Please, please, please keep the caps on your inhalers when not in use. Here's why:
I never kept the caps on my inhalers. Last January I took my inhaler out of my coat pocket and took a puff. I felt something fly to the back of my throat and then I gagged and chocked. After a very scary minute I realised I could still breathe. Dh took me to the hospital soon after because I was still having breathing difficulties and I was sure I had inhaled something. A&E doctor told me it was very improbable that had happened, and was sure what I had experienced was an asthma attack.
This was the start of a very long year. Not helped by the fact I got pregnant about this time too. To start with there were 3 more visits to A&E, practically weekly visits to my GP and several clinic appointment with a Chest Consultant. During which time I have had recurrent chest infections, involving 16 courses of antibiotics. I've needed steroids constantly since March to maintain an adequate peakflow. I've had 2 hospital admissions for pneumonia, the last one was quite serious. I got short of breath with very little exertion, and have had a constant cough. I also have reacted to the drugs I've had to take. My baby was born a few weeks prematurely too, probably because my body just couldn't take the strain anymore. Energy level have been at an all time low and I got very tired very easily.
The cause? Well the doctors assumed I was suffering from pregnancy related exaccerbation of asthma. Essentially my symptoms did manifest as worsening asthma. Unfortunately I couldn't get them to realise that asthma has never been a big deal in my life or that my symptoms started at exactly 3pm 9th Jan 2007 when I choked on something using my inhaler. I always maintained something had fired from the mouthpiece when I inhaled. And that 'something' had fallen into the mouthpiece of my inhaler while in my pocket because the cap wasn't on. Finally after 385 days and much nagging that there is something in my lung (and scarily after they discovered my mum died of lung cancer at a young age) they agreed to do a bronchoscopy.
During which they found and removed from my lung an inch long plastic screw. (Pictures on profile). Apparently I should feel lucky to have survived it. And lucky that my baby survived pregnancy and birth. And lucky that I have come through all those infections.
Moral of the story - KEEP THE CAPS ON YOUR INHALERS. Please learn from my mistake. Sounds corny, but I really wouldn't anyone else to go through that. Thanks for reading.