First consultant appointment

[Prestart55]

I am dreading this as not done peak flows regular for a while. Last time i was ill I did do them. Also I got told off by a gp I don't usually see when I was ill for not doing them either so they could see a trend. And also said had i really got asthma because there was hardly any wheeze when sat in front of him with bad cold flu, been on steroids, and asking for antibiotics which incidentally i should have had when i first went but they didn't px when I had a temperature. I told him I never wheeze! None of my usual gps are that bothered and also I tend to go by symptoms as my peak flow is 550 and above and Drs usually say it is supposed to be 430 so don't actually take this into account when I'm actually really struggling. I did do them initially for a while so I can take all of them, and I am tempted to do 2/52 worth before go to the appointment. I struggle in morning as working quite far away from where live and not the most organised in a morning and prefer to stay in bed rather than peak flow! I'm a nurse 😂 ive not got the personality for a chronic condition!!

[Js706]

Sorry to hear you’ve had problems being taken seriously! I know there are a few people on here who may well appear later (Emma and Lysistrata 😜) who have much higher peak flows than predicted and have had problems like that!

It’s probably worth taking them and making a note of them for the next couple of weeks before your appointment (it may even just help get it on your records that your best is higher than predicted which might help with the GP).

Also if the GPs are occasionally questioning if it is actually asthma because of the lack of a wheeze (although non-wheezy asthma is definitely a thing!) then having a couple of weeks of peak flows might help show some of the classic asthma patterns (like it being lower in the morning, or dropping when you have other symptoms) to help back you up 😊

I know exactly how you feel about organisation though 😂 I used to be absolutely terrible for taking medications and monitoring things properly - although unfortunately my asthma is now so uncontrolled that I’ve had to change my ways 😅 (bright sides I guess!).

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

My ears are burning lol...

As Js706 says I am another one with weird peak flow - predicted best 470, actual best 630. Mine also doesn't behave as expected a lot of the time - will sit there being rubbish for me while I'm off to work then look fine and suddenly I need an ambulance. In my case playing the oboe and singing for years probably pushed it up. If you've ever played a wind or brass instrument or done a lot of sport then mention it to the consultant as it will help them understand why it's so high. Personally I find FEV1 (I hsve a fancy meter that does both) is more useful for me.

I find the response to Ventolin with peak flow is more use than the actual number a lot of the time. It might be worth doing some pre and post readings before your appointment as well as the daily numbers, so you can show what happens when you take it. The consultant might want to do spirometry with reversibility if you haven't already (insist on doing the reversibility whatever your results are initially. Sometimes they don't want to do it if the first part is 'normal' which really shows a total lack of understanding of why the test is being done.)

Hope this helps- totally sympathise with bed > peak flow lol.

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador]

🔥👂👂🔥 😂

I’m another with a 630 best but predicted of 460 (I think). It has mainly caused me issues in a&e because my 50% is basically 70% my predicted so if the triage doesn’t listen to me I can be a while til I get the correct meds I need 🙈. I’ve also been told that I was having a panic attack by a&e triage cause there wasn’t a wheeze (PF at 35% 😒) - majors went into meltdown when I finally convinced the minors doc I needed to be there 4 hours later 😅.

And you’re not alone in PF avoidance- I used to never do mine until hosp cons insisted (after a really severe attack). 😒🙄😡 for that GP! Not everyone wheezes (as you know 😉) and your asthma was already being treated!

Do you have an asthma plan? If not fill one out and then shove that in their faces when they ignore your PF issues (esp if your PF is a reliable indicator and drops when you’re bad!)

I agree with Js706 and Lysistrata. Try and do it regularly now in the lead up (pre and post) so you can demonstrate where you’re at, how stable you are and reversibility. Personally I now take my PF a lot (I don’t notice my symptoms til I’m really in trouble so take it mostly when I reach for my ventolin) but rarely record it anywhere. I also struggle with organisation in the mornings (and leaving my nice warm bed!) so stick it in my bag and just do it at work.

From what I remember of my 1st cons appt I wasn’t asked about my PF too much - just what my best was and my current score. It was more about the drugs and triggers and symptoms etc. It was always the ANs that looked at my PF chart (when I did them 😅) - at least at that hosp - each hosp does it differently!

Hope it goes well for you!

[Dietrech]

Hi, I’m a retired surgical ward sister and being ill doesn’t sit well with me either! I’ve never smoked but always been asthmatic, now have brochiectasis and COPD! Just make up your peak flows, I do as they don’t affect treatment as far as I’m concerned! My peak flow is 200 to 250 but that’s my degree of lung disease. Good luck with your appt. xxxxx

[Angel-Girl]

I have similar peak flow issues mine is always 250 even when I was fully asthma attack and on machines never changes. Idiot consultant said do not go into hospital unless it drops 70 points. It never has ever. I monitor O2 sats as that is a much better guide for me. The hospitals have a sort of one fit policy and many people are different. I developed scarring on the lungs, asthma and bronchiectasis after catching swine flu in 2009. Hope your appointment goes well x

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to Angel-Girl]

I feel like I've had that same consultant... 'Don't do anything until your peak flow is under 50% best'. He used to interrogate me about why I went and what my PF was - being unable to speak properly or move out of my chair wasn't enough. For me sats maintain ok too which makes it harder but the sign is actually my PF not responding to Ventolin any more.

Oh and I also got here after swine flu - had asthma before but it was very mild, so swine flu turned it into a beast.