Please read the information below as following this advice will make sure that your Asthma is well-controlled.
| Ask these three questions : | ||
| Do you have difficulty sleeping because of asthma symptoms? (cough, wheeze, breathlessness) | Y | N |
| Does asthma interfered with your usual activities? | Y | N |
| (Do you have to stop doing something because of your asthma?) | ||
| Do you have daytime Asthma Symptoms? Choose one from below | ||
| Asthma rarely causes daytime symptoms | Y | N |
| Asthma causes daytime symptoms 1-2 times per month | Y | N |
| Asthma causes daytime symptoms 1-2 times per week | Y | N |
| Asthma causes daytime symptoms 1-2 times per day | Y | N |
If you are having persistent symptoms then make sure that you are definitely taking your preventer inhaler (the one that isn’t blue) twice a day. This is because it only lasts for 12 hours, so must be taken 12 hourly for it to work properly and prevent the airways from being inflamed and narrowed.
Sit the preventer inhaler next to your toothbrush to remind you to take it morning and night, and brush your teeth afterwards to rinse your mouth.
The blue inhaler is to relieve symptoms then and there. It only lasts 3-4 hours and does nothing to reduce narrowing of the airways caused by inflammation. (Asthma symptoms are caused by inflammatory of the airways). It is a reliever not a preventer. It helps temporarily only.
The preventer is the important one which actually treats Asthma.
If you haven’t been taking your preventer inhaler as above, then start now and it will take about 2 weeks for you to feel the symptoms improve. If things haven’t improved after that, then phone the surgery for the Practice Nurse to review your inhalers.
Weight
Could your weight be better? Being overweight will make you more breathless than you need to be. Losing weight will improve symptoms of breathlessness that may not be caused by Asthma. Exercise in your house by walking up and down stairs or hallways continuously for 10 minutes at a time, several times a day to burn calories, get fitter and lose weight.
Smoking status –
Never smoked Ex-smoker Current smoker ………./day
If you smoke, please stop or at the very least, cut down.
