Asthma

[PJ2013]

I have asthma and handle it in my life very easily. I have it well controlled. However since I became pregnant my asthma has got worse. The asthma nurse told it would get better but not in my case. Has anyone else experienced this? I'm worried I am taking my reliever far too much. Because I didn't get to see a midwife at my 20 week scan I wasn't able to get any advice. I am going to have to go to doctor about this but just wanted to hear if anyone else had experienced this.

[Kaleidoscope]

Hi PJ2013, I have asthma too and like yourself it hasn't improved with pregnancy but felt worse. I was told it can go either way with asthma during pregnancy. I certainly find myself getting out of breath and feeling tight in the chest. I went to see my GP the other week because it felt like my asthma wasn't managed very well. I have a good preventer which I was reassured wouldn't harm the baby or me and the same for the reliever. So an adjustment to the dosage was made which seems to have helped.

I certainly recommend seeing your GP as soon as you can. Asthma is awful, I can't stand that feeling of being unable to breath properly. With the extra weight of the baby and our organs moving about it can impact us differently.

I hope that you feel some relief soon.

x

[PJ2013 in reply to Kaleidoscope]

Thank you for replying. It's good to know this isn't all in my head and someone else is going throug it too. I'm going to try and get an appointment today or tomorrow. If this is what I am like now I'm worried once the baby does get bigger and moves up. Thank you for your reassurance.

[Skyblueboston]

I too have asthma, I take my seretide 250 mg 4 doses a day this is my preventer, then I have my ventolin if I get tight chested.

For me my asthma is ok, but the seretide is strong stuff I ave been on it for years, without it I wouldn't be able to breathe normally.

Around 10 weeks I got bad asthma I just upped my meds for a few days, I think it was my body adjusting.

I'm now 22 weeks and I do get breathless when waling or doing alot of activity but not in the asthma way I don't feel tight chested.

Do u have a preventer? If not maybe they will start u on one?

Do tv worry about using ventolin for a reliever , 20 puffs is the equivalent to a small dose on a nebuliser. Make sure you use a spacer( volumatic) it acts like a nebuliser making sure you do not lose any of your dose out if your mouth. You can pump 10 puffs in, then you slowly breathe inane out of it, again it's a brilliant way to control an attack.

Good luck xx

[PJ2013 in reply to Skyblueboston]

Thank you for replying. I already take seritide as a preventer and ventolin as my reliever. Went to docs today and they have given me one of those wee chambers. You know the thing that children use. Ha! Well I will try anything to help me. So I have that to try and then if that doesn't help then they will up my doses of seritide the joys of being pregnant!

[Skyblueboston in reply to PJ2013]

Ah bless, you now have a volumatic, yep these are brilliant, you can pump upto ten puffs of ventolin in at one time and then slowly breathe in and out, acts as a nebuliser.

Hope this works better for u xx

[PJ2013 in reply to Skyblueboston]

I have been experimenting with my new gadget. I feel so silly using it. It will take a bit of time to get the technique right. It's like going back to basics ha!