Is this normal?

I am sorry that all i seem to have written on here recently are moans and questions but i guess i am having a difficult time at the moment, although pale in comparison to others on this forum, and my wishes goes out to everyone having a difficult time at the moment.

My question is, is it normal for recovery from an excerabation to take such a long time? I have been off work for 3 weeks now, struggled through work for a number of weeks before giving in and got signed off. I keep going back to the GP each week as i am still unable to undertake a level of activity that would allow me to return to work for even a day. I have been testing myself for the last few days, doing a little more activity each time, but this has left me exhausted and feeling a bit rough.

The difficulties are that at rest things are improving, less breathless but during any activities such and food shopping, seeing friends for a couple of hours etc is leaving me feeling rough. I am seeing this as that i am not quite ready to return to work (i have a very active role) and should allow myself the time i need?

I guess i am just concerned as following hospital admissions, i have recovered quicker than this time and hope that i am not just being a wimp and not pulling myself together.

Any advice of shared experiences would be grateful.

Thanks in advance.

3 Replies

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  • I find that my recovery time varies depending on the severity of attack and what caused it. But i do know that even the lesser attacks can still knock the stuffing out of me for a good few weeks. What i tend to do is start off with only 1 thing that i must do each day then gradually build up and if i find it too much then cut back again. I have made the mistake of doing too much too soon and paid the price with going a step back in my recovery.

    Everybody recovers at different rates and only you can know when your ready to step up your activity level. Hope u are feeling better and ready to return to work soon

  • Hi Cory,

    Sorry to hear that you are having such a rough time, I hope things begin to improve for you soon.

    Recovery is extremely variable, and it's not uncommon for lesser attacks to take just as long, if not longer, to recover from than more severe attacks that land you in hospital. Don't forget that when you are in hospital you are usually almost completely inactive, and are having more intensive treatments that you perhaps would not get at home, and these things may both contribute to you recovering more quickly.

    If you are finding that you are taking a lot longer to recover than usual, there are a few factors that may be contributing to this. The pollen count has been pretty high recently, so if you suffer from allergies, this might be a factor. I know that people (like my husband, for example) who don't normally suffer from allergies are struggling with hayfever-like symptoms at the moment. There could also be other factors contributing - have you had an infection, or is it possible that you still have a low-grade grumbling infection? Infections can cause residual inflammation in your lungs for weeks afterwards.

    Do keep going back to your doctor for review to check that nothing like this is being missed. If you are under a respiratory consultant, it might be worth asking if you can be seen sooner rather than later. If you are not under one, you might like to consider asking for a referral, since you are having such problems.

    Hope things improve soon

    Take care

    Em H

  • Thanks for the replys... I guess its just frustrating that i cannot see a light at the end of the tunnel.

    In answer to your question Em H, i am under the care of a consultant and have an appointment in two weeks time, have tried to move it forward but it has not been possible. I have been put on a long term anti biotic by the consultant in case of on going infection, but have also had a bug which set me back a bit. It is true about the level of activtiy undertaken at home versus hospital, forget that even the little things add up, especially as i live alone.

    I know that the consultant does not think that my difficulties are all down to my asthma, but that there is something else contributing, guess i have to be patient while they continue to investigate. I just wish that i could be back to my normal self and carry on living, although that has not actually been the case for several months now. Its like one step forward and two steps back.

    Thanks again for replys and take care.

    x

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