adult asthmatics, please come and talk to me

[youretoastmildred]

Hi
I am a weird asthmatic, who was only diagnosed when I was about 37 and it appeared to be pregnancy related (although in hindsight I can see there were not-so-bad undiagnosed symptoms before)

I can keep it under control using minimum dose of the brown inhaler daily. sometimes I can manage without for a bit but eventually I always go back on it.
I am struggling a bit with the nurse at my practice who manages all this. As a latecomer to the world of asthma I would appreciate some sense of what is normal and reasonable in treating asthmatics. thank you in advance for answering the following questions:

• is it normal, if you are a regular user of the brown inhaler, to get a repeat prescription on request without having to make an appointment to see the nurse?

• how do you know when it is going to run out? If you wait till it has run out, and then can't get an appointment for 10 days, don't you get really breathless over that time?

• can you get a prescription for 2 at the same time to keep you going longer?

• what is a reasonable period between regular check ups for asthmatics? (if such things exist)

• how can you tell if your symptoms are waxing and waning and can you try going without the brown inhaler to see what happens?

• do you feel like you are always missing work going to appointments and how do you feel about it? how does your work feel about it?

• is there anything else useful experienced people can tell me about managing asthma because I am feeling pretty overwhelmed with it all.

Thank you!

Hi OP. I was diagnosed at 35 with no history of anything similar, allergies, etc, so rather weird.

In answer to your questions:
I can get a repeat prescription without an appointment. Because of this if it runs out I can usually get a new one pretty quickly. Can sometimes tell it's running out as the inhaler feels a bit emptier when I shake it before use.
I have an annual check-up.
I think my symptoms are very light so tried going without the brown one last year but started getting symptoms again so went back to one puff twice a day. After this years check up my peak flow was better than last year (lost a bit of weight and got loads fitter!), so I'm now on one puff a day - not sure if I even need this.
Don't really need to miss work for appointments as they're only once a year and I work part-time so generally schedule them out of work time.

Hope that helps! I would imagine if you're having trouble with your practice there may be some NICE guidelines about this?

I have been an asthmatic since childhood.

I use my brown inhaler in the morning and before bed. I get wheezy if they are missed. I get them 2 at a time on repeat prescription without being seen. I make sure I always have some in so I don't run out.

I get nvited to an asthma clinic annually but I never go because the times are not convenient

hermione, sounds ideal. I want what you have! I feel very insecure being dependent on this drug that is insanely difficult to get and very disruptive to other stuff I need to do (work)

thanks also to 2madboys. Do you know how to find NICE guidelines?

Sorry - found something but it didn't say anything about prescriptions and appointments. Might be worth speaking to your practice manager/GP. If your asthma is generally under control, surely it's a waste of everyone's time and resources for you to have to go in every time you need a check up.

OP is there a reason why you can't get them on repeat?

hermione, I don't know. I will ask when I go traipsing in next week. Again.
I just want to know that it is normal for this situation (it feels like it should be but I wanted to check) because then I can be assertive about it.

thanks everyone

the stupid thing is (rant coming) that when you go to the surgery there are a million sniffy notices about not wasting appointments. And when you try to make one, you feel like you are being fended off with a shitty stick. And YET, when you ask for something that means you will have to go LESS OFTEN, the HCP is all snotty and outraged like you are being all presumptuous. BUT THERE ARE A THOUSAND CUES THAT ARE TELLING ME TO FUCK OFF OUT OF YOUR LIFE AND WHEN I TRY TO DO THIS YOU ARE OUTRAGED.

I've been asthmatic since my teens and it always got worse when I was pregnant. I take seretide which has a handy counter so you know exactly how many doses are left. I get 2 inhalers per prescription so only pay for one item. I see the asthma nurse every six months or more often if concerned. I can order repeats without seeing her. My asthma generally improves once the baby is born but never goes away.

I got some helpful information on self management of asthma and what to exspect from your asthma nurse or GP from Asthma UK.
At some point you should be able to get your inhlers on a repeat prescription. I get 2 of each at a time, so I don't run out. I use a peak flow metre to monitor my own asthma, I only got given this when my asthma got brittle so I don,t know if they are suitable for the newly diagnosed. There is an app for iPhone that can keep a tally of the puffs left in your inhalers. I just write the date they will run out on them - ie if there are 200 puffs and I use 4 a day it will last 50 days, so I date it up with that in mind. Its pretty accurate give or take a few puffs. The sink or swim method of checking the canister is not allowed anymore. I always keep spares.
The asthma nurse may be monitoring your peak flows before you are set loose with a represcription or self management. Reading the self management information from Asthma UK gave me the confidence to hold my own asking questions of HCP. You may need the GP to put you on a represcription.