My Worst Weekend EVER (AKA My First Ambulance Ride)

[ArcticChicken]

Forgive me if this is a bit discombobulated, I'm working on short sleep and a fuckton of albuterol.

Friday evening at around 9 I realized that my asthma was bothering me enough that I needed to get a breathing treatment. After some checking the internet a bit I discovered that the only urgent care places remotely near me (remote being the key word in that sentence) had been closed for most of an hour, at least. So, after some debate with myself, I got my aunt to give me a lift to the nearest ER.

At the ER I got a nebulizer, a bunch of prednizone and a prescription for more prednizone. I was still feeling tight, but a lot better.

Saturday, my asthma is still bothering me, but it's not as bad as it was Friday, and is responding to my inhaler.

Sunday, asthma still a pain, still responding. Decide to go ahead with my plans to spend the night with my BF in his dorm. Tightness in my chest, but not really bad. Take a couple puffs on my inhaler. 2am, I haven't been able to sleep much because of my breathing, it's not responding to the inhaler. Determine I need to go back to the ER. Try to get a ride, discover that it's going to be at least half an hour for either my aunt or a cab to get there, and get Safety and Security to call me an ambulance. Yay. EMT can't hear any wheezing, talking to me with a tone of voice that makes it absolutely clear he thinks I'm an idiot.

Get to the ER, get another nebulizer, this one actually clears my lungs. They give me a space for my inhaler, tell me to follow up with my Dr asap. Finally get out of there about 5am.

Get home get some sleep (much to my surprise). Got an appointment tomorrow at 10:45 with another Dr in the practice, mine's not back 'till thurs. My lungs are a little tight again, not nearly as bad as they were, but I'm pretty freaked out, my asthma has never done something like this before.

[Food Lady]

That EMT was sucky. He didn't know what was going on and prejudged you. If he doesn't want to help people, why is he an EMT?

[kpzra]

That EMT was sucky. He didn't know what was going on and prejudged you. If he doesn't want to help people, why is he an EMT?
Because we are human and have bad moments. Combined with a PT that might be spazzing (not saying you were, I've had it before) when we can find nothing wrong. The call before might have been a bad one. I know I wasn't my best when I had a quick turnaround after responding to a call where a mother drowned and stabbed her 3 little girls because "God told her to". Oh yeah, this was 9/10/2001.

We go off of what is presented to us and what we see. If he didn't know what was going on (as you said) then that is the patients fault.

[Teskeria]

24601, I dont agree with your last paragraph (the first I do). He was given the info by the OP, and he decided, because he didn't hear wheezing, that she was faking/an idiot. Not everyone with asthma has the same symptoms. Some people dont wheeze much but still cant breathe. Others, like myself, COUGH instead of wheeze. I didnt even know my chronic coughing was asthma until I read a romance novel, by Diana Palmer, where the heroine coughed. checked with my doctor, and he confirmed asthma.

[LewisLegion]

I cough instead of wheeze, as well. Worst asthma attack I ever had, and the doctor could hear no wheezing through her stethoscope. She gave me a nebulizer treatment on a hunch (she was about to give me an electrocardiogram to make sure it wasn't my heart) and sure enough, it worked.

[ArcticChicken]

If I do anything, I usually wheeze, but unless it's a really bad attack I usually am just tight. This time I'm coughing a bit. Sometimes. Right now it feels like someone has their hand pressed against my sternum, though that's partially the weight of my boobs. I don't know what the fuck is wrong, this is like no asthma attack I've ever had.

[patiokitty]

When I had those symptoms a chest x-ray showed that I had pneumonia...right smack dab at the end of semester when I could least afford to stay in bed. I had to use my regular Ventolin rescue inhaler as well as Advair250 and prednisone just to function even partially! Have they done a chest x-ray on you yet? At first they thought I was just going through a bad cycle with my asthma and I either wheeze or cough when I'm having an attack.

[Seshat]

After some checking the internet a bit I discovered that the only urgent care places remotely near me (remote being the key word in that sentence) had been closed for most of an hour, at least. So, after some debate with myself, I got my aunt to give me a lift to the nearest ER.

Breathing problems are always a perfectly valid reason to go to the ER. ALWAYS. There should never be a debate.

Anything restricting your breathing. Any uncontrolled bleeding. And anything cardiac/heart related. Those three are always suitable cases for an ER.

Yes, your family doctor or your urgent care place can also usually handle them. But never, never hesitate to seek medical help just because 'it might not be important enough', if it's one of those three.

