Short break in cold country and asthma

[whyfi]

I am looking for advice from fellow asthma sufferers.

I've recently had pneumonia and pleurisy and my asthma hasn't been great, but I'm much better than I was. DH and I are due to do a short City break next weekend and it will be cold, as in 2-3 degrees at best, minus 5-7 at worst (I hope).

I am not fully recovered and and am still a bit breathless moving around and going outside.

I really don't want to miss this trip (have missed loads of friends and family occasions recently due to my health) and DH keeps saying we can take it easy and not walk around too much (walking being the thing I love to do when visiting a new place). But I am nervous about going away and my asthma getting worse. I would wear a scarf over my mouth and avoid going out at night if it's very cold, but just can't decide what to do.

What would you do???

I have moderate asthma. I would make an appointment with your gp and ask for some predisnone steroid tablets and start these now and continue them when away. It should give you the boost you need to keep going. I would also make sure you have enough inhalers (especially blue inhaler) to use incase you need to take a lot more of them.

Personally I would have to say I would be hesitant about going. It doesn’t sound like it’s going to be a good environment for you, but I understand you really want to go.

Take lots of scarves, inhaler pumps etc. Can you take taxis between galleries, shops, cafes or whatever you want to visit and have some cosy hot chocolates and people watch rather than marching around? I would go but take it super easy.

Thanks Fairy

I have a stock of prednisalone (not enough to keep me going until next week though) as part of my asthma plan, to take when the blue inhaler isn't helping enough.

However, no matter how early in the day I take them, they always interfere with my sleep, and I need enough sleep to fully revived from this pneumonia.
Catch 22!

Common sense is telling me I shouldn't go, by my heart is saying different!

The past 2 years have been rubbish for me with repeated chest infections, so fed up with it.

Thanks Baby

I suppose we could do the Xmas markets earlier in the day, instead of at night as we had planned. And just head back to the hotel if I feel I need to get out of the cold. It's not going to be the break I had hoped for if we end up inside for most of it though!

Im also a bit scared as I ended up needing oxygen and IV fluids and antibiotics in February, and it gave me a fright how quickly I went downhill

If you are only on the blue inhaler, I'd try the steroid inhaler and the green one.

I know it’s awful the lack of sleep on the steroids but they really are the only thing that will reduce inflammation and lift you away from a crisis. I have Adrenal insufficiency / Addison’s disease as well as asthma and I take daily steroids (life long) and I think they are both the devil and a miracle at the same time! I hope you manage to have a good trip. I would (personally) take my blue inhaler as a preventative measure before going out in the cold evenings, my asthma is always worse at that time.

Also, what preventer inhaler are you on? I would also for something stronger maybe - and definitely get one if you haven’t already. I take Seretide 125mg twice daily (2 puffs) and find it really keeps things under control.

I take the pink fostair preventer inhaler and also take a montelukast tablet at night. I used to have the green serevent preventer which I felt was better than fostair but they changed the brand.

Blue is in every handbag and in the car at the moment!

Oh, and the pink fostair is one you can take 6 extra puffs of throughout the day.

Shameless bump for day crowd. I am torn! It will cost us approx £200 to reschedule, but it's more the breathing that concerns me.

If someone comes on and says "yes, I went somewhere cold when my asthma was bad it it was a huge mistake" it would make this decision a lot easier.

DH is understanding and said we'll do whatever I want, but I know he'll be gutted if I say I don't think I should go.

I don't find the steroid inhaler stops me sleeping, I have never had to have tablets but I'm surprised you haven't had that unless there's a mixing meds reason I don't know about?
I do have an issue with cold but I've successfully been skiing since I've been on stronger meds. Must remember to order spares of everything though!

*Drspouse
*
It's the prednisone tablets I take when really bad (8/day) that stop me sleeping, not an inhaler.

The tablet I take at night is sometimes is to help with keeping airway open at night specifically (I think - I've been it on it for almost 20 years). My asthma was quite bad until I got the combination of those plus green serevent Inhaler.

It just seems to have gone downhill in the last couple of years.

Do you have suitable travel insurance in which you've disclosed your recent history and which thus covers you for any medical care you might need? If not I wouldn't go.

*Moutonfou
*
No. It's in the EU so the EHIC would cover me for emergency treatment (subject to a few patients fees which apply there).

Although I should definitely look into this a bit further!

