Recurrent chest infections all winter, now it looks like I have asthma. I feel utterly drained. Tell me how to re-energise please.

[dragonbutter]

Another chest infection.
I'm so tired.
I'm on anti-biotics again.
I really hope it's not asthma as i would prefer not to be on the steroid inhaler i've been prescribed long term.
I'm feeling stressed about being off work, stressed about having asthma, and stressed about feeling stressed.
I have no immune system.
Where do i start?

Start by taking a deep breath and relaxing! I had a couple of nasty chest infections during my last pregnany and was left feeling quite wheezy for months and in the end went to see gp as being out in the cold made me breathless and I started coughing up bits and bobs (apparently one of the signs of asthma). After various checks, he said it was asthma and gave me an inhaler which I did find helped but then when he gave me the steroid one it didn't really help (made me feel sick) ANYWAY the end of my story is that a month or so later I had a really nasty bout of flu - and then the symptoms cleared after that!! So I think my gp was a bit trigger happy in diagnosing asthma because in fact I think my body was still just getting over the chest infections and after the flu everything must have cleared itself!
I realise this might not be the case for you BUT you never know, it may just be that your chest is weak and taking longer to get over the infections, like mine was. Good luck and RELAX!

Thanks. I hope my body can recover, i'm sleeping alot because i feel i need to, but i don't know if that's making me feel worse and more lethargic.

oh dragonbutter, hope you are dragonbetter soon , my tip is the "three R's"...(reading mumsnet, reaching for the multivitamin drinks like Purdeys's, and being realistic)...your body needs time to recover, be loving to yourself as you would if it was not you but a loved one thatw as ill and encourage rest, relaxation and nutrient rich foods and warming soups and abit of self pampering..some flowers etc. As you have mentioned, stress generates stress, but a bit of TLC, generates happy vibes.

i got sent home from work yesterday by my colleagues who could see i wasn't ready to go back.
but being ill is so boring.
i'm making lots of soup.

got to go, DS1 has chicken pox and is shouting at me now.

like the dragonbetter.

Thnaks

Poor you with chicken poxy child too! You need a big fat duvet and some serious tlc!! Hope you feel better soon! Don't let it get you down!

i've been summoned for jigsaw duty, i'll be back later.

2 chicken poxy children!
although DS2 is over the worst now, he discovered the terrible two's while he was ill and is keeping the tantrums going.

celery soup on the go now.
does celery have any nutritional value at all?

um. nope I don't think so! BUT it takes more calories to eat it than you get FROM eating it apparently, but if you're trying to build yourself back up maybe that's not so good!! haha! Am sure there's some nutritional value in celery - no doubt someone will post with their info!
I'm popping onto MN sporadically to see wat threads are around in between doing crazy blitz on house! 18mth old had chest infection all last week and just after 4yr old had been off too so am behind with all things domestic goddess-like!!! Chest infections, eh! Enjoy the soup!

thanks.
i'm going to be hanging around this thread bothering people with my thoughts for the day i think.
the kids aren't interested in my ponderings although we have discussed that if DS1 wants to let tigers and polar bears in the living room then he'll have to clean the poo up.
so he let them go again.

i wish i could be ill in peace and quiet sometimes.

Yes, that's something you can't get with small children around. My eldest ds is at school and my youngest is currently napping which is why I have the "luxury" of being able to pop on here every so often today and do some housework at the same time. What I'd really like to do is to go back to bed with my book and a hot water bottle, My feet are freezing! I do hpe you begin to feel better soon - can you have a break at the weekend at all?

Use the inhaler. I was the same a couple of winters ago and now (touch wood!) I hardly ever get anything more than a head cold when it always used to go to my chest. I actually took oral steroids to get red eventually as I was soo knackered and run down.

Nowadays I use the steroid inhaler once in morning and once at night and it controls my asthma really well.

i took oral steroids a few weeks ago when i was very wheezy and they really worked. Not sure if the steroid inhaler is having as much effect.

peachface, Dh works from home and took the opportunity of me being sick so he could go to some meetings without arranging childcare.
yipee
admittedly i used to do the same when he was ill and off work, i'd nip out for some errands by myself so can't complain really.

Hope you feel better soon. I've just been jumpd upon in another thread so am escaping here! I'm new to MN but have learned to my cost not to join in on some threads!Yoiks! Better go - not long til I have to get ds2 ready for our walk up to collect ds1 from school. Take it easy!

I'll keep you company for a bit dragonbutter , as long as I can feel sorry for myself.
I had 3 lots of antibiotics before christmas for a chest infection that wouldn't clear up, and then landed up having pluerisy. Since Christmas I've had a nasty cold, and am now going down with another cough, which atm is a sore throat and loss of voice but starting to get chesty again. I'm also feeling fed up of feeling ill. Think I'm going to have to get back to the doctors, if I can ever escape the snow.

hi marymoocow, sorry i didn't reply, i managed to get a sleep.
'tis rubbish isn't it.

hope you feel better asap dragonbutter. I thought I'd pop in to see how you were getting on.

peachface, if you're going to hide behind me when you get in trouble you're going to have to tell me what you said to get in trouble.

oh i just foolishly got involved in a BF thread -without realising that there are some hardcore BF fanatics out there with some very strong views about weaning! I'm new on here so should have known better really...I wasn't controversial - I BF my babies - but made mistake of smentioning that my youngest had had a bit of baby rice before the 6mths guideline age for weaning - and all hell broke loose! My fault for getting onvolved - I think I like these friendly hello cheery uppy type of threads far more just now...!

Can't spell now either it seems! And my cough is getting worse....bah!

oh, that doesn't sound like you got in a lot of trouble.
you might get in more trouble for your peachy name, there are a few other peaches around.

stay in the shallow end for a while, and if you have an opinion to give on a kicking off type thread then be prepared to justify it. you'll be fine.

yes, I hadn't realised quite how many peachy types there are so am going to change my nickname tonight. See if you can tell if it's me when we next meet! heehee!
Shallow end it is then!

so rest up and take my inhaler is that the advice.
i was hoping for a magic purple concoction with some dry ice involved that would instantly make me spring to life with the enthusiasm of an ostrich on speed.

Could try the pound shop?

will it be herbal?

No but it might play a tune