Newbie

[Debfruv]

Just a quick hi to everyone still not be diagnosed with asthma but on 4th course of steroids in 3 months and been told I need to get a nebuliser at home to stop this keep happening has anyone else been told this without a diagnosis?

[justTUX]

Hi and welcome!!

Sorry your having a bad time of it and needing so many steroids.

Also sorry too but have a few questions to see if can help you feel better and get what you need!!

Are you on inhalers in they are giving you steroids?? and what are they giving you steroids for? Who said you need a nebuliser as this is very very unusual in the UK if thats is where you are. Home nebulisers are not really given out just as and when. There is really strict guidelines to get one and a lot of people don't and just have to keep going to hospital, A and E or the GP to get a nebuliser treatment there when their chest is bad. It would tend to be a hospital consultant who can authorise you getting a nebuliser and then the hospital looks after it for you and deals with servicing it etc. I have one at home but have a very strict protocol for using it and how much I can use it before I need to get help.

I wonder why they are saying a nebuliser but not given you a diagnosis. In most circumstances you will do peak flow and given a reliever inhaler (normally blue) first then a preventer (steroid based) to calm the inflammation in the airways to take twice a day and then other add on treatments before a nebuliser is used and also they would try and find out what is driving your symptoms to see if it allergy or infection related to get you on the best kind of treatment.

Sorry for a lot of questions. Just want to try and help etc so you not having to have more and more steroids and have more time feeling ill.

JustTux

[Debfruv in reply to justTUX]

Just have a salbutamol inhaler to use and go told me yesterday to buy a nebuliser as when I get a cold within 24hours I can't breathe and inhaler does not work as my lungs are so congested.i have only got blue inhaler never done peak flow or any other test.

[juliesharp]

You do not say your age. Is it copd they think you have? What meds are they going to give you for in the nebuliser? Are they going to provide one? Please don't buy one if they want you to have it ask them to fund! I am guessing they is your gp? Have you seen a respiratory nurse or consultant? You may have a fight to get a referral as a lot of doctors are short on money. But fight!

[Debfruv]

I'm 50 and it's only been the last three months but my breathing gets so bad that I have to have steroids but go not giving me any answers as to why this is happening now

[johnsmith in reply to Debfruv]

Have you had a cold before the symptoms started. Many new asthma symptoms start after having a cold. Did you have a persistent cough after the cold which then went onto the asthma symptoms?

Has anyone checked for possible presence of bacteria in the lungs?

[Debfruv in reply to johnsmith]

I started with a cold on Monday night and by Wednesday morning I could barely breathe.no test been done once I feel better I'm going back to gp to get some answers to the many questions I have got.