breathinstephen

breathinstephen

20p

13 comments posted · 0 followers · following 2

13 years ago @ breathinstephen.com - Alfie's Attack · 0 replies · +1 points

Hi Ms Lovely

Yeah, I gave them your email address. I know you work with kids and all, and I knew you'd go crazy for the fish stickers.

13 years ago @ breathinstephen.com - Considering BT ? · 0 replies · +1 points

I agree. Not all asthmatics have over-reactive smooth muscle in their airway. BT doesn't address the inflammatory component of asthma.

13 years ago @ breathinstephen.com - No Cowbells for Stephen · 0 replies · +1 points

Thank you Melissa, I didn't think of it that way, but you're probably right. I don't think most people could have survived as many severe exacerbation and intubations as I have. Thanks, I need to hear that!

13 years ago @ breathinstephen.com - No Cowbells for Stephen · 4 replies · +1 points

Thanks Olive ! Btw, what city to you live in? I might be heading your way next year.

13 years ago @ breathinstephen.com - No Cowbells for Stephen · 0 replies · +1 points

You know me, I get a little grumpy when I have to cancel something because of my f'd up lungs.

13 years ago @ breathinstephen.com - Asthma guilt trip · 0 replies · +1 points

WOW..You go girl!

13 years ago @ breathinstephen.com - Asthma guilt trip · 1 reply · +2 points

Forwarded from Katie Diemer, Steve - I am totally with you. Not to mention all the other commenting people as well. However, I don't think it is just in our heads, nor do I think the problem is over. I think there is a lot of subtle positive reinforcement of the idea that what we have isn't that serious, when we do go to the hospital. My action plan, for a long time, has been to call the Dr.'s emergency number, and see if he thinks I need to go to the ER, or if there is some other solution. The responses I have gotten range from the following: 1) My doctor's partner (all of whom are asthma specialists) saying - I'm not sure its asthma because you are coughing so much, 2) going to the hospital and having the triage nurse, or the nurse, or the rt, or even on occassion the doctor, say it "I'm not sure its asthma because you are coughing so much", or "gee, I'm not really sure how to deal with this because .... then fill in coughing too much, I can't hear wheezing, oh there aren't any sounds in the lungs, but gee you aren't breathing very well, etc." to 3) while I was in an ICU having a nurse tell me I didn't really need a breathing treatment, that I needed to wait for it and just not panic. All of these responses are responses which strongly feed into that feeling of I should not have come here, because I'm not really sick, and I am bothering these people. No one, no matter when they were brought up, and what their background is, wants to feel like a burden. Being a burden while in a hospital wearing a gown that show's off your butt, is worse. Yet, asthmatics often go to the hospital, and are immediately greeted by someone who verbally tells them they don't have a symptom which the person implies is "the" symptom for the diagnosis the patient thought they already knew they had. Often that comment is heard by someone who is having some serious trouble breathing, which also causes problems thinking. At least I always find it so. It's not surprising in that milieu that asthmatics don't rush to the hospital. The entire system is sending signals to their somewhat oxygen deprived brain that really the asthmatic doesn't have what the asthmatic is pretty sure the asthmatic does indeed have. Add to that the normal reasons one doesn't want to go to a hospital: 1) asthma for me usually happens at night and I don't like waking up my husband, or finding someone to watch the kids at 1 in the morning, 2) who wants to hang out in an ER at 1 a.m., in an urban area - I suggest no one -- unless they are doing their sociology thesis or something, 3) those darn butt baring gowns! etc. I have to say that I had one experience in going to a hospital that was vastly different, and stands out because of it. I was on vacation, and hadn't taken my nebulizer, because I wasn't having any problems. I was lying awake, having some trouble breathing, but not so bad, I actually thought of going to the hospital. My husband woke up, and was worried the breathing would get worse, and suggested we go to the hospital. It was 3 in the morning, and I wasn't feeling terrific, and I thought why not - why ruin a vacation if this gets worse. We went to the hospital, as we walked in the door, there was a person you spoke to. Then you went to the triage nurse. When my husband and I got up to the greeter, she turned to the couple behind us, and said - just a minute, walked over to the triage nurse, and said, I have an asthmatic here, and am going to take her back to get a treatment, while we figure out what else she needs. She walked us back, introduced us to a nurse, whose first question was did I think I needed a treatment. I said yes, and it happened right away. By the time the doctor came a few minutes later while I was sucking on the nebulizer, I was in much better shape, and was able to go home without much more than some additional pred, in a much shorter time. Honestly, if that is what happened every time I went to a hospital, I would have a lot less qualms about going to hospitals. Most people who have asthma severe enough to need a hospital visit know if they need a nebulizer treatment, so asking that question first, and acting on it, not only sends a message to the patient that they are honoring the patient's disease, and the patient's own knowledge of that disease, but gets the problem dealt with. It doesn't seem like much of a down side risk either - as far as I know nebs aren't addictive, so there would be no harm if someone took one when they really didn't need it. But that was one hospital visit, out of god knows how many. I think we all, as asthmatics, do have our own issues about our disease, but I think a lot of those issues are reinforced by how the medical establishment deals with us."