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???

Do you have free travel insurance with your bank account?

It's really difficult to manage that "should be feeling better than I do" thing.

I used to get it but luckily my doctor has emphasised to me how your body working hard to breathe is going to make you feel like you can't do other things, and indeed shouldn't be doing other things!

It's your DH's job to be lovely btw!

Seretide has been game changing for me - purple inhaler, the equivalent of brown plus green (not sure someone knew how colours mixed when they were picked). 2 puffs twice a day, though I only need it in the morning.

Covering my mouth also helps.

However you'll need a bit of time to work out if a change of inhaler helps, and pneumonia can take a good while to recover from. Not certain I'd risk it in your position.

I really feel for you. I absolutely hate missing out on things because of my asthma and get so depressed by it. It doesn't happen very often but a couple of years ago, I missed a friend's 40th birthday party it was so gutting.

I do think you've made the right decision. I started off thinking you should go, but the more I read, the more I thought you should stay home. Asthma can and does kill .

I hope you have a lovely lovely time with your DH.

Oh and Sirdupla made a real difference to me. I have a chest infection at the moment, and while I'm not great, I'm sooo much better than I usually would be. Not even on prednisolone.

Not sure nearly but I've pretty much decided now I shouldn't risk it.

Nyx1 my GP was quite adamant about me not going back to work yet when I saw her last week, when I got another round of antibiotics. And, like you, I've also been advised about how hard your body has to work in these circumstances, but I am my own worst enemy and have totally unrealistic expectations of myself!

OMG I am actually losing the plot

I haven't been on the green serevent for years! It was only when purple was mentioned there that I realised it is purple seretide I was on for the last 20odd years (until recent change to fostair). Just looked in bathroom cabinet to check, photo attached.

I think I need to go back to bed

Rain
It's crap isn't it? I missed a friends 40th last Saturday, and a kids rave thing we had tickets for yesterday.

In the last 15 months - in addition to the above - I have missed 3 gigs, a mini festival, and several Xmas nights out!

Now Prague (I'm so going to have to name change now!)

I’d give it a miss.
I have bad asthama, and have had pneumonia for over a year.
When I went to chessington zoo in August we got stuck on the overhead train and I got pneumonia again from being stuck in a draft for 30minutes. I wasn’t wearing a wind proof coat as it was August.
I was on antibiotics and oral steroids for a year as the pneumonia became drug resistant, and i was in and out of hospital seeing respiratory consultants.

It’s really not worth it to go.

You need to screw your head on, and stay warm and recover from pneumonia.

There will be other trips. You need to focus on your health.

You need to take asthma seriously and get it under control: it’s lethal.

Sorry you've had such a bad time Ginny

I know you are right, I just find it hard to accept, and am sad about yet another occasion missed. Feeling pretty sorry for myself today.

Sorry it's off topic but I was also recently changed from seretide to fostair, as it's cheaper. But it didn't work for me at all and I insisted on changing back. Hope you get to do something lovely still xx

Thanks mountonfou

That's interesting, I should've known it would be a cost issue. I think I'll ask to go back to seretide, as I feel the fostair just isn't working as well, despite it supposedly being the same active ingredient.

I’m well now, @whyfi, thanks. But I was absolutely sodding miserable and down in the dumps when I was sick. It seemed to me everyone was off enjoying things while I was stuck in a time zone of being ill. And I also got huge on the antibiotics and steroids.

I take an blue reliever called bricanal, and a brown steroid one becotide. I also have a ventolin blue in my bag. The mixed purple steritide, and some combined red one didn’t work at all when I needed a blast of reliever.

Always carry a blue reliever one with you, ALWAYS. ALWAYS.

Listen, you’ll be right as rain in jig time if you take some time to get better now.

Just think of it as investing in yourself and your health.

Have a few massages with lovely oils and be calm and carry on.

I know it’s tough to not go and to stay at home, but do something nice for yourself, and get better!

Carrageenan the seaweed is very good at loosening up phlegm - it’s in a lot of ice creams, but you can get it in a health food store like Holland and Barrett.
It’s also lovely as a bath gel. I don’t know if you get the personal care products made by SeaVite in Scotland, but have a few baths with seaweed in. And put a few drops of aromatherapy oils like black pepper and sage in as well. They’re wonderful for aches and pains and sweating. Lavender is wonderful for calming down breathing.

ALWAYS CARRY A BLUE RELIEVER INHALER, no matter what other ones you take.

Get well soon!

I don't have asthma but I had bronchial pneumonia quite badly a number of years ago. For me the temperature was less an issue than dampness of the air. It was a very long time (several years) before I had an autumn without a mild recurrence of that tight chest/breathing and months before I was fully fit after returning to work.

If you want to travel check with your own doctors and travel insurance first but if cold triggers your asthma it might not be worth it. A lazy weekend is probably a better bet at the moment - I know I kept overestimating what I could do when recovering which did delay things.

I would seek medical clearance before travelling especially if flying to your destination, respiratory issues and pressurised cabins do not always go well together.

Read this from the Civil Aviation Authority.

Don't have asthma so can't comment on it but here in Canada it's around zero atm, but yesterday it was minus 6 and it does 'take your breath away' a bit to be fair. And if you walk fast (which you do, cos it's cold and you're in a rush!) it definitely makes you breathe faster.

I definitely wouldn't be going away if you're recovering from pneumonia! Stay in the UK and recuperate.

Feel better soon op

I don't know if it'll help but there are air filters that can be used if you have asthma. I live in a country where temperatures may easily drop to -25C in winter (although right here where I am - not so often thankfully). There are breathing filters that may be used, I just googled the topic and found this filter www.airtrim.se/eng/function.asp which will raise the breathing temperature from -22C to +19C or -10C to +26C. I've seen people on bicycles use them. Indeed it'll make you look like Darth Vader but rather that than a sudden asthma attack which will make you look like this !! There's an email address, you might write them and ask about it. I don't think there's a big market in the UK for these filters though (too warm) maybe that's why the translation of the web page is sloppy (they forgot to translate a paragraph). And even if you don't go this time, it might be a piece of equipment you might want to have ready to pack for future trips or if there is a cold spell at home.

Sounds like a good idea to switch to a spa break closer to home this time, and save the "cold trip" adventure for another year, under the circumstances.