World Asthma Day.

Today is world asthma day, and here is just one of my stories.

I was diagnosed with asthma when I was 3 years old, but had it really since birth. Early memories are of always having a bottle of pink penicillin in the fridge to try and combat the chest infections I was plagued with.


I had two or three really bad attacks when I was a child, but it’s only really been since I was an adult that the attacks have been severe, needing hospitalisation several times and in two cases life threatening.

One February morning two years ago, I woke up like any other morning. But by 11am I was feeling really tight in the chest. After taking my inhalers I felt better but within an hour I needed to use them again. I decided to go and see the doctor to get some steroids as it was oblivious my little friend (asthma) was going to be a pain and thought steroids was the way forward on this occasion.

It was emergency appointment only so I got in the car and only just made it to the doctors. By the time I got out of the car I was very tight for breath and the inhalers were not working, I sort of just fell out the car, my little boy who was only 24 months at that time was fantastic and was as good as gold.

I waited in the waiting room even thou it was very obvious I could not breath and waited 20 mins for my appointment in the end it my little boy who went to the reception and said mommy needs a doctor.

Long story short, I had a neb there and the doctor decided I had to go to hospital but instead of ringing an ambulance he rang my husband at work and told him to take me to hospital.

By the time I got there I could not walk, talk or do anything. Within half hour of reaching hospital I was on an intensive care ward where I stayed for 5 days.

Afterwards when I was waiting to be discharged from hospital a nurse cam to see me. When she asked how I was, I said oh im ok now just my asthma playing up again it does that from time to time.. she looked at me took me by the hand and said, I dont think you relise just how close you came to not being here today, dont take your asthma for granted because it can kill.

That GP should have rang an ambulance, I honestly don’t know why he didn’t. The hospital was gobsmacked that he didn’t.


And this story is typical of hour your asthma can deteriorate within minutes and hours to critical condition.

DONT ever take it for granted, it does and can kill.

http://www.asthma.org.uk/