Not had an asthma attack in around 17 years. Remind what it's like?

[MerlinsBeard]

My asthma is well controlled normally but struggling quite a bit tonight hence the question!

No fun at all. Have you ventolin? Isn't it helping?

Ds has a wheeze when he breathes out and his chest feels tight.

You can have some more puffs of the ventolin. If you can't talk properly because it's hard to breathe then you need to call 999, just say ambulance if you can and they can trace the call.

I need to sleep, I really do hope you are OK.

Sorry I didn't come back. I couldn't take a full breath and was havingto breathe faster, no wheezing at all but felt like I had an elephant on my chest. Not bad enough for an ambulance but worrying me all the same!

I only have a red inhalor now but used an old ventolin one I found in medicine box which helped hugely.

Sounds worthwhile going to gp and getting an asthma check up.

If you don't feel it is bad enough for an asthma, it is worth phoning the out of hours number, where a nurse can assess you over the phone and recommend what you do next - such as going to out of hours dr (for physical check up, nebuliser, prescription) or to send you to hospital - so you don't feel you are wasting your time, as sent there!

I have done this twice in last year - so was treated well, didn't feel wasting time - and got practical help.

Hope you better soon

You should pop to your GP, maybe you have a viral wheeze. You should be checked. I hope you are feeling better today

Am going to ring for an appt first thing - normally v good at my surgery and can get seen the same day.

Been ok today, been conscious of my breathing but seem to get breathless quite quickly even just going up stairs so not done much. Feeling tight chested again so have taken my night time dose of preventer early and, again not doing much.
I get spells of lightheadedness every so often anyway which my GP knows about (its ED related)

It is worth always making sure you have a ventolin inhaler just in case. Obviously you don't need to take it all the time, but do have one in the house. I am sure your GP will not mind you having this on repeat prescription so you can make sure there is always one in date in the house. If you have any pain on breathing or a wheeze that simply will not go away, it's always worth phoning NHS Direct for advice even if you think you don't really need an ambulance.

Also, worth taking a bit more of your preventer, too. If you normally take one puff twice a day, up it to two puffs twice a day. If you normally take two puffs twice a day, try two puffs three times a day. Etc. You can take up to four puffs four times a day of a low-strength steroid inhaler. This is a good strategy for managing your asthma properly and you should always up the preventer dose if you are feeling rubbish, at the same time as talking to a medical person for advice.

I don't have a wheeze that i can hear but i have been coughing. Not got a peak flow blower thing anymore - what is the normal supposed to be on that anyway?

I don't have a blue one (other than this old one but i think that may actually be DS3's - exactly the same as mine was) as my asthma has been so well controlled that i have been throwing them away unused when they expire and it felt like such a waste!

SOrry horton, x posts

I can take up to 4 puffs a day of the red which i have been the last few days.

Will make sure i always have ventolin in - feel a bit silly that i got so relaxed about it! I even got to the stage where i was only using my preventer once a week!

Lucky you, is all I can say to that! Long-term asthmatic here and have never dared not have a ventolin in my pocket!

I'm not upping my dose against the GPs advice, the last asthma check up i had i was told that i could take up to 4 puffs when needed. My asthma is worse in cold weather anyway but is normally extremely well controlled.

I can't get to GP today as i have DS2 off school ill, luckily things are more normal now. and not breathless. just a bit tight chested and only a little bit.