First Signs Of Asthma At Age 46
I was shocked to be brought into the hospital on November 1st, 1992 at age 46, breathless, and coughing.
The consultant asked me if I smoked and I said yes. "Wrong answer," he said, "the next one will kill you." Quite a dramatic statement, but it did the trick. During this time I was put on a nebulizer several times a day. I was in the hospital for 7 days.
Nebulizers have helped tremendouslyr
When I came home, my husband bought me nebulizer- the same as they used in the hospital. It was a Philips one with a mask and mouthpiece. Needless to say, I never had another cigarette.
I’m now age 74, and over the years I have had to use my nebulizer (my second one now) and they have helped me enormously. I’ve had several stays in the hospital over the years. Once, I was in the ICU with sepsis and numerous pneumonia infections which have resulted in me having a second pneumonia vaccine and an anti-bacterial vaccine.
The best decisions I have made
One of the best things I ever did was to stop smoking. The second was my nebulizer. But, I have to say the greatest was my first Pulmonary Rehabilitation class in 2008, which was life-saving in my opinion. After many years of my hubby saying “Leave that, I’ll do it... you’ll only get out of breath," I did PR and I was amazed at my improvement.
I was advised to keep up my exercise plan so I joined the gym and the trainer was made aware of my health condition. I went twice a week and I loved it! Obviously I’ve had many setbacks of infections and I was diagnosed in 2001 with bronchiectasis, emphysema, and COPD.
Living through the pandemic
I’ve now been in lockdown since March 3rd, and I do miss my sessions at the gym, and I haven’t left the house yet or seen anyone other than my husband, and the occasional delivery man. Thank goodness for FaceTime and the internet for our food shopping. I miss my family greatly and can’t wait for a hug that I’ll hold onto forever.
Sending best wishes to all fellow sufferers, all NHS staff, and all asthmatics in the UK. Your daily updates are gratefully received. Thank you.
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