TIPS

Hi

Do you know any tips that has helped you with your asthma?

The reason i'm asking is because a few weeks back some one posted me with these tip and i found them invaluable. So would like to start the ball rolling so we can help each other.

1. Buy a stool:This is great I sit to do the veg,empty the washing machine,do the inoning,even sit to have a cup of coffee.I really don't know how i managed with out it.

2. Buy on line,its amazing what you can get on the internet.

3. Only buy things that needed little or no inoning.For the first time in my life i didn't iron my beding and you wouldn't have know.

4.It's ok to say you can't cope.For me this one was hard.But i'm getting they.

Please add to the list if you can.

Denise

[angievere]

Take vit C/multivitamin to help build up immunity system.

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Try keep rooms equal temps and cover mouth when out in the cold.

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what a good post, and some very useful ideas especially the stool and ironing (I hate ironing!) , thank you Russell. Glynis excellent advise as always, I've just phoned a plumber to come and put thermostats on all my radiators cant believe i've never thought of that and Angievere i'm off to stock up!

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Fantastic - I've always been good at the 'not-ironing' thing and got away with it being a student - I wondered how I was going to justify continuing not to iron once I leave uni, but you've solved it for me!

The same room temperature thing is a really good idea and one I hadn't considered. I live in student halls so this isn't possible - bedroom is fine, dining room is an ice house and common room is a sauna - but I'll remember it for the future.

I don't really have any tips - only one but I think most people do it - would be to have multiple reliever inhalers and keep one in each bag you often use / on office desk etc., so you don't have to remember to transfer it.

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haha Ratty, I never iron stuff if I can help it either - definitely not my bedding, I'd probably end up inside it if I tried! Good to know I have an excuse now

I don't have any particular tips except for leave plenty of time to get to places, especially if you have to catch a train/bus, so you don't end up trying to hurry for it and regretting it.

Also just because something is starting to work does not mean you can immediately try to return to pre-asthma habits - it takes time and 'better' is not 'controlled'. So pace yourself, and don't think 'I must be able to do x by y date.'

Both of these are easier said than done especially if you are as impatient as me, but perhaps if you remind yourself often enough you start to pay attention and won't end up knocking back huge amounts of Ventolin when trying to sleep.

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drink tonic water...espec if you get lots of cramps from all the ventolin/salbutamol...one less tablet you would have to take for it!

drink plenty, i never knew it untill recently but because we use more effort to breath, we burn off more fluid from our bodies and become dehdrated more often and quicker!

eat plenty of bananas, helps keep your potassium up, again because ventolin/salbutamol can lower, and saves taking another tablet...and potassium tablets really are not all that nice!!!

visit your parents lots, not only do they buy you things, but they do ur ironing/washing/cooking/cleaning all for you ... dont do it to often then as they will start to wonder what your up to

avoid caffine...surely all the medication we take already keeps us awake at night...o and if you take aminophylline or the same in that branch it can also effect the way it works within your body...im a massive coffee lover and this one has been hard for me to give up!!

if you have brittle asthma in particular type 2, where a medi alert band/necklace, you never know when you could go down hill, and if you cant take, the medi alert will/can carry al lthe information a passerby/medical prrofessional needs to know for the time being...mine has helped me on two sticky occasions already this year...and I got mine off ebay...perfect for working in the NHS also as its a necklace so works will for the ""naked below elbows"" rule

urm...cant think of any more as of yet!!

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Charlie, thanks for the tips about potassium and water with Ventolin - I never realised you could get that with salbutamol, thought it was just things like Seretide. I will bear that in mind - I don't get cramps (yet) but do get overly twitchy muscles a lot, maybe that would be improved by a few more bananas.

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I only know about it because of the amount of times ive had to have back to back nebs this year, and an increase of the amount of daily salbutamol ive been needing to take, and when I went to the doctors they said I would need to take me medication to prevent or live with the fact i get cramps...I asked if there was any alternatives and thats what they came up with, and low and behold since then after eating minimum a banana a day and drinking plenty of tonic water they have got considerably better...and i dont look really silly when trying to open bottles and my hand goes into a massive cramp...

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Wow thanks for tht tip about bananas and fluids. I get really bad shakes and cramps fromthe meds. Also i advise you to inest in an electrical bed.

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electric bed ... love it, i would live in it though

I live in a ground floor flat to...no steps to have to climb with hand fulls of stuff, and can crawl to bed when feeling slightly rough, and can crawl to bathroom and living room for wee and meds if needed without having to run up different levels...

also I cook meals for 2/3 people at a time and freeze them...that way, when feeling slightly rough, instead of mustering up my last little bit of energy on cooking to then be to drained to eat and just chuck it, i can just go to the freze and heat up a nice healthy meal...u save money on not going to the phone and dialing for the nearest takeaway... just a few simple things ive mastered living on my own!!

xx