Asthma

[Ballerina123]

I've just been diagnosed with asthma and a chest infection.

I've never had asthma before and the doctor was really unhelpful and rushing me out the door.

Does anyone here have asthma and is there anything more I can do to help myself except for taking my inhaler and antibiotics?

The only thing the doc said is that it might take upto a month for my breathlessness to be under control and to go back if I'm still breathless in a month and I can get a different inhaler or something.

[Pi.R^2]

Hmm, it sounds like the doctor was really unhelpful!

Could you perhaps ring the surgery and ask if it would be ok to see a nurse about your new diagnosis? I imagine they would be able to give you an appointment for you discuss the asthma and how to manage it, but it would just check with the receptionist and see if a nurse appointment is the right choice for that!

[MissAnonymous]

Most GP surgeries have an asthma nurse or asthma clinic because they get brownie points for getting all their asthmatics in for a yearly asthma review, amongst other things. I would ring up and ask for an appointment with the asthma specialist nurse/clinic/whatever they do.

[Ballerina123]

Thanks

Yea the doctor was really unhelpful. She was running really late so I think she was getting stressed.
I have to go back in a month to be reassessed and she if my breathlessness and coughing has calmed down or stoped. Also by then my antibiotics should be finished and I should be feeling better.

The inhaler had helped a lot though which is good.