Getting old sucks...!!!!!

[DollyDutchGirl]

I will turn 74 in April....and in May last year, after a generally, very healthy life, became pretty unwell, landed up in A&E - and was eventually diagnosed with Late Adult Onset Asthma and Mild Airways Disease. That seemingly proved difficult to get under control, however eventually, with the help of Ventolin, Fostair 200/6 and Spiriva - all taken together in the mornings - and Ventolin and Fostair 200/6 taken together in the evenings (on the suggestion of a professor at the Respiratory Clinic), things were getting better.

Then, life decided to throw me a curved ball on Christmas Day, when I woke up with a raging back ache. Fortunately, our daughter and her husband were doing the honours on the provisions and cooking front so, my husband managed to gently get me into the car - and out again. A post lunch walk was considered a possible help to my back pain however, that had to be terminated fairly quickly. Over the next few days the pain intensified and by the Sunday morning, it became unbearable to the point of my husband taking me to A&E. It appears we made the right call, because as soon as they took my blood pressure, everything went into overdrive - as it was 230/110...!!! The hospital teams worked really hard to try and discover the cause of the pain - (still uncertain) and to lower the blood pressure but, eventually kept me in the hospital for several day trying to get it under control. So now as well as all the asthma meds - I’m also dosed up with two lots of blood pressure meds plus, low dose aspirin together with two lots of pain killers....and an appointment to see my GP this Thursday. Thank goodness for our fabulous NHS. This getting old certainly isn’t for cissies....LOL

[HungryHufflepuff]

I'm sorry to know you're having such a difficult time recently. Hopefully things can start to improve soon and maybe you'll get some explanation for the sudden high blood pressure and pain. Best wishes for your appointment on Thursday 🤞

[SheilaC]

I'm sorry to hear about your problems at Christmas. I will also be 74 in April and started with asthma in my forties. I had pneumonia about 10 years ago which probably caused my bronchiectasis. A few years ago my coughing became worse and I was very wheezy. GPs just kept increasing my asthma medication. I researched the GPs via their website and discovered one has an interest in respiratory medicine. I went to her, told her I was losing weight without trying and I was ill! She looked away from her computer, looked at me and arranged a CT scan. All hell broke loose after that and to cut a long story short, I had to take three antibiotics every day for 18 months because of NTM. I have improved and have not had any antibiotic for 10 months now.

I have just spent three weeks in India (in a very clean hotel, next to the sea - no pollution). I swam a lot in the open air pool and went for walks along the lovely beach. We went to a very remote part of Cuba last February, just after I finished the antibiotics and my husband said he 'got me back'. I started to feel a lot better in the clean, hot air.

As you say, thank heaven for our NHS. I have been very well looked after.

[DollyDutchGirl in reply to SheilaC]

Hello SheilaC, I have had tests for NTM in October - however, my consultant kindly wrote to me saying that, as yet, it didn’t look like that was part of my lung problems. So it looks like the obstructive airways disease either the adult onset asthma has simply been a tad stubborn. I see him again on January 14th.

Because I had a left hip replacement in July 2015 - and a right hip replacement in November 2018....on my recent hospital admission they took numerous x-rays of the hip and lower spine, looking for a possible ‘structural’ problem for the intense pain but, nothing was apparent from those. The blood pressure is still potty - after the meds it can drop to 129/62 - however, within a few hours is dancing around 176/79....Which is way, way better than the 230/110 level it was. Hey Ho....’I’m still living, so guess I’m okay’....

[Wheezycat]

Tell me about it!! Yes, I totally agree. My significant asthma story started 6 years ago, then aged 64. It is in my family significantly, so I suspect the coughing I have specialised in since childhood was a sign of things to come. But I didn’t realise, or ignored if I suspected, so never did anything about it, and I think I habituated to having affected breathing. There was obviously no crisis point, but there were moments which I can easily see with hindsight. I was shocked last summer when I sorted my holiday insurance that I have been prescribed six medications due to my asthma. I absolutely don’t take them all daily - it includes a rescue pack with antibiotics and steroids - but it would not have happened were it not for my asthma. I am also on blood pressure medication, and in the latest round of changed guidelines for statins, I also got captured. So, yes, from basically nothing I am now on what feels like loads. I also have a touch of arthritis in one knee and in some of my fingers. I also sometimes get labyrinthitis when I go down with something else. Not dangerous at all, but very debilitating in its acute stage. At present I struggle going out for walks in the winter weather as my breathing is so affected, in spite of scarves and trying to start off slowly. I am terrible at remembering to take Ventolin, which if I did in a timely fashion might help at least a bit.

So, yes, it feels like one thing after the other. And I sort of keep drawing attention to it, that is I need to be careful about those walks, I don’t readily get on with wood burners, or indeed with cakes going slightly brown in ovens, or roast dinners, all due to the pollution caused by the cooking method. Nor do I get on well with scents, though some are so far fine or bearable, and then there are cleaning products etc, etc, etc. So it comes up all the time. As you say, it sucks.

But then I also compare myself to some people on here and I see that for all of that I am lucky. And I agree, we are so lucky to have NHS!

[Poobah]

Hello DollyDutchGirl. I'm sorry that you've accumulated so many illnesses in such a short time.

My one observation is that my blood pressure was doing OK before I was put on Spiriva. They even took my BP before prescribing it. But then when I asked if it can affect BP I was assured it didn't (despite the patient fact sheet saying otherwise). I had to come off it after several months as my BP was sky high.

I did some research & found that Eklira Genuair (same group of meds) had a better reputation. My research came up with so my asthmatics who had suddenly developed high BP after taking Spiriva.

If you know that your BP was OK before you started Spiriva then it maybe the culprit.

As for back pain - have you had a bone density test? Always a good idea as one gets more mature. But you should read your BP meds patient leaflets as joint pain maybe a side effect.

Re BP meds, my asthma specialist has taken me off Ramipril due to its reputation for giving asthmatics a persistent cough. I also had to come off Amlodipine due to water retention. Losartan is now being tried for my high BP but joint pains persist. Side effects are sometimes unavoidable but you have to try for the least worse option.

Wishing you all the best.

[Thomas45]

Goede dag, DollyDutchGirl. I'm 75 in June and have various ailments but just get on with life

They include permanent Atrial Fibrillation, chronic asthma since 1974, and lymphoedema in my lower legs so I wear below the knee length compression socks daily. In addition I have. Chronic urticaria, brought about as a very rare side effect of a beta blocker.

With asthma always take your preventer inhaler. It's easy to forget when you're breathing okay, but it's vital to take it as prescribed. At can annual asthma check-up I found my lung capacity was lower than I assumed it was. I'd become a bit complacent and was not breathing out as much as I should have before using my preventer inhaler.

Hopefully your high blood pressure will be sorted out soon.

As for getting old we've been doing that since we were born. I don't condider 74 or 75 as old, but just a bit older.