appointment!
Our local gp practice is in real trouble. They switched to mainly phone appointments a year or so before covid struck. Then when covid struck they stopped using their locums etc and really shut up shop, those locum doctors went elsewhere, so they have been badly short of doctors.
So they now have a local population that they have not looked after properly for a number of years. So each morning they are under seige by some very ill elderly patients, they only offer appointments on the day, so they are just fire fighting. It is quite scary really.
If they do a standard referral to the local hospital lung consultant, the published waiting time last time I looked is 45 weeks.
Good morning to you. I too suffer when the air is cold. I have also found that if the air is too dry. I have an indoor weather station that advises how humid the air is. I often use a humidifier if the numbers are too low. Asthma can be such a challenge at times. Especially the winter months.Kind regards
just getting a bit weezy due to cold air is no reason to contact the doctor. There are things you can do to help yourself. Wear a scarf or mask, acclimatise slowly to temperature changes, learn to breathe calmly, book an appointment and check you are taking the right combination of meds and are using your blue inhaler correctly. If you are doing all the right things you shouldn’t need to use a blue inhaler at all - in fact some consultants do not advise using them at all!!
That's in an ideal world! Most people do need their blue inhalers at some time and consultants that don't advise using them are not being realistic! Also appointments at doctors just for advice are not easy to get. While agreeing mostly with what you say,I don't feel it's achievable.
I was following my action plan that was made at this practice
I would recommend you record your peakflow and oxygen twice daily and if you start to react then increase to hourly - having accurate and timely data and trends is essential so medical support can be targeted correctly. It’s worth noting that in many areas of Europe and the UK salbutamol/ ventolin is no longer prescribed as an immediate reliever. If you do no improve when using it may indeed not be asthma so worth checking for other reasons for breathlessness- many non asthmatic and asthmatic people get breathless for other reasons .
Oxygen sats are not a recommended asthma management tool - they don't necessarily drop even when asthma is bad, and even if they do, that can be long after someone should have already got medical help. Please see this post from the nurses: healthunlocked.com/asthmauk...
Peak flow may or may not be part of Debbie366's plan - it can be really helpful for some, less so for others, and presumably she and her doctor already have this worked out in her plan as to how to monitor her asthma and what triggers her need to contact the surgery. She needs to follow that plan primarily as it was made for her, and if it doesn't work well for her, she needs to address that with her GP or asthma nurse - this forum is not intended to replace medical advice someone is already getting about when to seek help.
It is true that not all breathlessness is asthma, and that if the reliever doesn't help it 's possible it may not be asthma - so I'd agree that it's worth any asthmatic learning good breathing technique and what their asthma 'feels' like and trying breathing exercises as one option. Or knowing when to get help as appropriate, in case the breathlessness is due to a different problem that needs immediate treatment (as acute asthma also does). However, it's an area to be cautious with, as worsening asthma can also stop responding to reliever medication, or it can wear off quickly. It seems that in this case the symptoms have responded to reliever after a bit, but it's still worth Debbie keeping an eye on whether that lasts as further treatment might be needed.
Regardless of whether other countries, or other people, use Ventolin or not, that's not the point here. Absolutely overuse of reliever can be a problem, but primarily because it shows asthma is not controlled for whatever reason. Ideally yes, no one should *need* short-acting reliever inhalers often, and it's best to get as much control as possible with preventer medication. But that doesn't mean people shouldn't take it if they do need it. And sometimes it is unavoidable to use it, and it's very much needed.
It's also always possible Debbie366 is using something else as a reliever - some people get on better with terbutaline (Bricanyl), The choice of reliever, and the type of inhaler it comes in, is in the end also something for the individual to decide with their doctors. Some of my reliever medication options are not 'recommended' but they work for me and are approved by my consultant.
most people know their triggers and how they progress so for some people, cold air triggering symptoms may well be enough to seek medical attention. I think it’s irresponsible to make comments that minimise someone’s concerns and could put them off seeking help when all their instincts to do just that.
Please don't tell people they shouldn't contact their doctor when you don't know the full situation. A reliever inhaler not really helping to get on top of symptoms *is* something to pay attention to and may need medical evaluation. And sometimes you can do all the right things and still need to take reliever, and if that is not working, to seek further medical help. Debbie366 has said she was following her asthma plan that the doctor made, so clearly a medical professional *did* think she needed to contact the doctor in this kind of situation.
As others have said, in an ideal world all asthma would be perfectly controlled and no one would ever need to use their reliever, but that's clearly *not* the case. People encounter triggers, they get infections that throw off their asthma control for a bit, they're trying to get their medication right with medical help and have recently started new medication, or they and their doctor/nurse have realised they need additional medication to try and achieve better control.
You can do everything right and try to minimise triggers, and sometimes asthma will still be triggered and it's beyond your control, even for those with otherwise well-controlled asthma - or it can be a wake-up call that maybe the treatment needs changing. For some of us, it's a day to day reality, as not everyone can achieve asthma control however hard we try to 'do the right thing'.
Debbie366, I'm glad things have calmed down for you but keep an eye on it, especially as you needed a lot of reliever to get there. You might find it all settles down, but if it doesn't, you might need to persist. As others have said, could be worth contacting the asthma nurses: 0300 2225800 or WhatsApp 07378 606 728 Monday-Friday 0915-5pm
wow. I am not from Canada, and do not really know how things work in the UK, but a receptionist shouldn’t be the person to tell you (over the phone) that you don’t need to see the GP. She is not qualified to make that decision. I think it is important to follow your action plan - mine tells me who I need to contact at every step. Asthma can progress quickly, and you need to be on top of it asap. Maybe next time you see your GP, mention this incident and ask what are you suppos d to do in this situation. (Only saying this because I read that your rescue is starting to work and ease up symptoms).
I was in a similar situation on NY Eve, went to A&E and got my preds.
I would go to A&E or urgent care straight away, phone calls to GP offices do not do much for me (and they are only open 8-5-6, asthma happens 24-7). I take all my meds with you and a print the action plan -- official-looking paperwork does magic for me. If I can still drive, I go to a more quiet A&E 30 min away where they are not as stressed out and can see me quicker.
Just want to say a massive thankyou to everyone that taken time to offer advise and help after the initial phone call to doctors its left me not wanting to ring them again but I will if the need arises again
I've put it down to the weather being all over place at mo which is my main trigger yes I do use a scarf over mouth etc I do try to keep my known triggers at bay but sometimes they do still trigger
I follow my action plan to a t at all times and will continue to do today I do feel alot more my normal self health wise hopefully will continue to do so groups like these are a god send and again thankyou to everyone
hello I’m a doctors receptionist and the main reason I applied for the job over 5 years ago is because I wanted to prove to patients that not all gp receptionists are rude and unhelpful. We are given such a bad name but after receiving so many compliments from patients I’m so happy to know that I have achieved what I set out to do
Please phone your doctors again we are fully trained to help all our patients certainly not tell you to go to a and e unless it was an emergency your gp should be the first point of call for your asthma and you should never ever be refused an appointment. Yes we do have to try and triage appointments for patients to use pharmacy’s to get over the counter remedies but that’s only to relieve the pressure on gps so the patients that really need an appointment can get one.
Don’t leave your asthma I too have asthma I had an awful chest infection before Christmas which made my asthma 1000 times worse and after seeing my doctor who put me on anti biotics steroids and a space saver to use with my inhaler I’m almost 100% again. Take care x
My 2 cents, asthma control plan is not cast in stone. Be observant of the triggers and seasonality and experiment the dose of the preventer accordingly.
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