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brittle asthma and depression

4 Replies

Been to see my GP a few times recently as I am feeling a bit fed up with the way my asthma is and the the fact that there has been little improvement over such a long time. Recently had a HDU admission and then a chest infection when discharged from hospital so this has resulted in quite a prolonged period of poor health.

She did a questionairre type test and thinks I have depression. She is recommending medication and counselling. I am reluctant to take any more medication on top of my asthma drugs. I kind of feel that i am having an understandable reaction to having been back in hospital, being frustrated living with a long term illness and also from the fact I am missing being back at work. I am back on steroids again and this also makes me a bit emotionally unstable!

I tend to always get like this when having a period of poor asthma control as I get so frustrated about the way things are. My main question is, when does it become something more serious and require medication and when is it more related to the ups and downs of being a brittle asthmatic??

I don't know whether to accept her advice or not. I think I will be much happier and upbeat when I get back to work. however, she pointed out that I will be in this situation again in the future so how many times am I going to get this down about things?, probably quite alot.

As for the counselling, I kind of feel I need to talk to someone who knows about asthma as most of my worries revolve around admissions and long term prognosis etc.

Just wondering if anyone else has been in this situation. Part of me thinks I am having a normal reaction to being ill and dont need any further help but perhaps she is picking up on symptoms that i am unaware of.

Any help would be appreciated

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4 Replies

Dear Karly... Sorry you are having such a bad time and please know you are in my thoughts!

Love and Hugs from the Orkney Isles

Susy

CBT and meditiation

Hi

sorry you have had such a hard time. While not asthma related, I did have a long term condition that was hard to deal with and got me down. And I had CBT which helped me deal with my worry about it and I also learned a lot about mindfulness and meditation which is also really helpful in calming your mind and accepting things you can't change (and sometimes, changing them through not trying to change them lol). The CBT helped me know which things I could change or influence and helped me make use of positive things. (the meditation doesn't have to be religious, a great book is Full Catastrophe Living - specifically about managing long term conditions and pain by Jon Kabat-Zin)

I wish you well with it

mindful

Hi Karly

I know exactly how you feel, as when my asthma takes a turn for the worse I feel the same, it always feels like no-one quite understands how you feel wich also does not help.

I did speak to someone alone and with my husband and we had different issues regarding the asthma, me how it affects me and being on all the meds etc and him as hes always the one who has to watch me being so ill, esp if I end up in ICU, it really helped us both individually and as a couple to appreciate each others difficulties.

I guess now I dont get ""as down"" about it but do talk to people on and off when the need arises to stop it boiling over so to speak, and have also found the nurses on the helpline here to be fab, maybe you could give them a try?

Take care

Snowy

i too have been feeling very down recently after two long addmissions this year, not being able to work go out etc, all my friends had noticed i havent been myself. at my last hosp appt the respiratory nurse said i should go see my gp as she too had noticed how down i seemed, anyway last week i went, and im soooo glad i did, like you the doc was asking lots of questions. i felt happier at the fact that i had addmitted to myself how down i was feeling and the fact i had got help and not continude to sit at home feeling rubbish. my gp suggested a low dose of antidpressent which i have decided to take he also suggested councelling, i didnt like the sound of counciling but once my gp explained that they like had more time to sit and listen and could teach me how to cope when i feel down i decided to go for it. so have a think maybe councilling would help, i just feel happier knowing that i got help.

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