So my asthma is acting up again and I feel like I have the proverbial elephant sitting on my chest. I say my asthma is acting up, but in actuality it’s always acting up. So I guess what I really mean is that my symptoms are ramping up from my norm, getting more intense by […]
Not sure what’s going on. Since 2003 when my asthma started to get really bad, it was for the most part, relatively stable and the symptoms tolerable for several months at a time. Even the exacerbations, while still very severe on occasion, were somewhat predictable. Likewise, my lung function, specifically my FEV1 and FVC, though […]
If you’ve suffered from asthma for any length of time and/or have been hospitalized for it, no doubt you’ve experienced some of the not so pleasant side effects of corticosteroids, or possible psychosis from being in the intensive care unit for any length of time. Being in and out of the hospital and on steroids […]
As a person with life long chronic asthma, my exacerbations usually develop slowly, sometimes over several days affording me enough time to take some type of pre-preemptive measure. But last week I experienced an acute asthma attack that came on instantly and out of nowhere. At the time, we were in the sleepy little town […]
Think a severe asthma exacerbation only effects your lungs? Check out the photos below. Each photo was taken appx 2-3 weeks after being discharged from the hospital after a serious asthma flare. Dehydrated? Perhaps, but interestingly, most people retain water while on prednisone. The thing about frequent severe asthma exacerbations and frequent use of steroids, […]
The Hospital I go to when my asthma gets really bad, recently upgraded their electronic charting and patient care computer systems. They’re using the EPIC system, which includes a patient portal via the web. It’s pretty cool because things like labs and xray results are made available to patient almost as soon as they’re available […]
Most people will tell you Im one of the sweetest, most caring people you’ll ever meet. But make no mistake, when Im recovering from a bad asthma exacerbation, I can become an obnoxious asshole… I get anxious, I get irritable, I get angry and nasty all at the same time. I snap at everyone and […]
After 9 years of blogging about life with severe asthma, I still get a lot of traffic from people searching the web for specific information about O2 saturation and how it relates to asthma or the severity of an asthma attack. So for those who might have missed my earlier posts, here’s a recap of […]
Oh goody, another post about asthma exacerbation recovery. After being discharged from the hospital only 3 days ago, it’s probably a little early to be writing about this topic again, but something is definitely different this time around. The recovery seems excruciatingly slow( gee, where have I heard that before?). In my mind I should […]
Well, the hospital bills have reached new levels of absurdity. I thought my medical bills from a few years back were crazy, but this one takes the cake. I particularity like the $1900 charge for an Advair inhaler ( listed as “FLUTICAS/SALMETER INH 500/50”) on the bill, and $900 for Fluticasone nasal spray( ie Flonase). […]
Earlier this week I had my long awaited lung transplant evaluation at Stanford University. Dr Weill and the other team members were awesome. I learned a lot and am satisfied with the outcome. In fact I think everyone involved in my care to this point has learned something. Very few asthmatics are ever referred for […]
Over the years Ive built up a pretty loyal following of friends who are interested in what Ive been up to and how I’m doing health wise , but the bulk of visitors to this blog still get here while searching for answers to asthma related questions or topics. The following (in order of popularity) […]
The idea for this post came to me during the middle a recent severe exacerbation. Actually, it was the same exacerbation that put me in the hospital for 12 days, for which I am still recovering. Foremost on my mind during an asthma excerbation is the question….how bad will it get? Is this flare going […]
