I saw my consultant for the 2nd time today and he was totally different.
Last time he was dismissibe, uniterested and I left in tears. Today, it was like seeing a different person!!!!
As bad as it sounds I do think it helped that my lungs were kicking off and qs soon as I walked in he said I could hear you coughing and wheezing through the walls.
He's added spiriva to try for a few weeks and then if this doesn't help he is now prepared to look at giving me a nebulizers- total transformation!!!
It did make me chuckle when he told me I'm making life interesting for him and that I'm complicated I told him I've always been a bit special!
Feel soooo much more positive after this appointment.
My professor started me on spiriva last week and I'm in love with it, it made an instant difference and have since managed to cut down my symbicort from 16 puffs a day to around 10-12 already!
Hope it works for you
Snowy
Thanks snowy, that sounds encouraging!
Fingers x it keeps working for you and does the same for me
Wow, that sounds so much better. Can you send the personality transplant team here next for mine? Hope the Spiriva helps quickly but must be good to know he will consider nebs too. Atrovent's the one for me (even with foul taste) - not sure offhand myself when one or the other is used, anyone know?.
In all seriousness, I know the feeling of unhelpful appts vs people like your cons this time e.g. in my case my asthma nurse's called me challenging/stoic/awkward/you're an interesting one!. Always good when you can have a laugh.
It did make me chuckle when he told me I'm making life interesting for him and that I'm complicated I told him I've always been a bit special!
Feel soooo much more positive after this appointment.
Xx
TJ they're in the post!
Don't know about the atrovent/spiriva I have to say, anyone know?
Things are looking up at last. Long may it continue.
Thanks Angelica, look forward to it!
best of luck with it and hope it helps
x
Atrovent's the one for me (even with foul taste) - not sure offhand myself when one or the other is used, anyone know?.
Atrovent is normally used to treat COPD and asthma patients.
Spiriva is normally used for COPD patients....
The spiriva resmat has a very small mist which gets deep down into the lungs so is a more effective treatment. According to my consultant spiriva is also a good medicine to use if you also have sulphite sensitivity.
TJ, I was told that atrovent is only used for asthma and spiriva used ro only be a copd drug but now been used a lot for asthma, I have the capsule type in the handihaler as I can't tolerate standard inhalers as the propellant reacts with me and makes me worse
For me now 4 days in and really notice the benefits, symbicort cut dramatically so all great!
Thanks Snowy, I was told the same about Atrovent by my cons who totally disagrees with it for asthma and suggested stopping it! Luckily GPs had prescribed it and disagreed with that as it has clearly helped.
Will update when I find the info I have somewhere around on atrovent vs spiriva
Hi,
Spiriva is a god send and kept me off the steroids most of
the winter xxx
Ooooh I am definitely getting excited now glynis!!!!
Would LOVE to get off the pred
Thanks all for your replies and words of encouragement.
Xxx
Snap Glynis, same here (with Atrovent)!
Angelica, good luck with the pred challenge
That Is what the idea with me is, got down from 8omg to 60 mg of pred and max dose of inhaled steroid, so he wants me off he pred ASAP, he said that it is very good for doing that, anyting that gets me down from this stupid dose with good with me !!
My PF goes from 550 to 410 but keeping me from starting my steroids at 380.
Unless chest infection or a virus.xxx
Wow, that does sound like a change but so happy you're finally getting somewhere! Can think of a few I've seen who could do with that transplant, though even the better ones I find can be very frustrating at times depending on the day.
Re Spiriva and Atrovent: I'm quite confused by this as I was tried on Spiriva for a month and it didn't really help, but Atrovent really does! I don't understand why this is as I would have thought as they're related both should either work or not work? Really hope it does work for you as seems like a good one if it does! And hope your cons keeps on being Dr Jekyll rather than Mr Hyde
Day 3 of spiriva and am a lot better!
Even managed to go to work today, walk the dog, do housework and a little dance around my kitchen!
Don't like to count my chickens but its definitely looking positive and I've only needed to use my reliever a couple of times today.
Woop woop!!!!
sounds like really good news angelica. i hope the spiriva continues to work for you, snowy and glynis too
Is the spiriva still working Angelica?
Mine still working mircales, and now at end of week 2 got symbicort down from 16 puffs a day to 8 , amazing!
Snowy
I'm on day 5 of it now and its brilliant, cannot believe the difference.
I only used my ventolyn a couple of times yesterday and no additional symbicort other than my am and pm puffs.
Glad to hear its going so well for you too.
I feel like my lungs are actually fully expanding again and that they are nit so stiff feeling. Also not to be totally gross but its soooooo much easier to get the gunk up off my chedt.
I am noticing improvements day by day.
Long may it continue.
Xx
That's great news! I'm so pleased for you
That's excellent news, so pleased it's working for you! It's a great feeling when something starts working, isn't it? Long may this continue!
Definitely!
Hows the symbicort going philomela? Still improving your symptoms?
x
Spiriva seems very quick as well compared to the steroid inhalers!
Symbicort seems to be working yes though I'm just coming out of a blip with a cold and then coming to Boston, all of which seemed to upset my lungs and take them back to before the Symbicort started working. It was very mild as a cold too, just a bit of a scratchy chest, but it seemed to have a disproportionate effect on my lungs given how mild it seemed! Today has been good though even with steamy weather so I think it's working again - relief as I was beginning to wonder if the previous good patch was just random and not Symbicort at all!
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I told him I've always been a bit special! 
Hope the Spiriva helps quickly but must be good to know he will consider nebs too. Atrovent's the one for me (even with foul taste) - not sure offhand myself when one or the other is used, anyone know?. 
Inhaler adherence/use your spacer
GP won't increase my inhaler for winter
Fostair vs symbicort 
