Please talk to me about asthma again

[Dilbertian]

I was diagnosed with asthma 6m ago and an still getting the hang of it.

After about 1h shopping in a mask this morning, I started feeling chesty and uncomfortable. It took me another hour to complete my shop, and when I got to the checkout I found I could not unload my trolley. I felt like there was something in my chest, I was dizzy and I couldn't seem to get enough air.

So I took a couple of puffs of my blue inhaler and quickly felt well enough to continue.

What do you call what happened to me? Was that an asthma attack? Or is an asthma attack something that lands you in hospital?

I think you just wore the mask too long for you. Two hours with no break is very long for an asthmatic with active asthma.

Stress can also bring on asthmatic symptoms.
If you are in a situation that I know will trigger asthma, for example about to exercise, there’s no harm in taking the blue inhaler beforehand as preventative.

How would you describe it? An episode? A tiny attack?

It was certainly the worst I've felt since being diagnosed.

I think a proper attack is when your reliever doesn’t work. I don’t normally quantify it. Had asthma since a child and I’d say I’ve had two real attacks where I’ve needed more reliever than one or two puffs. Asthma UK is a good online resource

I wouldnt describe what you experienced as an asthma attack. Those are much worse and not quickly relieved by a couple puffs. To me, it more the common breathing difficulty you get due to being asthmatic. As you get used to it, you’ll note days when your breathing is better than others and what makes you feel a bit breathless. For some it’s warm humid air, for others it’s dry cold air, for some it’s stress, for others it is aerobic exercise, and for some it’s allergies/hay fever, and wearing a mask for a long period of time can certainly affect asthma as well because the air you’re breathing is warmer and more humid through a mask that without a mask.
Even the U.K. asthma web page says asthmatics should be ok to wear a mask for a short period of time, but that if it makes you breathless, don’t wear it use an exempt card. The longer you wear a mask, the more likely you’ll get breathless as an asthmatic. And 2hrs non stop is not a short amount of time.

No, it’s not an attack. But you clearly can’t be expected to wear a mask if you can’t do a simple task without needing your reliever inhaler.

Have you had your flu jab ?
Does your GP surgery offer yearly asthma checks ?

I guess I'll be taking a puff before I go into the supermarket from now on.

It doesn't usually take me more than 1.5h to do my shop, by which time I'm more than ready to take the mask off. But then I feel fine again within a few minutes of going outside.

I've had a flu jab, and, yes, Asthma UK has been hugely helpful. And so has Mumsnet! Mumsnetters convinced me to go to the doctor in the first place, and Mumsnetters answer all my silly little questions.

Oh another tip is to try and breathe through your nose when wearing a mask. Breathing through your mouth wearing a mask is more effort, but doesn’t come as naturally

Sorry *breathing well with a mask doesn’t come naturally

Sorry, I don't understand.

I generally try to breathe through my nose when I'm wearing a mask: it fogs my glasses less, it's less stinky, and if I breathe through my mouth the mask goes in.