First admission to hospital - really scared me!

This is my first post:

I am 41 and have had asthma all of my life. Last week was my first ever hospital admission (although I've come close a few times!) and it really scraed me! Seeing the concern in the faces of the medical staff, watching my heart rate rise on the monitor and experiencing the pain of the arterial blood gas test has frightened the life out of me.

The consultant was lovely. He has changed my inhalers and referred me to the hospital asthma clinic. He was not happy with the inhalers my GP had me on.

Why though, when I am bad EVERY winter and end up on steroids, antibiotics and nebs, does it take a hospital admission before you get referred to hospital? I never even knew our local hospital had an asthma clinic!!!

I am looking for advice on preventing this from happening again. If I have to spend a fortune to 'de-asthma' my house - I will

Lisa

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the NHS at its best.

I can relate - I had countless admissions before I got referred onto a consultant, my GP wouldn't refer me because my peak flow was high for the meds I was on.

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It makes you angry doesn't it? My GP had changed my inhalers to cheaper ones. Consultant has put me back on Seretide - which I was on a few years ago.

And they wonder why people are still dying from asthma?!!!

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yeah it is rubbish.

I know myself, I was on single inhalers. blue, green and brown. because it was cheaper for the NHS - I got put on fostair but didn't have control of my asthma so I got put on seretide. I preferred having 3 separate inhalers as I could adjust the doses when and as needed without side effects.

most deaths by asthma could be prevented, it seems like if the NHS and medical professionals listened to what you have to say, then that'd lower the amount of people dying by asthma too.