Recovering from flare up

[Craigus]

Following my recent post, I thought I'd just ask to see if anyone has similar experiences when recovering from an attack or "exacerbation" as it says on my discharge letter.

Symptoms had been playing up for about 3 weeks prior to a hospital stay for 5 days, had lots of tests for other things done to rule out clots etc. Had a couple of X-rays and they showed some inflation of the lungs, but no focal consolidation (copd thing I assume?) I was probably hyperventilating which caused this, saw a Physio to give me some breathing exercises.

Spirometry showed good lung function and my peak flow throughout all of this hasn't dropped below 530. Finished the Prednisilone on Thursday (3rd day off of them now) and feel like I can do things slowly again. But I'm still short of breath.

Lung Specialist encouraged me not to take Ventolin unless I needed it as I have had a lot of it recently and my heart was beating double the speed it normally does. On Fostair and Montelukast now as IgE levels were quite high and just waiting to get better.

I'm just not used to the recovery phase of this. How long is a piece of string, but how long do you normally take to get over an exacerbation like I've had? I'm usually so fit and healthy and well controlled that although I was in and out of hospital with asthma when I was young I am really not used to this.

Thanks for any kind words.

[Scoobs87]

I had a flare up in November. I am still off work. Been on 3 lots of steroids. Got taken into hospital on 17th December. Kept in for a couple of hours. Still really breathless. I assume that it is the ventolin that caused my rapid heartbeat. This happened to me on Tuesday. It just feels like there’s no relief in sight. Hope you feel better soon

[Purplejane]

I know how you feel. I have been having an exacerbation since the beginning of November and am still SOB and coughing now. I have had 2 lots of steriods and 3 lots of antibiotics, had my inhalers changed twice ( now on Fostair 100/6)and am waiting for tests at the hospital. It started with a viral chest infection and I have never had such a long exacerbation. The doc's did tell me that my lungs are 'not as young as they were' - I'm 55 - and it would take me sometime to recover from a tenacious chest infection. How long sometime is I have no idea but I have been told it can take weeks to months as although the infection has gone the inflamation can hang around for alot longer.

[dubrun33]

Had a very similar situation. Upper respiratory infection in early December sent me to the hospital. I was given a short course of prednisone and some antibiotics. I felt better, then got a little worse, and ended up with bronchitis. Like you, Craigus, I haven't been this sick, or had bronchitis, since I was 7. (I'm 33 now.) What's happened is that I will be ok for a week or so, and then the inflammation comes back. It's very depressing, because I keep having these inflammatory relapses. I was given a second dose of prednisone which I started today.

All I can say is that I think patience is essential. I want to get back to normal right away, but it looks like this inflammation is hard to defeat once and for all. I just want to know for sure that it will reside eventually, and I'll get back to normal. I think we need to give our bodies more time, but I completely understand your wish to get back to the way things were.

[Hidden]

Yes I recognise your situation very well, get well soon.