can walk in centres treat asthma? *added question - new post*

when my asthma bad, but not bad enough to need ambulance go to nearest walk in as sick of the sight of A&E - don't get wheezy normally, & always end up in A&E from walk in centre, can they actually do anything other than say if i need A&E or not? seems like going to walk in means having to wait at least an hour before getting seen, to get told i need A&E to be waiting around there for ages.

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depends i think mine is quite good but they can't prescribe things like pred although some of them would like to as sometimes they just transfer you to a and e for that reason but better safe than sorry.

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its not too bad getting sent to a&e, its only like 5 minutes down the road from walk in, just a bit frustrating getting passed elsewhere

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Our walk in centre is actually linked to A & E and also serves as out of hours surgery as well. Receptionists decide whether you need to see a doctor or whether your symptoms warrant being seen by triage nurse linked to A & E. I've never had a problem and touch wood so far have only seen doctor, been nebulised and then sent on my way with a script for pred and antibiotics. But the good thing is if you need A & E treatment it's right there.

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where I live we don't have a walk in centre, just own GP, OOH or A and E - my plan is very strict...if any symptoms not sorted by usual drug regime and own GP not around go to A and E! Not sure if this could be better or not. When seen in A and E am always assessed by ITU...that is something I hate. I have ended up in ITU so many times the doctors on the unit like to know when I am around.

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I went to walk-in based in hospital but was seen by triage nurse who sent me to A + E. So they did not treat my asthma. Maybe this will change one day.

Gill

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I think the way ours works is designed to discourage people from calling! OOH centre is out in a slightly dodgy part of town way away from me (ok, not from everyone but it's still dodgy) and if there's a walk-in I don't know where it is. If I ever wonder whether I should be calling OOH I tend to be reluctant as I know how much of a pain it will be to get there - could do with a walk-in centre closer for times when I'm not sure. Nothing bad's happened yet though and I would call if I needed it - my reluctance is based on having gone to OOH once late in evening before bank holiday weekend and it turning out not to be necessary.

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hi i know our walk in centre can give nebs and prescibe pred, i been twice, it in the gp practice a good couple mile away from the hospital, first time was given a neb and prescribed pred and was okay to go, last time ambulance was sent for after i had a neb and i was carted of to hospital for yet another overnight stay.

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It depends my local walk in centre refuse to treat me as I am allergic to penicillin and erythromycin, when they did treat me they tended not to be confident with treating someone with severe/complex asthma and either send me to and e or refer me to the docs next door.

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*new question*

how do u get anyone to take u seriously, when unless you're not in any physical [noticeable] distress? mum refuses to take it seriously unless im coughing, going blue, & everything else. breathing rate slower than it normally is, & im breathing shallower than normal & feel a bit wheezy. i SEEM to be fine, at first view, but having to use inhaler a lot to get any sort of relief. its taking 8-10 uses of inhalers with a spacer every half hour or so, for it to ease tightness off, feel a bit wheezy, but no audible wheeze [dont normally have 1] not asking for medical help on it, just a bit argh. any tips/tricks to get mum to take it seriously when its like this?

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My walk in centre treats my son but not me as I am regular on prednisalone and because I am on high dose of oral steroids already they can't change the dose of my inhalers either.

As for you mum is she asthmatic as well? It's just she sounds like me with my son. I pay attention to him but do nothing when he is complaining about feel wheezy or tight chested but the minute he is getting no relief after 10 minutes of using his inhaler I do then pay more attention, assess the situation and do what I feel is needed more times than not I dial 999 to et them on the way and take over his medication myself as then I can deal with his emergency dose as we call it where we give him 5 puffs followed by 4 puffs followed by 2 puffs every minute until the next 5 minute marker then back to 5 puffs.I also dial 999 as soon as he gets to a point where he is fighting to stay awake or can't talk more than 5 words in a sentence before having to gasp for air

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mums not asthmatic, no. only time she's ever taken it seriously was when i had big attack which led to first admission, every other time ive been admitted or been in A&E, its been down to my own doing. its rare that i get to the point of being unable to talk, attacks are still severe & come on out of the blue though. she knows what medication im on, & is fully aware of how much i use my blue inhalers before mentioning my breathing yet still leaves me to it, then goes off on a bitchfit that i get myself sorted [i live about 5 minutes from a&e so its not far to go].

