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Original poster

Asthma totally out of control.....

30 replies

SackAche · 05/12/2005 13:15

I've had asthma since I was 14. Its very controlled though. In fact, I've only ever needed hospital treatment once. Its more or less allergy-triggered asthma and that one time I'd been to a barn dance right in the middle of a field of Rape Seed plants!! Hay fever kicked in .... inhalers stopped doing much at all and I ended up nebulised. That was 5 years ago.

Since then I have had my blue inhaler, a brown one and a green one. As long as I remember to take the brown one every day I don't really need the rest.

That was until a couple of weeks ago. I got a cold and things have deteriorated since then. I've been needing my blue inhaler about 6 times day!
I woke up at 5 am this morning feeling like someone was lying on my chest. I took my inhaler 5 times before i felt remotely calm and able to breathe properly. I thought DH was going to have to take me to hospital.

Anyway.... went to the GP at 10.30 and have been put on a course of steroids. I definitely don't have a chest infection so cannot be the cold causing this.

The only conclusion is the rabbit! Ds has had a hbouse rabbit for 3 yrs. He's always made me a bit snuffly, but never like this. The rabbit had been sent to live with my sister since May as dd started to crawl and wouldn't leave him alone!
But we got him back 2 or 3 wks ago..... and well it doesn't take a genius to work it out.

Now I know I've got to get rid of the rabbit, but ds is SOOOOOOOO happy to have him home. He keeps telling me how sad he was when the rabbit lived at Aunty *'s house. And saying how much he loves his bunny.

How do I break the news to him without him needing 20 yrs of counselling to get over what his Mother did!

OP posts:

BudaBabeInAManger · 05/12/2005 13:16

Oh no - how awful. I get cat induced asthma and DS wants a cat!!

No advice really but sympathy!

How old is your DS? Old enough to understand?

Original poster

SackAche · 05/12/2005 13:18

He's 4.5yrs old. And he's such a gentle sensitive wee thing. I love the rabbit too, but I know my health comes first. I was so frightened this morning. I still feel a bit like I've been hit by a truck. The overdose of salbutamol has left me very shaky!

OP posts:

misdee · 05/12/2005 13:19

can aunty * look after it permanetly so he can see it loads?

we had to get rid of our cat when dd1 was tiny as we felt it was aggrevating her eczema and asthma. i was right, as a few years ago i tried to get a kitten, in the 2 weeks it was at our place dd1 asthma played up really badly, and even dd2 started getting nighttime coughs.

Original poster

SackAche · 05/12/2005 13:21

Misdee - We don't see my sister very often..... lets just say she doesn't exactly lead a lifestyle suitable for taking children to her house! Always strange people lying around her flat... and there are always drugs around.

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misdee · 05/12/2005 13:23

oh sorry, a friend nearby?

merryTissmas · 05/12/2005 13:23

don't be too hasty, if you've lived with the rabbit before, it may just take a little while to become re-adjusted! I'm allergic to cats (give me itchy eyes and sneeze a lot), and it wasn't obvious till I went away to University, then came back home for Christmas. In the long summer holidays (those were the days!) I soon got used to the cat again. When I got married I had to take the cat that came as part of the package- and again I'm OK around her- avoid letting her sit on me, and the bedrooms are out of bounds, but we co-exist. Have you had a skin-test done? Might be worth it to be absolutely certain there isn't something else triggering it.

GeorginaA · 05/12/2005 13:27

SackAche - get yourself to the asthma nurse soonish if you can - especially after you've finished your course of steroids.

My asthma has suddenly worsened after a long period of being perfectly fine, and I've been put on a purple inhaler (seretide) instead of the brown (becotide). As well as the preventer, the purple inhaler also includes a long acting reliever and I tell you, it has made SO much difference. I've got so much energy back - really has been a wake up call as to how out of control my asthma was, and how nice it is to be "normal" again.

Original poster

SackAche · 05/12/2005 13:32

Tissy - Unfortunately its got to the stage where I cannot just bide my time. I honestly thought I was going to die this morning!! I can't take the risk of this happening again..... it take me a while to adjust when we first got him. But itchy eyes and a runny nose I can handle...... not asthma attacks!

GeorginaA - I was at the asthma nurse 5 weeks ago and I got a peak flow of 540! She didn't believe it! Today I was 310...... after od'ing on my inhaler.

I'm back up to 410 now, but feel totally washed out. THat much effort breathing has taken its toll on me physically.

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GeorginaA · 05/12/2005 13:35

A high peak flow for an asthmatic when healthy is not unusual - if you've been fighting for air a long while, then your muscles become much stronger (much like a wind instrument player has stronger lung muscles). Taking that much short-acting reliever medication is a sign you really need to up your preventer medication - more than twice a week is supposed to be the point you go back for another appointment! 6 times a day... I'd be camped out on the asthma nurse's doorstep, girl!

polly28 · 05/12/2005 13:36

sackache you sound like my ds.He's 3 and has had asthma for about a year well controlled with becotide,but has had three episodes wher he's needed steroids and one when a nebulizer was sufficient.Hate him taking steroids at such a young age.We have a dog ,ds and I are allergic to her.She stays with a friend now.We have her for weekends and holidays when my friend can't have her.I use a lotion from the vet that is supposed to help stop the allergens getting in the air or something.Helps a bit...but not brilliant.It may be worth a try.You put it on the animals fur by the way!

We're also really allergic to rabbits too

I thought i would eventually become sensitized to the dog but I have become allergic to her after a few years of being fine.

