no wheeze

[GGchar]

I feel like the nurse isn’t listening! My daughters asthma has gradually been getting worse since Friday and taking Ventolin daily. Oxygen been around 95. Usual peek around 360 today was 220. She’s complaining of being tight but the nurse said there’s no wheeze and oxygens at 96 when at doctors so there’s nothing I can do. Just try to take your pink inhaler in replacement of 10 puffs of blue. But I can tell she’s getting worse. She has in the past not had a wheeze but suffeeing! I know in the next few days I will be back because she has got worse because they didn’t give her steroids today. Is a wheeze the only sign they are interested in 😫

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

Ugh this is actively dangerous - this nurse doesn't seem to understand asthma and is just ignoring all the signs your daughter is getting worse and just relying on two signs which aren't even necessary for asthma! The nurse shouldn't be relying on the oxygen sats reading either, it doesn't mean no asthma if it's good. I can't remember if I shared this with you before - I'm not aiming it at you, but it may help to have on hand when you call the surgery so you an point out that it doesn't matter if her sats are 96, she still needs treatment for asthma: healthunlocked.com/asthmauk...

I think you might need to call back and insist on seeing someone else urgently, maybe a GP. And possibly put in a complaint to the practice manager once things are resolved. This nurse's lack of knowledge is really dangerous and I would be saying it's not good enough and the practice needs to be providing proper asthma education/staff training.

Is your daughter even supposed to take the pink inhaler (Fostair) as a reliever (MART - maintenance and reliever treatment)? That can be an option as you probably know, but if it is then both you and your daughter should already have been told what to do -and while I'm not sure how old your daughter is, MART is mostly used for adults: asthma.org.uk/symptoms-test....

I'm not clear on whether this nurse is just saying to take the pink as an alternative to Ventolin just because your daughter has been using a lot of Ventolin, or if taking the pink is already something she has the option for. This link might help if your daughter is on MART: asthma.org.uk/symptoms-test...

Also this from the same page if you need to get assertive with them:

Contact your doctor, nurse or other healthcare professional if

-you need to use the maximum daily dose of your MART inhaler and your symptoms are not improving or

-you’re regularly using extra doses of your MART inhaler most days or

-you’re worried about your asthma.

Obviously if your daughter gets worse tonight (any of these: can't speak, eat or sleep, can't talk in full sentences, no reliever is working, sats or peak flow drop significantly [though don't wait for that to happen]) then take her to A&E/call an ambulance. If she's not at that level, you may also find it helpful to call the asthma nurse helpline as well as the GP practice tomorrow morning, as they can often advise on how to approach your GP if they're not being helpful and what to do: 0300 2225800 or WhatsApp [phone] Monday-Friday 0915-5pm

Apologies if you already know all this by the way, including the emergency advice - you may well know what to do already, but I thought I'd put it in just in case.

[Homely2 Administrator]

Handling an unresponsive doctor or nurse is difficult.

So ring asthma UK helpline, they will help you with the correct things to say.

I often quote my asthma plan at them, because that sets it all out.

[peege]

Something my daughter learnt the hard way when advocating for her asthmatic child : you must wait 30 seconds between each individual puff of the same inhaler. Sounds weird but they contain propellant (like any aerosols). Not waiting means you get mostly propellant for 2nd & subsequent puffs. NB if a powder inhaler ignore this. P