Asthma attack recovery

[kawaiicheater]

Recently I was told my childhood asthma is back and this was diagnosed due too an asthma attack that left me in hospital for 4 days.

It has really been stressful as my asthma attack was about a month ago and I don’t feel much better. Still coughing a lot, wheezing, tired and short of breath. I was taking prednisolone at the start and I’m still taking all my inhalers as prescribed, but I only get the occasional day or two of relief.

I was wondering if anyone else experienced something similar or could give me some advice. Im not sure if this is normal following an asthma attack as I never had one before.

[Homely2 Administrator]

Ring the asthma UK helpline and chat through with a nurse.

Inhalers can take up to two months to bed in fully, but you should have some relief by now. So I would go and see your medic, also get them to make sure you are using your inhalers correctly.

With my gp surgery I go to see the asthma nurse who is better than the GPS.

[peege]

Correct use of inhalers is vital, if you go to the websites of your particular inhalers you'll find demonstration videos. I know to my cost that I used Seretide wrongly for 3 years with the result of course that asthma was uncontrolled and I got very poorly. If your inhalers are of the spray type (as apposed to powdered ones) using a spacer attached ensures you get a good dose of the medication, more than if not using one.

As Homely says, it can take a while for the inhalers to kick in completely. Take them as prescribed regularly, I take the blue reliever one before exercise or exertion to keep the airways open. There's a lot to learn when you're re-diagnosed with asthma as an adult. For instance breathing exercises help, pursed lip breathing and deep diaphragm breathing - see youtube. Good luck

[Gareth57]

just a thought, but could your asthma have come back due to a seasonal allergy which could be why it's taking a while to control? Maybe call the AUK helpline or your doctor/asthma nurse and see if it is worth taking an antihistamine. I can be well controlled for large parts of the year and then suddenly have an attack due to pollen or spores!

[GreyGasp]

Whilst there is always a place for a medical solution, the first step should always be to look for the cause and try to remove it from your environment. Try to maintain a clean, warm home to eliminate mould spores. Don't smoke. Pet dander and dust mites are home for dust mites - avoid sharing your home with cats, dogs and feather and fluffy bedding. Hoover carpets and floors; use an air purifier/filter. Exercise is good, but don't dash out for a run on a freezing cold day. If you can avoid the triggers, you can reduce or avoid the medication. But as with most medications, don't stop taking them abruptly and risk a catastrophic event.

I am a scientist, not a medic, but I suffered from severe childhood asthma living in slum quality housing crammed with people, pets, and damp - taking away the causes fixed my asthma symptoms without medication for all my adult life. It is too easy for doctors to overprescribe rather than advise lifestyle changes.

One qualifier to the advice: now in my late seventies and getting breathless when I exercise, my specialist tells me that I didn't cure my asthma - I only learned to live with it. The truth is that I don't know if he is correct, but I am back on the inhalers, which give a significant boost to my breathlessness and "supposedly" will help slow further deterioration.

Hope this helps you with your journey.

[Patk1]

It can take time to recover from being so unwell,especially if triggered by an infection.take it easy + do ring gp if any concerns.if Yr still wheezing etc - ru using salbutamol inhaler often enough.gd advice above to ring the helpline0300 222 5800 xx