[yaf_user681_32991]

Hi Emma

Been thinking about your mum and your asthma- she cares a lot beleive it or not your still her little girl, however old you are!

Do you have an action plan from your asthma nurse/GP? If not, I know theres templates around the site here that you can use and get filled out with them. THEN stick one in your room on the back of the door, one on the fridge in the kitchen and one in the hallway near the front door?

that might be a help to you both. will keep thinking

Geina x

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dont have an asthma plan. normally judge it based on how im feeling - if 12 doses of blue inhaler through spacer arent helping, then i give up with it & either go to walk in/gp/A&E/out of hours doctors.

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maybe that is a way forward then...to get clear instructions when you do things and where you go for help...then everyone is clear. Ask your GP or asthma nurse or consultant when you see him.

Do you think anything has changed that is making your asthma harder to control at the moment...I think the weather and the pollen is having a huge impact on lots of people.

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Had pneumonia last december & was really unwell with it, ended up getting admitted twice with it, was coughing blood up for months afterwards, chest pains for months after,, landed myself a bad case of plurisy(sp?) Everythings gone downhill since then onwards. In terms of asthma, been told to go to a&e if I get wheezy, by a&e staff, which is sorta stupid considering I don't get wheeziness which is audible most of the time, if I left it till I had a wheeze (done it once & never again - silent chest, 4 nebs later had slightest bit of airflow) I'd end up been really unwell. Feel like I'm bugging people due to the lack of wheeziness, like, there's people who get really wheezy & there's me who doesn't, doesn't help either when I've had people ask if I'm actually asthmatic or say I'm not because of no wheezing. This is sorta going off on a rant at this point, sorry.

Will ask about getting an action plan drawn up with doctor as need to see them. Ended up in a&e tonight, given 5 day course of 30mg pred & told to see doctor to get me tapered back off of it.

Sorry for rambly reply, am tired & not making much sense.

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I started off with asthma when I was away at uni but now I moved home with parents they had to learn to cope with me. My mum at first was very anti ambulance was very must just rest and go away or phone OOH but learnt that wasnt the case. Now she knows when I come to her when struggling what to do as she has seen the worst case scenerio. My mum is no good when Im in the inbetween hospital home stage and not very good at when I know Im heading in.

It is hard for parents to know what to do, they dont want to see you in hopsital. I know my mum would prefer to look after me herself and be at home but learnt sometimes Im best off in hospital.

In my experience with parents (yes I am older) is just to say to parents what you think is best. I used to make my own way to hospital. Yes use walk in centers as its them making the decision to send you in same with GP surgery. I wont use them myself I go in via ambulance 99% of the time.

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i couldnt get an appointment a short while ago at my doctors so went to the local walk in centre. they listened to my chest, did a full (and i mean FULL) examination as the doctor said she was new to asthma protocol(!). they gave me antibiotics and steroids and a number to call if i got worse with instructions to go to a n e if i was struggling. they were great x

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I don't phone ambulances anymore, don't use 'walk in' centres nor do I phone NHS helpline as it takes too long to explain /give details and wait for a call-back. I now get myselft to the A & E in a taxi. Expensive when it is 3 times per week but well worth it, health wise. Now in my area, A & E appear to be more aware of Asthma than ever before. The last three times i have been I have had 1st class treatment and monitored very well.

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i hvae never been to an nhs walk in centre. do not even know where my local one is. I do not like going to a and e because they make me feel like a fake. I much prefer my con or resp nurse getting me on to the medical assessment ward or on to respiratory ward. I find people do not understand my asthma.

Plumie

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hi my wife has had to go to the walk in a few times but have to say not impressed by the help for asthma,first of all the place is on a supermarket site and to enter it you go through a glass atrium ok when its winter but get the sun on it temp goes up alot after that you get in to the actual center ,by this ptime your really feeling horrid as the center itself is airconed so the temp goes from bout 80 to 60 just like that,so if you survive that,youn then have to battle to see a doc, staff dont seem to be that well up on asthma and just seem to treat you same as someone with any other condition ,last time my other half was there it took the doc 10 mins to find the neb,so we choose not to go there anymore and would rather go a&e as you seem to get getter care.