Very First and Only Asthma Attack
Working in the garden on a hotter than usual day in late September 2017. As I was quickly walking up the hill which my house is built on, I suddenly couldn’t breathe. I didn’t know what was happening, I kept fanning my face with my hand trying to get more air in. I didn’t have an action plan nor do I have one now. Where does one begin?
Hi! That sounds scary to deal with, especially if you've never faced anything like that before. I'm curious about how you're doing now, since you mentioned this attack happened almost 9 years ago, in 2017. Have you had any problems since? Do you have an asthma diagnosis at this point?
Generally, you would start with your general practitioner or family doctor for a full physical exam. If there is need for it, you can ask them to refer you to a pulmonologist, who would do more specific testing and then prescribe you medication or a treatment plan. You would revisit this plan together during regular visits, usually once every 6 or 12 months.
Hopefully this helps get you started and on the way to getting some answers. Take care and reach out to us anytime! -Melissa, team member
Thank you, I still do not have a plan, other than to grab my rescue inhaler, have not had another experience but do have a very good Pulmologist who is very helpful. Yes I was diagnosed with asthma and copd a few years ago.
Hi there, thanks for following up! Likely your doctor has a plan for you and maybe hasn't explained it as such. Generally, an asthma plan will list what to do (inhalers) and when (how often) and when to call the doctor. Do you have both a daily inhaler and a rescue inhaler? I'm linking an article from our website that discusses this further. https://asthma.net/coping/asthma-action-plan Let me know what you think! -Lauren (Team member)
