..and back on the steroid tablets I go........!

Had private appointment with chest consultant this afternoon( after NHS admitted they couldn't give me a follow up appointment for several weeks). Sadly the inflammation and coughing up yucky plugs of brown phlegm require a 3 week clobbering with Pred tablets🙄. Does explain why my inhalers weren't doing much though. Had an informative chat about mucous plugs getting lodged in far flung bits of the lungs then being coughed up looking like coiled up worms. Quite fascinating if slightly disgusting. And yes....they have been tested for bacterial infection, none found. I was lucky to be able to borrow some money to pay the fee today, waiting longer was not an option. My GP wouldn't agree to change any of my inhalers as "they were prescribed by the consultant and you need to speak to him"....easier said than done!!!

[Poobah]

Did you see a different consultant or your usual consultant, albeit privately? Have they recommended different inhalers? Even though you saw a consultant on a private basis they can request the GP prescribe medication on an NHS basis, as long as the meds are NICE recommended. Any meds that are unlisted by NICE would be prescribed privately and paid for by the patient. Each Trust has a published statement about Private/NHS interface prescribing and treatment.

Hope the Pred does the trick!

[Hidden in reply to Poobah]

Hi Poobah, it was my usual chest consultant. And, bless him, he issued a prescription for me to take to my GP, so no cost for the meds. He has tried me on Relvar 184/22 plus Incruse Ellipta, both one daily dosage, but they were only lasting 5 hours then wearing off leaving me relying on Ventolin to breathe. Then he changed them to Serevent and Clenil 200, that was even worse, hardly touched it😥. Getting symptoms in the night on both regimes. It's a bit of a puzzle, but the awful cough and fatigue I have had for over 6 months need sorting out. For 40 yrs I have had only minor flare ups and well controlled on Qvar100 4 puffs daily. Then June 2020 and WHAM - complete hissy fit from both lungs!!🙄 We'll get there......got to stay positive.

[Poobah in reply to Hidden]

Asthma can be so weird. As you say, years of control and then for no reason everything heads south. I can remember years ago trying to figure out why my asthma was flaring up, I even got my pharmacist to contact the manufacturer of my inhalers to check if they had changed their contents in any way. Then trying different meds in order to regain control. No rhyme or reason sometimes. Well, here's hoping the Pred helps get rid of all the phlegm.

[Emzcat41]

It can be hard to stay positive when you are so fed up of it all - but good on you for keeping that mind frame! I try myself and mostly succeed (with the odd mardy lol)

Fingers crossed it settles very soon and you get back to yourself.

Keep safe