underestimating severity of condition!

Hi Everyone.

This is quite a random post but as i cant sleep and this has been going over in my mind for a few days i thought i would ask on here to see if anyone has any advice.

I was recently in hospital for 6 days after quite a bad attack.

On the Monday i was feeling a bit odd and apparently i have now found out i was acting strange as well, in the way that i was distant and very tearful, my asthma wasn't really playing up any more than normal so i put it down to being tired.

Well on the Tuesday i woke up with a bit if a cough and not feeling quite right and something in my brain told me to make a doctors appointment, i rang up and saw the respiratory nurse within half an hour, she always sees me as and when needed and knows me very well. and how quickly things deteriorate.

Anyway i went in and told her i wasn't feeling great and thought maybe i had a chest infection, within 10 minutes an ambulance was called and i was rushed to my local hospital where i ended up in resus and then was admitted. I felt better quickly once i was on IV drugs. After the admission i went back to the respiratory nurse at the surgery who told me how unwell i was and how she was worried as i never take myself of to a and e and underestimate the serious of the situation. I explained to her that i didn't feel that unwell and saw no reason to go to a and e as i was concerned they would think i was wasting there time. Anyway after a lot of thought i keep going over in my mind how i didn't realise how bad i was, my blood gases were all over the place and o2 levels on 79% at the surgery so i am thinking this is why i felt odd. I was also told i am a C02 retainer but i am nor sure what this means and if this makes a difference.

I am now wondering how i am supposed to judge this and what i should be looking for, my peak flows are never good and i am always symptematic to a point.

I know that if i ring the surgery i will be seen straight away but it seems they are always calling ambulances for me and as i never think things are that bad and i am sure they must think i am pain in the bum.

Sorry this is turning into me waffling now, please dont think i am for medical advice m not, i just wondered if anyone else has been in this situation and how they have dealt with it as i am very confused about it all at the moment.

Any advice greatly received.

Sarah

xxxx

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hi Sarah07

last October i had been deteriating all week and on the Saturday morning i woke up coughing, took my preventer as usual had breakfast and a cuppa. in all the middle of this still coughing and taking my reliever as well. still no improvement so onto saline nebs x2 and sat there really struggling and my husband said really cool ""do you think we ought to start getting help"" and indicated to the phone making a 999 call, as we have a small a e up the road he walked and virtually carried me to the car got me there and treated me for one of the worst attacks i ever had.

they said my sats were fine as they were between 97-99% but they were pleading with me to bring my heart rate down as it was twice+++ what it should be.

Asthma uk nurses said you can maintain good sat levels then they can suddenly drop rapid. i now have a pulse oxy metre incase this happens again. by rights they should have kept me in hospital but the locum refused i was not happy going home my breathing was still very laboured etc.

hope this helps

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Hey!!

I think to some extent, we all underestimate the severity of our asthma. I know with myself that I never think I am that bad, and then at times my mum has taken one look at me and told me that I will be going in, and as I've got to A and E I've ended up in resus etc.

With regards to what is a co2 retainer, I am also, and it is basically where our lungs don't get rid of the waste gases within them. this is equally as serious as dropping your SATS, but unfortunately, the only way that you can tell if you are retaining is by having an ABG (The needle in your wrist.

Hope you are feeling a little better now!!

xxx