Boy o Boy, What a Weekend!!! (long post)

Thought I would let you all know how good and bad my weekend was and how stupid I was!!!

It all started off really from Friday afternoon from my previous post about ""when I feel unwell"". Been feeling rough all day as previous mentioned. Went to go home and got into the car and immediately started to have a severe coughing fit - very warm air! the car had been sitting in the sun all day. This was a new one on me, I had never had any issues with hot air like this before?!? I proceeded to drive home which in hindsight, I probably shouldn't of done.

By the time I did get home (2hrs later) I was in a right old state and then had no choice really but to call for an ambulance. Man, I love Paramedics especially if they're female, must be the uniform.... erm back on track, lol. had the usual nebs and stuff, 4 I think, everytime I'd finished one and they trided to put me on oxygen and just started coughing un-controllably again. Fortunately, this did eventually stop.

The A & E doctor was nice, they took some blood and injected some fluids in. I was eventually let out about 10:30pm and was prescribed 40mg of pred and 500mg of amox. The doctor also said that I can take paracetamol and ibuprofen for the chest ache and that I was to have 4 puffs on my blue inhaler every 4 hours.

Was happy to be out as we were off to see 'We Will Rock You' at the dominion theatre the next day.

Anyway we set off Saturday morning only to be diverted due to engineering works, no problem, took a little longer to get to london but no real messing around. Got to Charing Cross station and the bl**dy Northern Line was shut for engineering works, no probs, straight on the bakerloo and then central to get to Tottenham Court Road which is where we stayed at the St Giles Hotel which is on the door step of the Dominium Theatre, pukka!

Then it was hit the shops time! We all did pretty well, with jackest, trainers and t-shirts a plenty! poofed out, then watched the last few minute of Man U being stuffed by Chelsea. The hotel recommended a nice Italian restuarant round the corner, sceptically we checked it out and were suprised, it was excellent!!!

Off to the theatre! The show was fab!!!! highly recommend!! Only thing was, as i was still feeling groggy from my cold thing and from the previous night's goings on, I still felt a bit rough. Anyway, there was a small amount of stage smoke, which tickled my throat slightly. I thought well, if that's all there is, I should be ok, made it through with no problems.

Anyway, we went back to the hotel bar where people were smoking (I hadn't had one for over 24hrs at this point), it stank, I could taste it and it was affecting me slightly, and got a little worse. We left the bar and got to the hotel room and then bang! Off we go again, non-stop coughing, tight chest, and gasping for breath. Not a lot I could do about it.

We called the hotel reception and they called for an ambulance, I had four paramedics, 2 hotel duty managers and my partner and her parents in the room! I got sorted out and showed them what medication I was on and it was then that one of the paramedics said that ibuprofen can affect asthmatics, oh great!

Got carted off the the University Hospital London, the A & E doctor was very nice! Had the usual blood test and stuff. We got talking and it turned out that she had done some training at my local hospital, the Conquest at Hastings!

There was a drunk in there in one of the cubicals providing 'entertainment', anyway, we get let out around 3:30am, you'd be surprised at how many people were about at that time of the morning! We eventually got to bed around 4:30am and up at 9 for full english cooked breakfast, there was no way I was missing that! Fortunately, the hotel gave us an extended leave time on sunday from 11am to 6pm.

The journey home was eventful, 2 tubes, 3 trains, 1 bus and 4 hours later! all because of engineering works.

I have seen my GP this morning and didn't seem overly impressed that the A & E doctor said that I should be able to take ibuprofen following an asthma attack although it only affects a small percentage of asthmatics, stopped taking them now and I go to see my asthma nurse tomorrow for an ar*e kicking, well re-assessment.

That was my weekend, a fun but eventful one, how did yours go????? sorry for the long post.

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Hi Meady

Gosh, that was an eventful weekend. Ihope you are feeling ok now. We went to see that show 3 years ago, but I was ill and didn't enjoy it at all. (Hubby loved it and even bought the cd, which eh torments me with whenever he gets chance. I really enjoy Queen music, just not that show.) We had stayed at a hotel the previous night and I had had grapefruit for breakfast and it triggered an asthma attack. I was very new to the game at that point and did not realise that grapefruit was one of my triggers - along with brufen and asprin. We are a dunny lot aren't we!

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Hi Katybarstool, it was a bit busy and I've certainly learnt a hard lesson about my asthma. I'm still very pig headed and stubborn about it and if I feel ok, I think I'm ok, when obviously I'm not. I hate giving in to it!

It's really strange what sets people's asthma off isn't it, not heard of grapfruit doing it before, but then, I didn't think hot air would, lol.

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lol, first i would just like to say that i nearly lost my life at age 14 because a doctor perscribed me ibuprofen to bring my temperature down dring a chest infection. well, my asthma didn't like it at all, so now i keep well away from this med. well, i had quite an impressive attack this WE, it was at my little brother's first holy Communion, so it was not the best time. but i was worn out from preparing everything, so i just snapped when this guy started smoking in the garden a few feet away from me. got herded off to the local AandE, which was ages away and i thought i was gonna die before we got there. i probably should have insisted on alling an ambulance, but i am one of thos people who hate causing a fuss. hope everyone else is ok. luv Rose

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Meady I'm glad you're resolved not to be so pig-headed and stubborn in future! That was a s*** weekend and must have been very alarming for your poor fiancee and her parents too. And, if I may say so, was probably largely avoidable. I could tell from your ""when I'm unwell"" post that you were headed for trouble, that sore chest and feeling groggy sounded like a chest infection to me. If you don't mind my saying so, you need to find out more about asthma, then you can take control of your own problem (i.e. recognise your triggers and know what to do when trouble looms). Get help early rather than just pretending it's not happening. That's not ""giving in to it"". It's just common sense. Your asthma will give you a lot less trouble and restrict your life a lot less if you take control of it and just use some sensible precautions. Then you can keep these ruined weekends to a minimum! So Meady consider yourself nagged!

Polly

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So Meady consider yourself nagged!""

Well and truely! hehehe

I'm still learning about triggers and when I should take my medicine.

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I do understand, it's a tricky balance between not letting the asthma dictate to you, and ignoring it, which is silly (and could actually be fatal). I'm entitled to nag cos I used to be just like you, and learned the hard way

You take more care now Meady, and I really hope the Seretide works for you. And don't forget to take enough inhalers etc on your honeymoon - don't risk running out and ending up in ER!

But the main thing is - have fun!!!

Polly