help, i'm at my wit's end...

hi all

i'm newly diagnosed with asthma but have been living with it for a long time.

i've had over 5 weeks of illness now. it started with 10 days of cold/sore throat before i deteriorated a great deal. to cut a long story short, i eventually was diagnosed as having whooping cough with pneumonia as a complication. i've been on 40 mg of prednosolone for 3 weeks which i am reducing by 5mg every 3 days since this sunday. i am still on antibiotics and seretide x2 puffs twice a day.

the thing is i am still wheezing. i should be at rhe convalescent stage of the whooping cough but i contracted a cold last friday and have so much mucus. it was less yesterday but is back with a vengance today and i cannot rest. i am exhausted, lucky to get 4 hours sleep in a night, sonetimes it is as bad as 2 hours. today i have tried to rest but each time i end up wheezing and coughing so much i cannot.

i have seen the dr many times. he says the pneuonia has cleared and the wheezing/rattling is the mucus in my upper airways from the whooping cough. the inhaler sabutamol doesn't seem to do much to relieve it.but i'm using it in desperation. i wonder if i am not taking it enough or taking it too much. at the start of this i was advised 10 puffs in the spacer. of only that stopped the wheezing.

i cannot stress how much the exhaustion is taking it's toll. on a day when i only wheeze for half the day and half the night, i can cope . but it's now 4.40 pm and i haven't slept since 2 am.

i'm not sure if this is in the right place so will post in the medical bit too. please delete if it is wrong.

sarah

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Hi Sarah

How are you today. If you are struggling as much as you are saying with no benefit from salbutamol ie taking 10 puffs as directed through spacer and still wheezing i would either get an urgent appt with doctor/ooh GP or DON'T be afraid to call an ambulance that is what they are there for.

You must get help. good luck and catch up with your sleep soon