Good evening all. I'm here posting on behalf of my Wife who has had very mild asthma since 2013 which has took a real bad turn in the last 18 months. We are looking for a private appointment in the North West, preferably Manchester University Hospital (Wythenshawe). She has been to A&E 3 times in the last 6 months and we're now at a loss with the constant proscribing of steroids and swapping inhalers. She is in with the Asthma nurse and GP, but things aren't getting better and we just want to see an expert.
My wife will be joining the when she feels in better shape and will give a more detailed overview of her case, but if anyone could advise on a good constultant to see then that would be amazing.
Hope you can help and many thanks in advance.
G
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Breatheasier
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Sorry I cant give you the information you are looking for. Has your wife asked the Gp to to refer her to a respiratory consultants ?I know from my own experience it took a considerable length of time to get a combination of inhalers/ tablets etc to keep my asthma at a manageable level.
Maybe call the help line and the nurses could give you some advice. I hope your wife gets the help she needs soon.
I feel the same about my diagnosis, I have recently discovered that during menopause the drying of mucus membranes is not selective and whist they bang on about virginal atrophy fall9 oestrogen can affect ALL mucus membranes which includeseyes nose sinuses and lungs, I am planning to see a menopause specialist and cut out my gp as there knowledge on such matters is lacking and I am 51 and it can’t be coincidence that these all affect me at a certain age!!! May be worth a look if your wife is in the 40+ age group and conventional asthma treatment is not working, mine helps a bit but it never seems under control and started in my 40’s covid was just convenient in my opinion for them to suggest it had damaged my lungs as I never suffer breathing difficulties during my times being covid positive!!
I'm afraid I cannot advise on consultants but I would advise on trying to remain calm. It sounds as though both of you are getting worked up about the situation and the stress and anxiety may well be making your wife's condition worse. Stress and anxiety are both well known triggers for asthmatics and if you can get that out of the equation it is possible that her condition will improve and will allow any new (less than 3 months) inhalers to work.
It's not easy but try to do thinks to distract your minds from the asthma.
Sorry to hear your wife has been suffering for so long. The asthma nurses helpline really is amazing and it's worth keeping in touch with them for advice. I have been through periods where it has taken months for my asthma to calm down following a flare (once had 6months of high dose antibiotics and prednisolone). It really does take time for lungs to heal. Working out triggers helps too. As Headcase mentioned if your wife is 40+ then don't rule out the role of hormones. My asthma is much more stable since starting Hrt. I hope she gets the help she needs soon.
Hi, I do feel for your wife, many of us have been in this position as it can take a while to get the right help and the right medication for her. What suits one may not suit another. My asthma also took a downturn 2009, 5 x pneumonia endless infections with antibiotics it wasn't until 2013 that I saw a consultant at a London University hospital.
It's a massive learning curve really, if I'd known then what I know now I'd have paid as well.
The hospital you mention will have a website, look up the respiratory consultants and their specialities. There are variations with asthma and other lung diseases so I'm sure you're doing the right thing. Hopefully once your wife has had thorough allergy testing, a full lung function test and a correct diagnosis (this is what I had in 2013, may be different now) she ca be transferred to NHS.
It's a good idea to give the helpline a call - 0300 222 5800 Mon to Fri 9 to 5 - or copy and paste your above post to their WhatsApp number (on this page). There's also the 'Related Posts ' section on this page to read of others experiences while you're waiting.
The Manchester Infirmary respiratory medicine list of consultants highlights their interests and specialisms. If you don't think this covers your wife's current needs in terms of specialism, have a look at Preston and Dr Aashish Vyas, who lists severe asthma as a specialism and he also undertakes private work.
Dr Vyas was my specialist and believe me i would probably be dead if i was not refered to him he found not just asthma but my my windpipe had been closing up making it worse to breathe sorry if i have a y spelling mistake i just getting over haveing a stroke
Have you tried calling the Asthma UK helpline? They are brilliant, and might be able to advise you on the best way forward.
It can take a while to get the right balance of medication when your symptoms worsen, especially as it takes several weeks before you can gauge the full effect of an inhaler, but try not to get discouraged - you will get there in the end.
This sounds so hard but unfortunately as you will see in this community, this kind of sudden decline is not uncommon. What inhalers has she tried? Is she on a biologic? Did she recently have covid? I had covid six weeks ago and my asthma is still wretched, I'm using my nebulizer a ton and I've been on two courses of pred in a month.
