If you have asthma and have had Covid-19, what was it like?

[Angellegna]

I'd be really interested to hear your experiences if you have asthma and so are on the vulnerable (not highly vulnerable) list, and have had the virus?

How bad did it get? How long did it last?

Thank you

Anyone?

I think the problem you’ll have here is anyone who isn’t highly vulnerable is unlikely to have been tested! I’m asthmatic. Usually well controlled. I had a virus that may or may not have been Covid19- had a cough, felt rough. Since then my asthma has gone from well controlled to unstable and put me into the extremely vulnerable category.

How I felt: Started with a sore throat, then a cough, then felt tight-chested, needed my salbutamol a lot. So breathless I was prescribed a course of steroids. Day 5 had to call an ambulance because my inhalers weren’t helping. Had a nebuliser, declined to go to hospital due to the risk of catching it if I hadn’t already got it. I’m now 4 weeks in, still breathless on exertion, tight chested, having frequent asthma attacks. Gradually improving but it’s been the worst my asthma has ever been! The new criteria means I am now ‘extremely vulnerable’ and my occupational health department agree so I’m now off work until this all finishes. But obviously I don’t know for sure if I’d had it...

I have a friend who is asthmatic (pretty well controlled) and had a confirmed positive test. She said it was pretty awful. She didn’t start to feel remotely a little better until at least day 13 and she said she was exhausted slept about 20 hours a day and really struggled to breathe. She did end up going into hospital but wasn’t admitted, though they did check her for both heart attack and pulmonary embolism before offering a presumed covid diagnosis (she was offered a swab eventually, she’s not in the UK). She went home that evening and managed at home, but she said it was quite frightening and a very strange feeling. It was a very strange not being able to breathe and cough, like pneumonia, but completely dry, no mucus at all. She said using a nebuliser helped a lot, if you have one (sadly, I binned mine years ago because I wasn’t using it and couldn’t bear to move it to another new house.)

I wasn’t tested as didn’t go to hospital but my GP and 111 who I rang one night in desperation both said they were confident I had it. I have moderate asthma (seretide 250 inhaler, frequent steroids... I also have Addison’s disease, anaemia, pituitary tumour and kidney issues). I had a very high fever of 39 on and off for 2 days with intense stomach pain and diarrhoea. And then a few days after that I had a really odd sensation that I couldn’t take a deep enough breath without feeling like I’d walked up 100 flights of steps. Oddly enough I didn’t get much of a cough, just a bit and felt very uncomfortable. I used my blue reliever inhaler a lot and took extra steroids (I have to take daily long term steroids for Addison’s anyway and quadruple dosed these on 111 advice). I was unwell for about 2.5 weeks, some days worse than others and I’m just about over it now. Still using blue inhaler more than I normally would. Aches and pains etc.

I think it’s a bit of a lottery who gets it and how badly. It’s very strange. I’ve never felt so unwell, I literally felt like I’d been poisoned with something.

Thank you for everyone's comments . DH has mild asthma that is well controlled - he doesn't have an asthma plan as far as I know . I have no experience of it and no idea what to look for.

Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with me. They sound, well, horrific, frankly. I hope you are all feeling a bit better soon.

I am in the "vulnerable" group with what is currently well-controlled asthma (as you may have guessed!). If schools and other things open up in May then I will have to go back to work and I really, really do not want that to happen.

Op my friends have both had a nasty virus, cough sore throat and both lost their sense of taste and smell. He got it first and is asthmatic with weak chest - but keeps as fit as possible. He was in bed for 4 days and never got out. After 14 days he went back to work as per guidelines. She was actually longer with it but is diabetic, neither had hospital treatment and both now well on the way to full recovery hth

Thanks @ivykaty44. Glad they are both doing well now.