Original poster

SackAche · 05/12/2005 13:41

Its okay GeorginaA - I don't want to up my medication! I'm already taking 4 puffs of becotide and if things are bad I have Salmetranol(green) as well (which is the same as your purple inhaler I think?).... the green inhaler is a more long term option compared to the blue inhaler. I've been given a prescription of 40mg Prednisolone over 5 days. Once things settle down and we find a way to get rid of the bunny.... then I don't think I need anymore meds.

Hopefully.
Polly28 - Poor wee soul. If its any consolation children often grow out of it, or it gets less severe as they get older.

OP posts:

SueW · 05/12/2005 15:46

Get rid of the rabbit. It will be a lot easier to explain to him in 20 years time why the rabbit disappeared than for someone to have to explain why his mum wasn't around to see him grow up.

SOrry if this seems a bit harsh but my friend died at just 34yo as a result of an asthma attack brought on by an allergy to cats. She didn't have children but left a very upset husband and mother and sister etc. Her father had died as a result of a bee sting - her poor mum losing two family members to allergies

Original poster

SackAche · 05/12/2005 15:50

SueW - Thats exactly what I was thinking this morning. I was so scared.

OP posts:

GeorginaA · 05/12/2005 16:46

{{hugs}} SackAche - I sympathise completely, it's horribly scary isn't it

Please do think about getting your medication checked as well though - 6 times a day of the reliever is really high - I know you don't want to up your medication, but you effectively already have in a less safe way

Hope you feel much better very soon, hon.

BTW, do you know the exact procedure to follow in an asthma attack? I can get you the link from Asthma.org if you haven't seen it already?

Original poster

SackAche · 05/12/2005 16:47

But GA - That was all the build up to this attack and brought on by the allergy to the rabbit. Thats what I mean.... its not a permanent thing.... it was an allergy that triggered it and it just peaked this morning.

OP posts:

GeorginaA · 05/12/2005 16:48

What to do in an Asthma attack

Also worth phoning is their Advice Line which is manned by specialist nurses and are really very helpful.

GeorginaA · 05/12/2005 16:49

No I know - but if the rabbit has gone and it's still there, do get checked out. As I said, my asthma got worse for no real reason over time (triggered by a bad virus, but has stayed well beyond the recovery point). It's really given me a wake up call.

Original poster

SackAche · 05/12/2005 16:53

Thanks for the links GA. I'll have a good read at them tonight at home.

Can't believe I came to work! I've been shaking like a leaf all day!

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ruty · 05/12/2005 18:32

sackache get rid of the rabbit as quick as poss. I have asthma, and took in a friend's cat about four years ago. My asthma quickly detiorated. the cat hairs everywhere were too much, and if your rabbit lives in the house its the same thing. I managed to find lovely cat a good home when i got pregnant, as i didn't want baby to be allergic. My asthma slowly got better and now i'm mostly drug free again. its just not worth damaging your lungs for.

Blandmum · 05/12/2005 18:35

I bet it is the rabbit. Ds is triggered by cats and only has to be in a car with someone who has a cat to be set off

Sad as it is you will have to get rid of the rabbit.

IOTAnnenbaum · 05/12/2005 18:44

I had a severe reaction to my friends' dogs a couple of weeks ago - so much so that we had to come home early and I wasn't right until the following morning.

I am fine with my own cat though.

Don't mess with asthma - -I too had a friend who died in hear early 30's from an asthma attack.

Chandra · 05/12/2005 18:53

It seems like the allergens are building up inside your homme and unfortunately, unless you get rid of the rabbit it will get worse and worse

DS has suspected asthma and, although we keep the dogs restricted to certain areas of the house, the house sitter allow them around all the house and when we came back from holidays DS had a terrible week, it has taken sometime for the allergens to settle (and lots of vacuum cleaning). WE use the lotion somebody mentioned before (PEtal Cleanse -www.allergybestbuys.co.uk-) but DS allergy to dogs is very mild, not sure if it's worth it to wait 3 weeks for it to start having effect when you can not be sure if it's going to work at all considering the severity of your symptoms.

ABout what to say to your DS... that's a tricky one, could you have somebody to explain him that the rabbit is making you ill and that he will need to go back to your sister? I think if he understand the reasons behind his departure he will be happy to let him go. I had to give away my favourite rabbit when I was a child because the puppy we had got had taken into hunt playing with him. I realised he was going to get killed so I found him a new home, it was not traumatic at all and I supose giving away a pet is also one of those experiences that contribute lots to your understanding of life (even at a very early age)

Good luck

Original poster

SackAche · 06/12/2005 09:21

Thanks all.
Feeling fab today! The steroids have really kicked in and I could breath all night! I moved the rabbit from the living room to dining room last night just to keep him further away. When ds got up this morning he asked why and I explained that the bunny was making it hard for me to breathe and he was making me cough all the time.

His reply?

"Its okay though Mummy, he doesn't make me cough!"

....ah the self-centredness of children eh?

I'll let DH break the news I think.

OP posts:

ruty · 06/12/2005 15:53

he could develop an allergy to the rabbit tho, especially as you have asthma. I developed asthma at ten, living around cats, dogs, and rabbits. So its not too late for him to get it too.

Original poster

SackAche · 06/12/2005 16:24

Oh I know Ruty, and dd too. But I was brought up around lots of animals and love having them around. I wanted ds to appreciate that too. I was never allergic to our dogs and we had 5 of them at one point. As with loads of allergies they can just develop at anytime...... so I'm loathed to deny ds the pleasure of learning to look after his own pet jeee-ust in case he develops an allergy.

Its a sad situation. I'll just have to get him a lizard!

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