2 sides of the coin

I find myself feeling very frustrated by the limitations of my asthma at present, which stop me doing all I want to do and limit how much I can manage of the things I can still do. So I have started to look for the positive whenever I experience a negative. I thoiught maybe we could share some?

*I hate that I cannot run or rush to catch the Tube, and so often miss one by just seconds.

*I know the world will not end if I have to wait an extra 2 minutes, and some of the stations (ie Baker Street) have really interesting historical information on the platforms which Im quite enjoying reading!

Anyone else?

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How very apt - I hoovered our house top to bottom today, and had a good think about the fact that I enjoy housework these days - because it means I'm well enough to 'do' stuff, in a way that for a while I really wasn't.

I also get extra joy from seeing the dyson fill up, because all that dust and fluff has been removed by the HEPA filter, and I know that it helps both me and my partner to breathe better.

Great thread (if you're not right at the end of your tether!)

Cx

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I love the Baker street station (except late at night).

I hate the way my asthma bounces all over the place, but I've learned a lot about time management and taking advantage of/avoiding procrastination during the good times.

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Hi all, great idea for a thread. I find myself getting very down about my condition and how it limits the things that I do, and definitely feel that I miss the positive things in life by focussing too much on the negative.

I have tried to take this to work with me in the respect that I work in an operating theatre and am very much one of the last people that the patient sees before they are given their anaesthetic. As people can well imagine, this is a very vulnerable and scary time for patients (even those who have had the experience before). Remembering how isolating and lonely it can be to be struggling (with breathing) but whilst all the staff around you are too busy focussing on your vitals, I make sure I am there solely for the patient's emotional benefit. Yes, it is important to monitor vitals as someone is going off to sleep, but it is equally important to monitor THE PATIENT!!! As healthcare staff, we are all guilty of forgetting that there is a person at the centre of everything we are doing, and so I use my experience of being a patient and what I felt I needed from the staff to help my patients. Even if it is just a friendly face, a reassuring smile, a hand to hold, chatting about nonsense to distract them (though some patients prefer not to do this - and that's fine too - I then change it to explaining what's happening in common terms, not doctor-speak) or all of the above!

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What a fantastic idea -especially as I have had a day where I am just fed up with my asthma. However, I did call in to the shops on the way home to buy a lovely new scarf as when cold air is a big trigger, you need a scarf for every outfit!

Chukkin - i think it is great that you can turn use your experiences so positively. I had surgery earlier on in the year and, despite having had several GAs before, they decide to do something different. This required having sedation to allow them to put a LA down my throat and then give GA and the surgeon (who is one of the top surgeons in his field) deciding to watch how this was done! While everyone was focusing on my HR and rhythms (which shot up) and checking my breath sounds, one lovely man recognised that it was the feeling of the LA down my throat which was distressing (it felt like I was stopping breathing) and just talked to me. Unfortunately, I was then given the GA and didn't see him again to thank him but I sent him a card to pass on my thanks.

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This is great!

I know what you mean about the Tube - I am naturally one to rush through at high speed and it does make me worse - I keep getting told off for doing it by medical people hehe but I hate being slow and can't resist rushing on escalators.

Have to say that having annoying asthma has meant I've come on here and 'met' some lovely people, some of whom I've chatted to and met off here as well and have become good friends. But would never have met them without our shared stupid lungs!

Kayla - good point re scarves hehe. I was thinking the other day 'oh I'll buy this, I need to keep warm because of asthma'. Even though I am terrible at keeping warm, my mum nags me and I hate it because she's right...

For me, I think all this asthma stuff has given me knowledge which helps with my job about the health system, medication licensing, how drs think etc. An odd benefit which may not apply to many but I have found myself using it! Luckily for my sanity the area I currently work in isn't respiratory though. (I'd be worried about running into my cons and actually having to be a lot more polite to him lol - awkward in so many ways!)

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Kayla - I am sorry to hear you needed surgery and faced the distressing feeling of having what we call an LMA put in, most people are asleep by this point but I have watched many going in and it's not pleasant - very glad to hear that there are others out there who just focus on the patient rather than the numbers!

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Just thought of something else -as Beth says, it does (or should) encourage better planning! I have been caught out before and am trying to be more organised as a result.

Particularly since failure to plan for time, transport etc can have unfortunate effects - I will always abandon my good intentions and leg it to trains etc then regret it! But not being able to rush when I need it is one of the annoying things about all this, so planning should be the other side of the coin. My former GP said 'just let it go' re trains etc but sometimes you have to - I'd ended up in hospital for the first time soon after running for a train on my way to an interview. Unnecessarily, as it turned out, as they were fine about it but I couldn't have known that, it felt so important to catch it and it wasn't my planning at fault, my previous train had been late.

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My asthma annoys the hell out of me and is far too disruptive to life - ie stuck in costa at the minute as a result of yet another asthma attack!! But if it weren't for the asthma and the auk forums I wouldn't have met some really amazing people, some of whom I'm now friends with in the real world not just online

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Love this post.

Because of asthma I have learned to slow down and take care of myself. Also I appreciate everything so much more when I'm well that everyone takes for granted. When I am well I'm not always thinking about asthma however every so often I think to myself ""wow- couldn't have done that a few weeks ago"".

Also it has saved me a lot of money that would have been spent on social things.