When to go to hospital/ call 111

[sohge]

My husband has asthma, which has suddenly got worse, from either a cold he has had or pollen, he saw the GP yesterday, got steroids- this morning he has woken up with more wheezing every time he coughs, and had a tight and painful chest, slightly short of breath as well, I know it says that if the blue inhaler doesn't help, we should get him to hospital, but he is being stubborn and doesn't want to, he is worried if we 111 and say he has a tight and painful chest, there will be a ambulance at the door, what should I do？

Ring 111 a d get an ambulance to the door. He needs seeing and if they turn up he likely wouldn't refuse to be seen. I'm assuming.

Better to call than a disaster.

You won't eed to say a tight and painful chest, you tell them he's asthmatic, short of breath, wjeezing abd that the blue inhaler isn't helping.

yes breathing issues are something ambulances are designed for - when DS had it the first responder was able to stabilise him before the ambulance took him in for overnight

At the moment though I would say he needs to go in it maybe the start of pnemonia or a chest infection

Thanks, I'm still trying to persuade him, he is taking his blue inhaler, but it's not helping, he has had the one off pneumonia vaccine as he also has a heart condition. It's not constant wheezing, mainly every time he coughs, though does have tightness in chest constantly.

I think the issue is, he doesn't want to go to a and e and just be a chest infection or something minor

Just make the call. He's being stubborn and stupid.

Call 111.

Far better a pissed off son than a seriously ill one.

Can you put it to him that he has the option of going to A&E himself or unnecessarily using an ambulance and all the fanfare involved in turning up to hospital in one - I’m not saying that because I don’t think asthma is serious (it definitely is) but it might make him be more agreeable to going if he feels it is more on his own terms and will be less fuss to just go himself.

Sometimes the ambulance can stabilise him with a nebuliser in the ambulance and he might not even need to go in.

But if he's able to get to A&E himself, OR better still go to his GP again today, that would be better.

I’d try an avoid getting an ambulance. Just tell him you’re taking him to a and e. Be firm. Threaten to call an ambulance if you must.

Even a nurse appointment with the GP could give him a shot on the nebuliser.

Ambulance OP, whether he likes it or not. I’ve nursed adults with brain damage due to complications with asthma.

Please call 111 the same thing happened my husband a few years ago, except he was so bad he asked me to call an ambulance. When the paramedics arrived they immediately linked him up to a nebulizer and even though that helped he was taken to hospital in an ambulance.

I think perhaps your husband is trying to be stoic but it wont help any of you if something awful happened cus he left it too late to seek help.

Managed to persuade him to go to a and e

Glad you read that, OP.

Nice work OP :)

A chest infection isn’t something minor to an asthmatic.

Glad you have got him to go

Glad he's gone OP. I've got asthma and it's the one thing I wouldn't hang around and wait to get better if my inhalers weren't working. I used to when I was a teen and we had to ale many mad dashes at 2am to A&E!!

Glad you’re off to a&e, hope he’s seen quickly

When he’s better I think you need to chat to him about when seek help. Ultimately you’re the one who has to help him if it all goes to pot and therefore your opinion counts, possibly marginally more than his, when it comes to requesting urgent medical help. He really needs to understand that this just doesn’t affect him and stoic is no use to you when your left potentially dealing with an emergency situation. It’s not fair at all, these services exist and he’s perfectly entitled to use them.

I understand people not wanting to make a fuss but no one gets a posthumous good citizen award for not seeing a doctor.

People die every day from asthma attacks. Call an ambulance now.

I'm sorry lass. For some reason I read it as son not husband.

Very glad he's gone in. Hope he's stabilised very quickly.

I'm glad he went, it doesn't sound like he is on inhaled steroids, how well is it controlled generally? this may be something to look into after this attack has subsided, the oral steroids usually take a day or two to kick in so, as others have said, he really should take this seriously and get along to the GP as soon as he starts to feel it coming on, it will rarely get better on its own and the worse it is when he seeks assistance higher the dosages of steroids needed to stabilise him, something to be avoided if possible, given the side affects.