I'm asthmatic - I've always called it mildly so (never hospitalised or nebulised) ... Asthma nurse would not agree and tells me it is moderate at best.

Cold air REALLY triggers my Asthma - this time of year I'm permanently wrapped up if outside. I think as long as you are wrapped up warm, your throat / mouth covered and you stay on top of your meds you should be ok - well, I would be ... but at the same time I've only had the steroid tablets once (pregnant)

My normal regime is ventolin / seretide 125 (2 puffS x twice a day) at certain times of year - summer / first cold snap I'm also on montelukast - I'd be making sure I was taking that for the trip.

Not really much help, but that is what I'd be doing.

I'm asthmatic and went skiing last year with pleurisy (although I couldn't actually ski!). Cold air was alright; I just tried to be in before the sun went down and made lots and lots of hot drink stops to keep my chest warm. Wear good quality thermals and lots of layers, if you do go!

Thanks anchor and Ooh

Cold air seems to be a trigger for me at the moment but hasn't always been. It was only 2 weeks ago I was in hospital and diagnosed with pneumonia and pleurisy, and I'm still knackered.

Thought I was doing better then went out to do the school run this morning (in Scotland so getting quite cold now) and thought I might cough a lung up!!

I keep talking myself into it then back out of it again. Tiredness does not help with decisiveness!

I’m going to be brutally honest, and of course it’s just my opinion, but 2 weeks after pneumonia with asthma I think you’d be absolutely mad to go! I definitely wouldn’t go. Sorry!

I wouldn't go
I have asthma and cold air is a trigger

It's just not worth risking your health over this in my view. I would never plan to go anywhere it gets colder than here anyway.

PS the EHIC will only cover you for whatever that country gives to their citizens free of charge, the rest you have to pay and claim back on travel insurance. I remember being vaguely conscious in an ambulance in France while DP gave them the travel insurance details, otherwise I think they'd have asked for cash on delivery (of me to A&E).

I took months to recover from pneumonia so you are NBU if you are still feeling awful at this stage!

I was just wondering if the steroid inhaler would give the benefits of the tablets without the sleeplessness?

I also find that being wrapped up well helps a lot - scarf over face gives you a really nice humid, warm mini breathing tank!

I really appreciate your honesty Fairy and for sharing that experience Nyx1 - that must've been scary. It is scary enough being acutely unwell and in hospital here, let alone in a foreign country!

People (family members and friends, not DH though, he's been very reasonable and wants me to do what's best - but feels sorry for me having to miss out on it something else I'd been looking forward to!) can't seem to see the irony in them trying to persuade me to go.

On the one hand, they always have a right go at me for not going to the doctors sooner every time I end up with a chest infection (to be fair, given the frequency of them now, they were probably right) then on the other hand, they're telling me to go, that it will be alright if I wrap up warm and cover my mouth, take it easy etc etc.

But what if it isn't alright?! I don't think anyone understands what it's like being unable to breathe unless they've been there.

I am back in the not going camp now I'm a little bit gutted to be honest, but think it's the sensible thing to do.

whyfi "I don't think anyone understands what it's like being unable to breathe unless they've been there."

Well, some people do but I think listening to others is totally irrelevant - a lot of people think missing a holiday is a complete catastrophe and don't think about health.

I can't believe you are only 2 weeks out of pneumonia, I didn't see that when I posted. My last bout of bronchitis left me feeling awful for a few months (though I probably didn't get given enough meds).

I think given the time frame your insurance would refund you fully - apart from excess, obviously. No one should be going on holiday 2 weeks after pneumonia should they?

The EHIC will only cover basic medical treatment, not, for example:

Cost for hotels for your DH if you both need to stay longer
Costs for new flights if you miss yours
Etc

Thanks all,

I think I was just looking for validation of my feelings about it being silly to go - how sad it that?!

So tired and tearful today and feel like I should be feeling better than I do. I'm a hopeless patient and hate doing nothing. And, totally outing but... my lovely Dad died suddenly last month (we were very close) and I tried to go back to work not realising I was ill - I just thought I felt shit because I was grieving and had a lingering chesty cold. Wrong. Lasted 1 day at work before being sent to the hospital by GP the next day

DH has suggested we look for a spa break here instead and have a proper lazy few days being pampered. I cried, he's so lovely and has been amazing this last couple of months when I've been a blubbering, snotty, wheezy mess.

I appreciate all your input, thank you