Don't get in a huff, just puff! (My Experience of Asthma)

Member Name: Grimsbygal

Product:	My Experience of Asthma
Date:	24/07/01 (134 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: you can control it

Disadvantages: it does effect you

Imagine the feeling. Your chest is being crushed as if someone is forcefully sat on you. You try to breathe but struggle to gasp for air. You feel weak and begin to panic. You sigh in relief as you see in the corner of your eye your little blue saviour. You quickly grab it and try to catch enough breath to push some ventolin down your airway. Slowly the huge weight rises taking the pressure off your chest. Your ordeal is over, at least until next time.

My story began as a young child. My mum used to often take me to the doctors with a cough and she was constantly told that I was attention seeking. Back then people believed what their doctors said and very rarely went elsewhere for a second opinion. I used to struggle during and after sport and we used to put it down to the fact I was unfit even when playing football at least three times a week.

In 1998 I was round at my now ex boyfriends and all of a sudden I froze. My chest had gone really tight and I struggled to breathe. Fortunately for me my ex-boyfriend had quite severe asthma and recognised the symptoms. He calmed me down and it worked. I felt as if I was dying. I really panicked and it made me cry, I was so scared. He insisted I went to the doctors the next day and I was diagnosed with asthma. He measured my peak flow and apparently it was really low for my age and height. I was given a ventolin inhaler and told to take it on a daily basis.

For the next year I went through highs and lows. Some days I would be fine but others I would have a constant pain in my chest. As I had lived for so long with the condition before I was diagnosed I was used to controlling my breathing without using the ventolin and only resorted to it in scary situations.

Just before I went to university in 1999 my chest began to get tighter. I had to go and see the nurse for a blood test to be tested for another condition and I mentioned the state of my asthma to her. She advised me to go back to my
doctor and get some sort of preventer which would enable me to control my asthma. When I went to see him I was told it was just due to the fact I was leaving home and I was getting worried and he told me to up my dose of ventolin.

When I told my new doctor this a few weeks later, he was quite disgusted. I was actually making matters worse taking the ventolin four times a day and I was becoming immune to it. Due to this it meant if I had an attack it wouldn’t have the same effect. I was prescribed with two different types of preventer to try and resolve the situation. I soon began to feel better.

Many people do not know much about asthma. The fact is around 3.4million people have asthma in the UK. This averages 1 in every 7 children and 1 in every 25 adults. 20% of people with asthma can be described as having a severe or very severe condition. In 1997 there were 1584 deaths that were caused by asthma. These are quite scary statistics and will more than likely mean every one of you knows someone with asthma. Maybe it is a friend, or your sister or maybe even your child.

I urge everyone to learn at least the basics about asthma. This will provide an understanding of the disease and may even prove to be useful if you ever have children diagnosed with asthma.

Asthma is a disease of the lungs and of the air tubes leading to them. Asthma causes the walls of the bronchioles to swell and produce mucus so that it becomes difficult to breathe.

Anyone can get asthma. It is particularly common in children; although many of them will outgrow it by the time they are 15. However, asthma can begin at any age.
No one is sure what causes asthma although the bronchioles of many people who have asthma are more sensitive than usual to certain triggers.

Triggers can include pollen, house dust, animal hair, tobacco smoke, pollutants, weather changes and infections such as cold or sore throats. I find that cigarette sm
oke really affects me and I often have to walk out of pubs because I cannot bare people smoking in my face. House dust is a killer and starts with me sneezing and eventually moves onto my chest.

The common symptoms of asthma include shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and a feeling of tightness in the chest. Symptoms vary from one person to another. Some attacks come on slowly, with gradually worsening symptoms over a number of days: other times the symptoms come very quickly with little or no warning. Very often I can be watching television and all of a sudden my chest will tighten and cause me to have to reach for the ventolin.

Doctors can find it hard to diagonose people with asthma and I think this leads to some people been given inhalers that are not necessary and others not given what they need. Because asthma comes and goes, you may have no symptoms at all when you see your doctor. Your doctor can measure your breathing using a peak flow meter. (A whole new opinion)

If you suspect your child has asthma suggest this to your doctor. If they are not convinced suggest a trial period to see if an inhaler improves your child’s condition.

Inhalers give many medicines of asthma. Most people with asthma need to take inhaled medicines just when they are feeling bad but others take inhaled medicines on a regular basis. There are two types of inhalers – relievers and preventers.

Reliever inhalers contain medication such as ventolin that open up the air tubes. These are nearly always blue. They don’t prevent or control asthma but make the symptoms better. They work quite quickly and will improve your situation if you fell short of breath. They can be used whenever needed. I often find that too much of this inhaler causes hyperactivity any also causes me to shake.

Preventer inhalers relive the swelling and mucas that cause the airways to be blocked in the first place. They can prevent asthma
attacks when taken regular.

With modern treatment, almost everyone with asthma should be able to lead a normal life. Sport should not be affected and regular sport activity should lead to a more controlled condition. I feel better when I am playing sport. The best sport to do if you have asthma is swimming. This is well known for improving asthma and although I have not tried swimming regularly myself it is meant to work.

If you or your child has asthma you have to make sure people are aware of it. Tell your childs teachers and make sure they have inhalers on hand if your child has problems whilst at school. If your child has very severe asthma you will probably find that they build up a relationship with the school nurse.

I also recommend dusting with a wet cloth if somebody in your home has asthma. This prevents the dust from spreading and irritating the sufferer. A dyson may be an expensive tip but they really do help asthmatics.

One thing you have to do if you asthma is severe is regularly go for a asthma check up. This will help both you and your doctor and make sure you have your asthma under control.

One thing that often makes my asthma worse is by panicking. You have to learn to not panic and concentrate on breathing.

I find that back massages from my fiancé help me. Not because he is brilliant at it but because he rubs me in all the right places and often improves the condition of my airways.

I know this sounds strange but I also find that alcohol affects my asthma. People often laugh when they hear this but it is true and if you put me in a pub and make me drink a few I will probably be wheezing before you know it. Due to this I very rarely drink and when I do I make sure I have an inhaler to hand.

I could go on forever about this topic but I will let you all read this first. If you want more information either email me or request it in the comments section and I will increase
the length. I cannot believe it has taken me this long to write about this topic.

If you want to find out more but cannot bear the thought of me waffling on any longer there are plenty of websites that are very informative about the subject. The best ones I have visited are as follows,

www.asthma.org.uk
www.asthma-help.co.uk
www.actionasthma.co.uk

There are many more I could recommend but we haven’t got all day.

Take Care

Grimsbygal

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