I’m still new to my asthma diagnosis but I don’t know if I should go to hospital or just manage at home a lot. As soon as I get a cold my breathlessness gets quite bad but I just stay in bed if I can but I can’t lay flat so sleeping doesn’t happen Sometimes it doesn’t last past a couple of days. I feel like I’m wasting time by going to the hospital. Sometimes like today I feel pretty rotten and my inhalers are giving me very short bursts of relief.
Any advice?
You would need to discuss this with your doctor or the asthma nurse but over time you will learn how to manage more things yourself by adjusting your medicine when your not well
For example, myself with a cold would go straight to my chest and I have mucus clearance issues... but take medication to breakdown mucus... and that can be increased from twice a day to 3 times a day, I've also got an aerobika to help stop it sitting on my chest and turning into a chest infection.
My kids (9 year old girl and 4 year old boy) end up with an almighty cough so we would start them on ventolin 4x a day and overnight as often as required (there normally worse of a morning and a night) ... if that doesn't work as well as we like both of them can have there preventer increased at least another 2 puffs and most often by that time whatever it is has already run it's course, but failing that it's off to the doctor for a course of prednisolone.
Hi, if you unsure, you could always ring the Asthma team on here as they will gibe you the correct advice moving forward.It does take time getting used to Asthma but in time you will better understand your body and how to deal with colds.
I hope this helps
At this stage, as a newbie, I would say you should see your asthma nurse or doctor at your surgery, for advice on increasing your inhalers or additional treatment if they think that's more effective. You should have an asthma plan, created with your asthma nurse or doctor, that gives you a step by step guide on what to do when your asthma symptoms become worse.
When contacting the surgery, it's important to tell the receptionist that you need to talk with your asthma nurse or doctor the same day as your asthma has worsened/or worsening and may need additional treatment. Ideally, you should be able to secure a same day appointment. That's not always the case, but asthma isn't something that can wait for the next available appointment in a couple of weeks.
The surgery should also have out of hours advice on their website or a recorded message when you phone, advising how to get medical assistance when they're not available.
Over time you'll get to understand how your asthma reacts to various triggers and how to handle these events. I think one of the big hurdles we have is understanding that it's OK to seek medical advice or treatment at an early stage, or repeatedly if a flare up or virus is stubborn to treat.
You can always talk over your concerns with one of the Asthma UK helpline nurses. They're very knowledgeable and helpful. The helpline is open Mon to Fri, 9.15am to 5pm, on 0300 222 5800.
thanks this is all helpful. I don’t actually have. Asthma nurse but I get to talk to the pharmacist which is helpful for my day to day. My issue is when I get sick I don’t know what to do and it being the weekend I have no where I can call and I don’t want a big fuss. I used 8 puffs of my fostair yesterday so I couldn’t use anymore. I had a really bad sleep. I tried streaming so I will see if I can get any sleep. If not I might call 111 or go to the pharmacy if I can muster up the strength
I've been in your exact shoes, please go back to your gp and insist on an asthma plan, you should not be left to struggle with no support. The asthma plan will help you have the confidence to know when you are not managing at home and need to seek further medical help, god forbid you end up in hospital they will want to know where your asthma plan is x you don't need to struggle on, your gp/asthma nurse have a duty of care towards you x Nicola
In that case you need to see your GP and ask what you can do ... I worded it as " what I can do when things start going south so I don't have to visit you lot quite as often" ... however if you've used 8 puffs of fostair and are still having issues it's probably worth the GP listening to your chest to check it's not an infection playing havoc with your breathing
And as others have said an asthma action plan Is *recommended* by asthma UK as your stupid percentages (like 70-80%) less likely to need hospitalisation because your "armed" with what to do and when to seek help and so don't struggle on your own .... which if you don't have access to an asthma nurse I would get a GP to do(you can print/download the form yourself from the Asthma UK website)
Do u have a salbutamol inhaler? If not,it's worth telling yr gp/ pharmacist that at times fostair isn't enough
I have a salbutamol inhaler but I’m not sure if I can use it especially since I’ve been using my fostair a lot Chip_y2kuk I definitely could use an asthma nurse because right can’t always get ahold of my gp. I only have a regiment fr my day today. My peak flow is down a lot. But I did a saline steam twice so far it’s helped. I just get sick so quickly. This all started Friday afternoon
If you've asthma symptoms and fostairs not enough,u should use Yr salbutamol.its a quick acting reliever & should help.the usual dose is 2 puffs
Hi PetiteBelle, this can be difficult especially when you may have been told different things about when to get help - not every healthcare professional understands asthma well. I would definitely call the helpline tomorrow as Poobah says and chat things through with the asthma nurses there, especially since you don't have an asthma nurse.
Please don't hesitate to go to hospital if your inhaler isn't helping and/or you are struggling to speak, eat or sleep because of your breathing. Your peak flow is down which is another sign things aren't great - but if your symptoms are worse than your peak flow, go on symptoms, don't wait for it to drop. If you're struggling tonight, don't feel you have to wait for the morning or the GP if you don't feel you can wait.
And just in case - don't let anyone tell you that you don't need to seek help for asthma if your oxygen levels are ok and you aren't wheezing. You can still be having an asthma attack with normal oxygen saturations and no wheeze.
This post may help as it's all about 'what to do when': healthunlocked.com/asthmauk...
As you seem to be on a MART plan, this may help: asthmaandlung.org.uk/sympto...
And this is a template plan you could discuss with a GP: asthmaandlung.org.uk/mart-a...
I started wheezing again audibly, my fostair is doing nothing and I’m exhausted. I just want to sleep and I can’t talk without being dizzy. My o2 levels are fine though. I just feel like crap. I need relief now but I don’t want to go to hospital if I’ll just wait around. I can do that at home. MART has really done much for me. I’m better if I don’t talk, walk or lay flat but I really just want sleep
Prop up on pillows and I'd try salbutamol.it should be pretty quick acting and is your reliever spray .if it doesn't help u may wish to ring 111
I use a peak flow reader that I bought off Amazon. I test myself morning and afternoon and log the results. When the level falls below a certain level then it is time to take action. Also have one of those blood oxygen readers that I bought too. The same one they use in the hospital. If my blood oxygen levels fall towards the low 90s then it’s the GP or A+E. I don’t think either monitor was expensive but they do give some concrete numbers you can act on.
Not much to add as it’s pretty much covered but like you I can’t lie flat when my asthmas bad so I find sleeping on my recliner chair is great as I can lie it back slightly and get some sleep. Might be worth a try if it’s an option for you also if your feeling rough go to your GP, better to be safe than sorry
If you are in UK, there should be an asthma nurse at your GP surgery that you can make an appointment with, I've had my medication changed a few times recently and I'm settled now, but i used to find that even sitting up in bed helped, put a few pillows behind your back. you may find that you are allergic to something that's causing it to be so bad, do you have feather pillows or anything like that?
What is wrong with me? Losing the will to live! 
When to go to hospital
When to take nebs
Nurse practitioners are not doctors 
