Recent Attack - Major Wake up Call (long post)

Evening all, apologies as I have not been on here for longer than I can remember!

Just want to share a recent experience I had with my asthma.

I'm pretty rubbish at controlling it, tending to puff away on my blue inhaler at least 2-3 times a day and never managing to take my preventative twice daily (I have a purple disc).

Anyway, some of my triggers are having a cold, or being stressed or generally run down. I am rather susceptible to having colds which as probably like many of you guys goes straight to my chest. Well I though I was developing a cold during one day, groggy head, developed a cough that just would not go away which was getting worse, by the end of the day, felt really rough, cough was really quite nasty and apparently looked rougher than a bears behind. By the time I was going home I thought I was developing an attack but combined with what I thought was a cold I never did anything about it that is until I got home. By this time it took me ten minutes to cross a footbridge over a train station, made it home and couldn't string a sentence together.

My wife eventually called for an ambulance, paramedics arrived quite quickly, had a bit of a temperature, breathing brought under control a little bit, oxygen levels were very low, a little under 90% and peakflow, well I could hardly blow 60. Got taken to A & E on blues and twos, first time my Wife was seriously concerned, particularly when the paramedic said that ""he's really not a very well chap"". Had several nebs, oxygen levels were not coming back up so ended up with having ABG's (5 in total so I was told) which was hovering at around 80%. If you have never had one, trust me, you don't ever want to have one, I think they peeled me off the ceiling after the first one. The A & E Dr thought that I had pneumonia. all the things I was connected to kept on making alarm noises and had nurses running round like headless chickens. Eventually when I was stable enough, I was transferred to intensive care for I understand around 24hrs and then taken down to a ward.

One thing that was ""interesting"" and not experienced before was that I have always been given 40mg of pred after an attack and never experienced any side effects. This time it was upped to 50mg, this blew my socks off, I was awake all night, my eye lids needed matchsticks to keep them open but I was wide awake and physically buzzing! so now know what that feels like to any poor person that suffers these side effects with pred.

Anyway, up shot was, I ended up in hospital for a week, was given a gsk spacer (had a volumatic before which for me personally is a waste of time and so was sceptical about the spacer but this I found was spot on). I had seen the doctors and they said they were not going to give me any anti-biotics as they thought that I didn't have a cold. Initially I was not convinced about this as I genuinely thought I had a could because of the cough. However, as it turned out, they were dead right. I didn't actually have a cold, I had experienced a major asthma attack. In total, I had 2 weeks off work it really screwed me up. I have had attacks before, but nothing like this, previously it has been a case of monitoring in A & E for 4 hours and off I go with a hand full of pred. Some of this is from what I have been told and some from what I can remember, I can't remember most of it.

One thing you did ought to know is that I am a smoker, and it is this that has brought on Asthma. Above is a good example for why you should stop if you do smoke. I managed for 3 weeks after this attack to stop smoking, it smelt disgusting and physically made me sick if I stood next to someone who was or had had a smoke. However, I fell off the horse and have started again. I'll be trying to stop again in the very near future.

Have now had a spirograph test, hmmm, apparently have the lungs of a 69yr old, I'm 39. It also suggested that I have mild obstruction..... COPD as well as asthma. Have changed my preventative and now on symbicort which is a massive change as well as taking it every day, breathing is much easier. Combinded with no smoke, life's good.

Thanks for reading, just thought I would share my experience, I still have major difficulties in distinguishing between a cold and an attack though, a working progress.

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Hugs!! Really severe asthma attacks are terrifying!! Longest admission has been 2 weeks and was very poorly. And was discharged a couple of days ago after 5 days after (for me!) a not too severe attack!!

Symbicort is good if it works for you my PEFR variation stops me inhaling it

ABGs are awful but if it's done well you can hardly feel and get very little brusing!!y wrists are a horrible state at the min though

Are you now under a consultant? Hopefully that combined with changing preventer (plz rember to take! Lol) and not smoking will help!

Take care!!

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Hi Laurs, not under a consultant, still with my Asthma nurse who to be fair is very good. The smoking has been very difficult as I have been a smoker for 20 plus years. Something else that came out over Christmas is that I now cannot drink alcohol, in particular red wine, one glass will put me in hospital with breathing difficulties. Gutted as now t-total.

Yes, attacks can be scary and whilst I'd like to think I took things in my stride, I think that it was the worst one I'd have and can full appreciate anyone that suffers like this on a more frequent basis.

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Hi Meady

So sorry you have been so poorly, and I really hope you start to feel better very soon. It's good to hear from you again though, welcome back to the boards! I have never been in intensive care with my asthma I have only been to resus a couple of times. It definitely sounds like you should be under a consultant though. anyway all the best.

Lejaya

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Hi Lejaya, good to be back. I had never really taken asthma seriously until now (my own that is). Certainly don't want to be back in A & E. I guess I am fortunate that I don't have too many serious episodes, maybe once / twice a year I will have a trip to A & E.

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Just realised, it's been 5 years since I last posted on here!!!!!

To add to the Asthma, I also have severe obstructive sleep apnoea and am on CPAP, makes breathing at night interesting.