Covid and Asthma

[Homely2]

I am on day 7 of covid. It lowers my peak flow by 30 percent or so and makes me routinely breathless.

The thing that gets me is that any asthma triggers then take my breathing very quickly into dangerous territory.

So I am a bit confined to no activity, very irritating.

[beech]

I hate that vulnerability, that it doesn’t take a great problem to stop me being able to do my normal activities, and to then take some weeks to get back my strength and into normal breathing condition again. So frustrating 🙄. I hope you rally soon 🙂

[Troilus]

Have you spoken to your GP about this? If not I would get in touch as soon as possible. (They still do home visits). Maybe a course of prednisone is needed or if you have had one maybe another - I don’t know, not a medic- but that is what I would go fishing for

[Homely2 Administrator in reply to Troilus]

I have had five weeks worth of pred in the last three months. The consultant wants to refer me to a severe asthma Centre, that is in area, but says he cannot until he does my spirometry again. He says that I cannot have my spirometry done again until I have not taken pred for three months, so the spirometry gives a clear picture.

So I am sitting tight and just avoiding asthma triggers, until this covid leaves me.

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Homely2]

That doesn't sound right at all! Plenty of people are referred to severe asthma centres without spirometry - they'll do their own there. And plenty of people are also referred, appropriately, when they can't get off pred or have had a lot of short courses. (NB have edited this a bit as I misread your reply above slightly, thinking you were talking about GP to cons not cons to tertiary).

I'm not convinced your GP (edit, just re-read, your CONSULTANT!) really knows what the criteria for referral are or how asthma works. I'd suggest pushing him on this. I tried to find something on the Asthma and Lung UK website but didn't see anything current. You may find this helpful though (written for GPs, not patients, but still relevant to a consultant potentially to understand that spirometry isn't necessarily needed if he's considering a more specialist referral): pcrs-uk.org/resource/trigge...

It includes this list - absolutely nothing about waiting to do spirometry or to be off pred.

A patient should be referred for specialist review when:

• The diagnosis of asthma is unclear

• Their asthma remains poorly controlled despite optimal treatment with, and adherence to, medications readily available in primary care

• Occupational asthma is suspected

• The patient has received ≥2 courses of OCS for exacerbations in the past year

• The patient has received more than 12 reliever inhalers in a year (and the amount does not look like reducing)7,19

• The patient has experienced a severe/life-threatening asthma attack, attended the Emergency Department or been hospitalised with asthma in the last year7,19

You could also call the asthma nurses and discuss how to approach this with your consultant: 0300 2225800 or WhatsApp [phone] Monday-Friday 0915-5pm. I actually misread your consultant as your GP, apologies - I wonder if your GP could do a direct referral?

Hope you don't have much longer to go with the COVID and feel better soon! You may need to remind your consultant, and others, that you were already struggling before you caught it so they don't try to blame everything on COVID.

[eleanordigby in reply to Lysistrata]

Great advice, if I may say so! I don’t think Homely2’s GP understands severe asthma at all!

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to eleanordigby]

Thanks! I just realised I misread it so have edited - it seems it's the consultant who doesn't understand! I wish I were more surprised by this, but I've met too many who don't (mine is meant to be an asthma specialist and he appears to struggle with asthma being variable...).

[eleanordigby in reply to Lysistrata]

Oh yes, I’d missed that detail too! Good grief, how likely is it that a severe asthmatic could go 3 months without any pred?? If poor Homely could do that he probably wouldn’t need referral to a severe asthma unit! It’s a classic catch-22 scenario, if you ask me

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to eleanordigby]

Yes I was thinking that! I mean I can now, but only because it doesn't work for me and I'm not having admission level flares where I might get it (nothing to do with my asthma team mind you).

Learning that re pred has been one of the few useful things the severe asthma unit has done for me - I definitely couldn't have done it before. And couldn't do it now if I kept having admissions/flares like Homely is. Does the cons want him to just not get pred when he needs it??

[ReedB]

Sorry to hear you've caught Covid, Homely2. I hope things improve for you soon! It does sound like it may be beneficial to ask to be referred. As the others have said you don't need to have done spirometry.

I am finally weaning off the pred from having had Covid first week of January. It hasn't been at all easy so don't struggle unnecessary.

I hope you have some good entertainment while you're stationary.

[Spikedog66]

I did absolutely nothing for a week with covid, vomiting and headache and flu like symptoms didn't effect my chest until clear but coughed none stop since September with thrown in terrible breathlessness. I'm unable to take pred so just hoping it will eventually go. Practice nurse referred me back to hospital it'll be 18 months like the last time then a phone appointment. Im sorry for rant just hope you recover soon. You can have investigation whatever you are on they evaluate results according.

[TheWelshWriter in reply to Spikedog66]

This sounds like a knightmare for you. I hope it resolves fast or that you get a treatment that works for you.

[Homely2 Administrator]

Thank you all for your very interesting thoughts, I will have a ponder re my next action, when my brain is working clearly.