Okay? :)

[ArcticChicken]

Have they done a chest x-ray on you yet?

Nope. And in retrospect, I am quite frustrated by that, but I have a doctors appointment in the morning, and I'm not leaving without at least a longer term solution and a recommendation for an asthma specialist.

Breathing problems are always a perfectly valid reason to go to the ER. ALWAYS. There should never be a debate.

That's what most of my conversation with myself consisted of, it just took me a little while to get the other part of me to shut up.

On the plus side, I called my mom, and she remember some things we used to do when I was a kid to help, and it turns out they still help. I think part of the scariness for me is that my asthma really hasn't been that bad since I was little, so I've never had to manage a bad attack on my own. I've had two major incidents since moving out of the house, one was two years ago and was fixed with a trip to the ER and a couple prescriptions, the other was several years before that and I happened to be visiting home, so my mom just took over for me.

[42_42_42]

If you need nebulizer treatments that often you should be able to get one to have at home.

[Elspeth]

If you need nebulizer treatments that often you should be able to get one to have at home.


I believe this is what my Mom has at home for her asthma.

[Sapphire Silk]

When the lungs get tight enough, you may not actually be able to hear much wheezing.

You also won't hear much air movement.

Did they do a pulse oximetry?

I have had patients fake respiratory distress . . . but it was a prison inmate trying to wrangle a trip to the hospital so he could try to escape (ie lungs completely clear, pulse ox 100%, nothing else on physical exam other than his complaint of breathing difficulties). I still consulted with the physician, though.

One problem asthmatics may run into is they get so much inhaled therapy they cause a paradoxical bronchospasm. Albuterol is notorious for this. Given the OP's previous ER visits and treatment, better safe than sorry is the rule. The EMT was sucky.

[ArcticChicken]

If you need nebulizer treatments that often you should be able to get one to have at home.

I used to have one when I was a kid, getting another one as soon as possible.

Did they do a pulse oximetry?

That's the weirdest thing, it was 98-99% on room air. It's one of the things I keep repeating to keep myself to stop me from freaking out.

[teh_blumchenkinder]

Do you think it might be a seasonal reaction, like allergies? I know that for some people, dust and pollen can set off asthma attacks-- and most things put off seasonal spores or pollen; or it could be that people are burning wood/something that hasn't happened for a year and so you're not used to it?
I know what you mean about your body changing on you and you don't know what's going on and it being scary-- I'm at that place right now, nothing major major, just bad/no clue wtf is going on. :( I'm glad I don't have breathing problems... so scary!! :hug: !

[ArcticChicken]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure this was brought on by a combination of seasonal allergies and all the rain we've had. I'm allergic to just about everything airborne, especially mold. There isn't any visible in my house, but I've got air purifiers running constantly in the rooms I spend the most time in.

[Sapphire Silk]

That's the weirdest thing, it was 98-99% on room air. It's one of the things I keep repeating to keep myself to stop me from freaking out.

Actually, not all that surprising. You were moving enough air to oxygenate, in spite of your symptoms.

It doesn't mean you weren't in trouble. You have to look at the big picture and remember that untreated symptoms often get worse.

[ArcticChicken]

Arrgh. Doctor gave me a script for a z-pack and a nebulizer, but when I asked about finding an asthma specialist, she pretty much just blew me off. I guess I'll just have to find one by myself.

I literally cannot remember ever having an asthma attack that lasted this long. If I could just have a good cry about it, I could probably get the headspace to deal with things better, but crying will just make it worse.

[FrancisWyvern]

Yikes, good luck on finding a specialist for asthma, I've heard some doctors still consider asthma to be a psychosomatic response rather than a real disease. Hate doctors that just hand you some prednizone and albuterol and send you on your way instead of getting some preventative measures in.

A good set of preventative meds help a ton though once you find ones that work. Singulair and Qvar work for me.

I myself have trouble with my asthma every time the season changes, just shift in humidity or temp can trigger an attack like yours. Though I have been hearing a lot more stories about horrible asthma attacks and some even fatal around me (AZ) recently, my own asthma as well has been worsening for the past 2 months. Sometimes could be something blown in the wind from other states and such, though hopefully when you find a specialist you can find out what's going on.

and what the hell PMT should know at least a little about asthma to be able to notice signs of a really bad attack.

[ArcticChicken]

Finally got my own nebulizer last night. Huge load off my mind. Got real stuff done today, because I didn't have a large part of my brain containing a panic attack anymore.

[Kristev]

I'm so happy for you.