Hi from the hospital!

[servewithmintsauce]

Back in, lucky escape from ICU this time :/

I was on the wrong dose of my combination inhaler anyway, so I'd been feeling off for a few weeks. Suddenly I woke up at about 2:00am on Monday morning with severe shortness of breath which soon, despite my best efforts with my relievers, turned into a complete inability to breathe. Somehow I was getting oxygen in, enough to have a sats of 94%, but I couldn't breathe. Ambulance was called, and they gave me two nebs and oxygen on the way to the hospital, where I went straight into research as a red priority. Every doctor and nurse and paramedic remarked just how silent my chest was. One couldn't get a respiratory rate reading because she literally couldn't hear anything going on or out! Back-to-Back salbutamol + ipratroprium nebs, Prednisolone which I somehow managed to neck between nebs, IV Magnesium, oxygen..all in. I had ECGs done, heart monitor on, O2, nebs, all of that, and just very very narrowly escaped ventilation. I have really cra* veins and arteries so the two ABGs I had drawn were lengthy and painful procedures; my right wrist has a large bruise mark and 4 little holes in a neat line, along with many other needle marks and a two-way cannula in the back of my right hand.

I am immensely bored (waiting for my mum to bring my laptop and some back seasons of 'Scrubs') but also a bit worried because I was also hospitalised around mid-August this summer, and this is a relatively short time period between hospitalisations.

I'm not freaking myself out. I'm taking it as it comes; but when your asthma has gone from 'Ventolin very occasionally when needed' to 'two life-threatening attacks in 3 months' over the course of 1.5 years, it makes you wonder what could possibly be next?

There's a lot I will or might be missing out on this week because of this: my college choir has the 'advent vigil' after college in the chapel on Tuesday, which I almost certainly won't make, and which is actually quite a lovely occasion; I was set to have my first proper driving lesson on Thursday afternoon; I'll be missing hockey training on Tuesday night, and skating practice on Wednesday afternoon; and my ice hockey team is set to have a team Christmas do on Saturday evening, which I so much want to go to. So much. Hey, maybe I'll still make it?

But then again, maybe I won't.

So now on Prednisolone, Amoxicillin, regular nebs, my inhalers 2 puffs 3 times a day and as-needed, currently my Fostair 2 puffs 3 times a day (but that shall change once I've seen the apparently-very-good resp doctor, who also happens to be an intensivist as well) and my Montelukast.

Plenty of my friends have joked about how I can enjoy a few days off college, which I guess is kind of relaxing..but I'd rather be there than stuck alone in a hospital room with no laptop, no Series Boxsets, no games, and all my friends only messaging me intermittently because they're all at college.

On the upside, at least until I'm transferred from MAU to resp ward, I've got my own room!

[starveycat]

Hello servewithmintsauce gosh you really are getting it tough,sorry. Hope you don't miss too much of your Christmas celebrations. Wish I could do more to help you and cheer you up. Still as I am old enough to be your grandma I shall send you a big cuddly hug ( I know yuk ) ♥

[Minushabens]

It sounds like you're having a pretty awful time of it. I really hope that you start to feel better soon & get back to being able to do all those things you want to do

[flossiew]

I'm really sorry to hear you have been so unwell... Take care x

[Tracey1972]

Hi sorry to hear u not well but glad u feeling better hopefully they won't keep u to long all the best

[Cresswhy]

Your in the best place, I know how you feel - just take each day as it comes and you will improve.

Best wishes for a speedy recovery 🎅

[C1ara]

Hi servewithmintsauce,

You have my sympathy. I have also had a similar journey, going from occasional ventolin user to 2 x hospital this year and lots of time off work with regular chest infections / asthma. Its very frustrating.

One thing I have learnt over this time is to nip in in the bud - two weeks ago I started feeling rubbish and instead of thinking, oh I'm just tired or a bit run down etc (which is what I previously thought), I went straight to my lung consultant and got on 40mg prednisone and antibiotics. Like you I don't get the typical wheeze / cough either, so its a bit confusing for me - I just get short of breath and lightheaded.

Getting in early seems to have helped me avoid hospital this time (fingers crossed!). So hopefully, you can also get in quicker next time, so it won't be as bad, so try not to worry - sometimes its just a matter of adapting your response to those (new) symptoms to get it back under control.

Remember to take your rest as you need it after such an episode - going back too quick and your lungs wont have time to recover properly either.

Good luck with the recovery, and rest easy.

Clara

[snoubelles]

Hi Servewithmintsauce,

Sorry to hear about your rubbish time! So glad you avoided ICU & are stabilising.

Boy you've got a busy social life! All sounds great - hope you don't miss too much of it!

I can empathise a bit with asthma getting worse - I went from grown out of it, to once a year 5 days of oral pred to 4 admissions & narrowly avoiding ICU this year. My have missed 4 months work so far & my life is currently reduced to being able to do one thing for a couple of hours each day - so your social life sounds like a dream!! Still Im greatful for what I am able to do & know there are lots of others who'd love to be in my position! - but remember when you're getting sick & you're at college - normal is what you're friends do & you feel like you're missing out on so much!

Hoping for you that the reason you were readmitted & had this attack was because your inhaler was at wrong dose & that the combination of being at the right dose & seeing this great specialist will help things stabilise again with no more admissions!

(I've just started being seen at difficult asthma clinic so also hoping their expertise will stabilise me).

Hope you get out & back to your Christmas activities soon!

[Hidden]

Hi servewithmintsauce,

Sympathies, but you are in the right place. Take it easy and don't go mad when they let you out or you'll end up back in.

Look after yourself.