Pro - Does anyone else's nest boxes get soaked in rain?

[Mrs Webmuppet]

Question for the medical types out there. Is it possible for asthma to come back after 12 odd years of no symptoms? I was taken ill yesterday and the doctors surgery put me on a nebuliser and gave me inhalers, but were baffled as to why my asthma should return after all these years.

[Willow]

No medical training just have asthma and mine can be very variable. I had one job where it was dreadful. I thought it might be the cleaning materials used in the office but it was stress. Since leaving my asthma has cleared up

 

What has changed lately?

[Mrs Webmuppet]

The only things I can think of is that theres been a fair amount of stress at work (too much work, staffing shortages , annual staff reports etc), the gorse and trees are flowering like crazy and I might have some virus that's going around (not a major virus just one that makes you feel a bit below par) I suppose it might just be a case of system overload .......the straw that broke the immune systems back.

[Cat tails]

I have (or have had...) asthmatic allergies. When I was in my teens, something triggered it (never really found out what it was, but it seemed to coincide with the onset of hay fever). It hasn't really bothered me the last few years, but hay fever season is never fun. Next to sneezing I also have coughing and shortness of breath.

 

Was your asthma allergy related?

[Daphne]

As I'm sure you know, stress is a common trigger, alongside pollens, dust, animal fur, chemicals etc. I haven't had it at all during my Portugal sojurns (just 2 years, not 12!), but one night spent at a friend's house with cats brought it back immediately. My money would be on stress, or pollens - there are a lot about at the moment - or as you say, an unfortunate combo with a virus.

[Valkyrie]

Yes - it happened to me too. I had asthma as a child and it sort of stopped when I developed hayfever when I was 11. At the start of this year I had flu that went on and on and the cough went on for a couple of months. Eventually the doc said it was asthma, gave me the blue inhaler (I had that for the allergy to swimming and I use it when walking because I have always had trouble with hills and it helps), but it did nothing. I went back 2 weeks later, saw a new doc fresh out of med school and I was prescribed a short course of steroid tablets (I say they were magic tablets as they were almost instantaneous in working) and a brown inhaler. I haven't gone back for a repeat as I've felt OK, but I do wheeze and I've started coughing again - although nowhere near as bad as in January/February. The cough was so severe it was making me throw up - and then I had medicine for a hiatus hernia! Luckily that's eased off too.

[gavclojak]

The only things I can think of is that theres been a fair amount of stress at work (too much work, staffing shortages , annual staff reports etc), the gorse and trees are flowering like crazy and I might have some virus that's going around (not a major virus just one that makes you feel a bit below par) I suppose it might just be a case of system overload .......the straw that broke the immune systems back.

 

Could it have been a panic or anxiety attack?

[Mrs Webmuppet]

I spoke to my Dad last night and he said the symptoms I had earlier this week were exactly the same as I had when I was younger. He said he wasn't likely to forget as I had frightened the life out of him.

[Alis girls]

Asthma waxes and wanes. To have in childhood and then not again for years is not uncommon. Are you on oral steroids?

[Grandmashazzie]

My OH had asthma as child which was away for around 30 years, in last few years he get wheezy with tight chest in April/May for aroun 2-3 weeks.The rest of the summer he is fine.During those weeks he goes through several ventolin inhalers.We presume he has a very specific allergy to certain pollen but have never investigated.

[Mrs Webmuppet]

The nurse has put me on Becotide and Ventolin. I have to back on Tuesday, to see the nurse .One of the doctors from the surgery phoned today to check on me.I assume that if he wasn't happy that I was on the mend they would had me up the surgery this afternoon.

[Willow]

I was taken by surprise how bad my asthma got in one job. I've always had stressful jobs but this was the stress where you have no control and triggered it in a way Normal overload of work and deadlines never did.

Take it as a message to take things a bit slower and focus on your needs for a bit. a bad asthma attack is scary

[Alis girls]

I am surprised yoyu dint have oral steroids for 7 days. Whats your peak flow (blowy thing) can you remember?

[Alis girls]

Apologies for pants spelling

[Mrs Webmuppet]

They didn't take a peak flow reading on Wednesday, I could hardly breathe enough for the nurse to listen to my chest.I know from when I had asthma in the past my max. reading was 600 and my worst was around 300. When I go back I'm going to ask for a peak flow meter.

