Asthma

[Chelseablue]

Been struggling with tight chest , wheezy for last cpl months ( had this last year too similar time of year) Told i have asthma , different inhalers to take . Its a struggle in this weather in winter , has anyone any tips on making tge condition more bearable etc. thanks

[datasaint]

Get an urgent appointment with your GP, tell them your asthma is not under control. You may need to up you dose of steroids to keep symptoms at bay.

www.Asthma.org.uk is another good source of advice you can phone and speak to an asthma nurse.

[Chelseablue]

Been told the inhalers dont kick in right away , so ill give it a cpl weeks and see , just on them cpl days so far. 20 odd winters in RM and this now .

[clashcityrocker]

You can multidose with the salbutamol.

[Chelseablue]

Is it ok to use the salbutamol a few times a day ?

[SMS1969]

Is it ok to use the salbutamol a few times a day ?

My wife has Asthma she says use the preventer morning and night and the reliever a few times a day, so yes you can use it a few times.
If that doesn’t work, you can ask your GP to prescribe Fostair ( beclometasone dipropionate ) which is stronger and you can still use your reliever during the day.

[clashcityrocker]

Is it ok to use the salbutamol a few times a day ?

Use the salbutamol until the tightness goes away.

[Chelseablue]

Thanks everyone for replys !

[Gary55]

If your office is quite dusty might be worth asking for any allergy test. If you have untreated underlying allergies it could make things worse.

[pieoftheday]

I double dose on the preventer twice a day, if you have to use the blue inhaler every day you need to see the asthma nurse

[Foxel]

I was diagnosed with asthma as a child, so I may be able to help with a few tips. I tend to have a worse time in early summer/ grass pollen season. This would often have me walking up in the night needing to use my inhaler but not getting much relief from it. For the rest of the year, my inhaler tends to work pretty immediately.

Things that have helped me. Peaking my cardio fitness score; I know we do a lot of cardio anyway, but going out for a job or doing 30 seconds a day of high-intensity exercise can help you glide over problematic season. This became all the more important as we get older, and might explain why people develop these season issues as they age.

Use a peak-flow-meter to monitor your lung's ability to breathe out air, it is great for monitoring how asthma is currently affecting you and your airwaves and can reinforce what strategies are working for you.

Breathing techniques. I was always told to practice these, but was never given any. Then you'd hear being saying take deep breaths, which is the worst advice. Practice shallow breathing throughout the day, always breathe through the nose when comfortable. I even sellotape my mouth shut when sleeping. Check out the Buteyko, The science behind it is quite interesting.

Take a 1-a-day antihistamine during the difficult period.

Make sure you are getting enough vitamin D.

And like everything else, your diet can have a big impact.

I can give you more advice on any of these if you need it.

I'm 40 and probably have better control over my asthma than I've ever had, though I still (mentally) need my Salbutamol inhaler with me at all times.

Good luck, hope you find a suitable solution.

[Chelseablue]

Thanks foxel , good tips !

[clashcityrocker]

Have they given you a Ventolin inhaler or one of the smaller generic salbutamol inhalers.
If it is the latter try and get them to prescribe Ventolin.

[calsae]

It’s also worth getting your Asthma put on your RM record as a disability. It means if you need time off the Com can’t ignore it or has to take it into account as a disability at work. Best advice is get a chat with your Asthma nurse as soon as possible.

[Chelseablue]

Got a follow up in 3 weeks, voice is bit throaty and bit run down. Swishing water after inhaler hopefully feel better soon. Hearing bout spacers ?