Can't concentrate worth a worm - Asthma Community ...

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Can't concentrate worth a worm

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Hi guys,

So I'm just really frusterated at the moment! I have no concentration due to the pred. and I think just generally not feeling so hot at all! I'm on antibiotics, but everything turned yellow yesterday, and I'm coughing up stuff (again yeah I know gross).

I've been back at work, but the pace is pretty insane, and I've been working late to ""catch up."" Which is making me sick again! Actually we had a blizzard here on Sat., so I had to get up early to dig my car out of snow. That was a bad idea, but I had to do it. I was doing better until then, but that set off about a whole day of wheezing. Then I was at work covering half the hospital.

Then Sun. same kind of thing, and yesterday. Which was a shame because I'm still stuck on 60 mg. pred. I was going to taper on Sun. when I was home, but still don't feel very good. Yesterday was a bit better. The wheeze went away early in the day, but I'm so busy at work, I don't have time to use my neb. as early as I want.

So by the end of the day I was tight. So I'm hoping for a better day today, but am not sure whether to taper until I can actually breathe well consistently? Also, my memory/concentration is fried. I left my disability papers at work (I think) and now I'm nervous because I've misplaced them, and I don't know where they are! I'm hoping they are on my desk. They probably are, but it is my day off today, and I am not going to go get them. But now I'm all worried!

Which the worry wouldn't be so bad, but I think I'm having a pred. mood swing. Grrr. Oh, and I did mention to my supervisor that I'm sleep deprived as I'm just not working as fast as usual. But I don't want it to be an excuse, but it's a weird set-up where I'm working 10 hr. days. And right now I'm just like I don't think this is working!

So I guess I'm trying to think of a way to stick up for myself so I can heal and get better, but I'm so sleep deprived I just can't think.

Thanks for listening!

Bee

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2 Replies

Ugh. It is frustrating when things seem to be better and then they get worse again, especially when one is on lots of pred which is supposed to be preventing that sort of thing!

Your mood could be pred, but maybe it is just the frustration of so many health ups and downs? I know I find it really u40setting when things seem to be going well and then fall back. I wonder if it will ever end. I'm working on figuring out how to take these ups and downs in stride but I think it takes time to adjust to it, especially if one is new to it.

Pred reduction - I imagine this comes to tradeoffs - I'd recommend talking to your doctor and not making the decision alone. He may view your recent reaction as a blip given it has a clear trigger (work, cold) and still think your baseline is strong enough to merit reduction.

That seems to be the reasoning my doctor used. My doctor decided yesterday to have me drop from 40mg to 35mg even though I am still having enough symptoms to use ventolin anywhere from 4 - 14 puffs a day. After nearly a month of best of three struggling to stay above 400 and often sitting below, things have been slowly improving and last week I had four to five days where even the worst of three stayed above 400. I also blew 460 for the first time in over a month.

Friday evening through Sunday peak flow dropped and symptoms/reactivity was up, but there were several possible triggers for that - a cold running round the people I was working with in the USA, a long plane flight back to Israel, even my period (not a known trigger for me, but who knows). My doctor decided that was a blip on a better baseline and decided to reduce anyway.

Hope this too is a blip for you and your overall trendline continues to improve.

So sorry to hear yohre still struggling.

Yes it is very difficult when health goes up and down so much. In fact either way too much needs a mental adjustment i find (when i learned to walk again after my stroke i found it really difficult to be out of bed lol). Also as Beth says things are never improved by fhe pred mood swings.

But hopefully this will be a small blip and then you can get back on track. Im sorry i dont really have advice to offer re work as im not sure how you guys function. Would it be possible to request changing your timetable as maybe shorter shifts would help? Or extra breaks that you can use for neb requirements?

Sending hugs for a fast recovery. Take good care.

Rose xx

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