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Asthma attack and chest infection

elanaoali profile image
16 Replies

Tuesday my asthma started to flare-up with drop in my peak flow 350/500 and I was really tired. So I started my rescue steriods and regular salamol every 4 hours and I hope that this would calm my asthma. Wednesday I had a telephone consultation with a doctor. I was coughing every time I excerted mysef in any way. He thought I had a secondary infection after the cold I had the week before. Wednesday night I had an asthma attack so following my asthma plan I got a face to face appointment with my own doctor. I felt absolutely rubbish and tight chested. The doctor checked me over and I lot of crackles in my left lung and few in my right lung. Diagnosed me with a chest infection and gave me 7 days of antibiotics. Selpt much better last night. I still doing regular salamol every 4 hours and my chest is not as tight. Coughing less just really tired.

Any tips or advice on recovering from a chest infection with asthma?

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elanaoali profile image
elanaoali
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16 Replies
Chip_y2kuk profile image
Chip_y2kuk

The best advice is.... take it easy... don't overdo it... being tired is your body's way of saying take a break (and if you have a nap so be it)

peege profile image
peege

Stay in, stay warm, drink plenty of warm fluids, do breathing exercises for your airways when you can - all stuff I'm sure you already know. I'm very glad you're able to see your doctor but don't hesitate to contact him/her if not hugely improved by next Thursday so you can get another week of antibiotics, a week is never enough for me. Personally in the same situation I take warm water with lemon & honey as part of my fluids and also a large glass of effervescent vitamin c 1000mg up to twice per day to boost immunity and fight infection. I'd like to up my Carbocysteine to thrice daily but I can't as only ever px 28 days worth so there's no extra🙄. I'm going to add your method of ventolin/salamol every 4 hours to my repertoire for my next exacerbation, setting up a timer!

Good luck and I hope you recover well. Peege

Chip_y2kuk profile image
Chip_y2kuk in reply to peege

Can you not order them early? .... my prescription is 4-6 a day .... now most of the time it's 4 a day but occasionally I need 6 for a few weeks so my normal prescription only lasts 2 weeks ... I just order them early and have never had it questioned

peege profile image
peege in reply to Chip_y2kuk

I wish Chip. My practice are swines , very strict about allowing early ordering. They just hold meds back until their specific date comes up. I've just ordered my prophylactic Azithromycin for the winter, I'm not an anxious person but won't relax until I've got them because I don't trust them not to pull a fast one 🙄

Chip_y2kuk profile image
Chip_y2kuk in reply to peege

That's not good and to be honest I'm glad my doctors isn't like that I sometimes use extra fostair so it doesn't last a month ..... if I couldn't order when I needed it would mean having to get an appointment every time I needed more

peege profile image
peege in reply to Chip_y2kuk

As I use less Fostair over the summer I've managed over the years to build up to having a few in hand just in case........however, I'm going to put in my two monthly order in right now as it'll be just a few days early & see what happens 🤞 I use the NHS app.

elanaoali profile image
elanaoali

I have just remembered that my doctor said it would take 1 1/2 day for the antibiotics to stop the chest infection getting worse. Then the antibiotics would start making it better. Thanks for the advice. I have the weekend to rest then hopefully back to work.

Patk1 profile image
Patk1

Sounds like Yr doing everything right .ru on montelukast x

Thomas45 profile image
Thomas45

3 weeks ago I caught a cold, the first one since before the Pandemic. After a week it had obviously become a chest infection, so saw a nurse practitioner, prescribed prednisolone and antibiotics. By the end of the course of tablets I felt fine, but the coughing continued. Coughing up clear mucus Then it became opaque white mucus, and the last three bits are light green with specks of blood, so for me a quiet weekend. I have already increased the Salamol and the preventer inhaler (Duoresp Spiromax 320/9), hot drinks, keeping warm, back in bed reading and sleeping. My main meal is in the slow cooker.

Tomorrow afternoon I can fill in an online form which hopefully will get me a face to face appointment on Monday.

Chip_y2kuk profile image
Chip_y2kuk in reply to Thomas45

Be careful with coughing up blood, its either damage to the flap in your airways (common in coughing), early pneumonia/serious infection, or some other airway damage from coughing which makes it easier to get an infection

So please if your no better or getting worse don't wait for a doctors appointment on Monday

Thomas45 profile image
Thomas45 in reply to Chip_y2kuk

I wasn't ill enough for A&E, out of hours at the weekend can take ages, so waited until today. Saw a doctor this morning, now on another course of antibiotics.

Thomas45 profile image
Thomas45 in reply to Chip_y2kuk

I wasn't ill enough for A&E, out of hours at the weekend can take ages, so waited until today. Saw a doctor this morning, now on another course of antibiotics.

Babyboy12 profile image
Babyboy12

Hello good afternoon elanacali I myself have asthma and brnotisisis and when I get infections my doctor gives me two weeks of antibiotics as that's what the hospital told them to do. I have been on antibiotics for two weeks now as when the cold weather starts I get lots of infections. Maybe speak to your doctor when you have them to see if they can put you on two weeks. I hope you feeling better now xx

elanaoali profile image
elanaoali

Hi all asthma flared again and I had an asthma attack in wee ours of the morning last night. A trip to A&E in an ambulance. In 6 hours I had three ECG, two blood test and chest xray. Xray shows some infection in my left lung. Now on 3 more days of antibiotics and 3 more days of steriods. I been told to go back and see my doctors in the next 24/48hours. So I going back to my doctors tomorrow.

Thank you Nhs you were amazing again today.

Babyboy12 profile image
Babyboy12 in reply to elanaoali

Hello good morning I hope you feel better soon. Please let us know how you get on at the doctors

elanaoali profile image
elanaoali

Hi feeling much better I finished my course of antibiotics and steriods. I went back to work today.

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