Hi G. I don't know of good private consultants in your area but just wanted to say I do know how awful and worrying all this is right now. They are likely to hit on the right combination of meds to help her but you have to try different ones to see if they do help. Once you know what works and does not work you can control it a lot more. Write it down... how many days she is on prednisolone and take her peak flow daily/every few hours to see if there is an improvement, same with different inhalers (and use a big spacer), montelukast, theophylline, antibiotics (if a chest infection... asthma nurse/GP can listen to the chest) and if your wife's asthma is considered bad and enduring then biologics are sheer magic for a lot of asthmatics. I am glad you are taking this seriously as not breathing is serious! If she is struggling keep going to A&E and don't take the triage nurses word as fact.. they often look at the oxygen level and then when the Dr listens to your chest he/she realises that it is very bad. A&E Dr will put her on a nebuliser which gets the Ventolin in quicker plus liquid steroids. Might also be worth considering any changes that trigger her asthma too and make it worse than it has been in the past...I am allergic to cats and cannot breath when near them, also feather pillows and duvets, going from a hot environment to a cold or vice versa. Let us know how you get on.
I’m sorry that your wife is struggling at the moment. I am not in your neck of the woods but I found I was getting worse just being under the care of the asthma nurses and GPs at my surgery so after struggling all my life with symptoms that I was repeatedly told that I was “on the best package of treatment “ for, I paid for a private consultation at the Royal Brompton. I saw Professor Hull who got to the crux of the matter immediately and changed everything and this changed my life. I would say it’s the best money I ever spent. After the initial appointment with Professor Hull, I was added to his NHS list and I have had excellent care since. I still have asthma but I can get on with life and enjoy things now which is to me, amazing. I hope you find a way forward that helps your wife soon and relieves some of your worries and stress.
I agree that it sounds as though a respiratory specialist is a good idea. However, do realise that if you are self pay the specialist will want a lot of tests done, and these are expensive. If you have healthcare insurance and your wife's asthma is included then great. But you will end up spending perhaps a couple of thousand pounds on tests if not. And the tests are important and if you choose not to have them you won't get the best from your private consultation.
Obviously I don't know your wife's circumstances but it is worth preparing in advance for any specialist appointment. Persuade her to keep an asthma diary if she doesn't already. Peak Flow measurements every day. (Map them in an ap). Home spirometry if you have one. Write down how much Ventolin you are using a day, and if you wake at night and any other possible symptoms. (Its also worth noting any allergy symptoms, Post nasal drip, and Acid reflux as well, all these things can have an impact on some peoples asthma.) This is really helpful in any consultation as it is really hard to remember say " how many times you woke up coughing in the last month" Make sure that the asthma nurse at your G/P's has checked that she is using inhalers correctly. Different inhalers have different instructions, it's amazing how often this is not checked. If she is using a lot of ventolin or Meter dose inhalers, use a spacer. Spacers make a fantastic difference.
Also if your wife has been to A&E twice with asthma in the last few months she should be referred and she can ask for a referral from your GP's. Phone the asthma UK helpline nurses they are incredibly helpful in advice they give about how to negotiate G/P's and asthma nurses.
I am sad to hear about your wife’s condition and can totally sympathise how devestating it is to get asthma under control once in this condition… my daughter was experiencing daily attacks needing salbutamol every hour to 4 hourly 10 puffs along with preds weekly after a major attack… my advise would be to keep an eye if inhalers aren’t working that’s when it’s dangerous when she’s having the exacerbation.. also find the trigger .. she was having more inhaler requirement with activity any little bit of walk which was making her worse and causing more exacerbation even using the toilet.. I think though main cause is hormones as she’s a teenager and it’s gotten worse since 11 but Jo doubt it’s severe
Although I have had very bad experience with Royal Brompton paeds but they are known as best … I am not sure whether the adults or paeds come under different ratings… I can’t suggest you name for adult consultant but as one reply suggests to try also you should try to get private appointment and then you will get added to nhs list to make things quicker and your GP can really play a vital role by pushing for secondary or tertiary…after each admission send them letters again and again … you can check the guidelines which they never followed in my diggers case but it’s worthwhile as I didn’t know before you can always remind them to follow the procedure which makes them a bit wary of their time limit …. hope and pray she gets better soon
Hello and welcome to the forum. Is Yr wife using a spacer device eg aerochamber, with her inhaler? They're available on prescription.Tell her to inhale deep& slow so the medication gets ito the lungs better..its her choice but maybe worth taKing a daily antihistamine as many of us allergies too.
If she has nose_/ sinus probs also mention to Dr.if she has heartburn, that needs treating as can also cause problems.gd luck x
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