[Alis girls]

600 is very good for a woman. My expected is around 450 (5ft9) I normally blow 400ish. I should ask for rescue pack of oral steroids and prob antibiotics and a asthma plan when you got to see nurse. PF meter is a good idea too.

[Valkyrie]

I agree - the steroid tablets kick in so fast it's amazing. I had to take 6 tablets in the morning for 5 days. Took the first lot when I got the prescription home and the second lot in the morning and by that same afternoon I was able to dig weeds in the garden! I also had to have 2 puffs with the brown steroid inhaler every morning too. We had to rehome our pups as I was allergic, but not allergic to cats. Bunny fluff makes my eyes swell up and I get jelly coating over the whites - sometimes garden dust will do that. With the hayfever I think it was everything - I'd start in February and it would ease off in October. I did have tests but it showed grass only. Thankfully I have at long last built up an immunity - only took 40 years though.

[Mrs Webmuppet]

I'm hoping that when I see the nurse on Tuesday we can sort out a plan of action. I was so out of it on Wednesday any hope of conscious / sensible/ rational thought was a no no. I will bear in mind all the suggestions you have come up with.

 

I'm only 5ft2 but for some reason I have a huge lung capacity, they used to reckon it was due to the swimming I did as a teen. I can still swim 14 meters in one breath ( well I could until last week ).

[mimi5]

Hi there Asthma is a funny old beast. I was diagnosed as an adult in my early twenties. But looking back I think I did have it mildly as a child too. Something I have noted is that it is getting worse with age

 

Stress definitely sets mine in to a downward spiral. Sadly in recent times I've bad a bucket full I also had work stress, having to change jobs twice in just under 18 months.

 

I used to have the brown & blue inhalers. But my doctors are all about maintaining good lung function and so a few years ago my treatment changed. It's more preventative now and on going. I'm on Ventolin (reliever) and Seretide (preventer) a purple (125mg) & lilac (50mg) inhaler(s) The stronger dose is for my weaker periods, for me autumn to spring. The smaller dose I take over the summer ........or forget mostly What really helps is using a volumatic - spacer. I have 2 of these Aero chambers, one with me and one at home Using one daily really means you take in your full dose well I've had the steriod tablets only twice, but they are great

 

Also you get to know your "triggers" My worst is leaf mould in the latter part of autumn/winter. Exercise is also a trigger and of course stress!

 

Once your asthma is under control, you'll be able to discuss how you manage it. It may well settle right down again for you Let's hope so!

[Valkyrie]

A friend of mine suffers badly with asthma and been on so many steroids that her skin has thinned an awful lot. She moved to Devon when her husband retired but they returned when her husband was diagnosed with cancer and she wanted to be near the children and grandchildren. She got very ill with her asthma and the doctor said it was because her house was slap bang on top of a pine forest which was the cause! So they moved again to a different area and she got better again. I never knew pine was a known trouble maker!!!

[mimi5]

Hi there Mrs Webmupet Was thinking of you and your visit to the doc/nurse. How did you get on? Any news?

[Daphne]

Yes, I was wondering as well. Recently my niece has been hospitalised several times with asthma, she has to have more than the normal dose of steroid to manage it in crisis, which obviously isn't sustainable or good for you I wouldn't have thought. Its always worse in the autumn (she is in Australia), I wonder if leaf mould (or pine!) has anything to do with it I will mention it to my brother, so this thread has been useful for me too, thank you.

 

The only time I took steroids for asthma, they made me feel better almost immediately, and able to go on holiday whereas before I couldn't even walk 15 mins to the surgery. I felt so full of energy I could walk all day and then eat all evening - I was always ravenous, and in Austria, home of the cream cake and coffee with cream so not so good for the waistline

[Mrs Webmuppet]

The appointment went ok, the nurse was a little confused because she thought I had been given steroid tablets (I hadn't). She ran various checks and declared that I was much improved on last week . I have to pick up a peak flow meter from the pharmacy tomorrow to help monitor my asthma. I have another appointment for the doctors in a month for a check up (with the proviso that if I deteriorate before then I attend the surgery PDQ). I'm off to the chest clinic at the hospital on Monday for tests too (to check my heart -a precautionary measure).

 

I felt fine until I had to park on the 10th floor of the multi storey car park (on the very top of the car park)it was so windy I couldn't breathe then when I made it to the office, the air con had died and it was like a sauna