It has been years since i needed to seek emergency help for my asthma. This latest bout i had was a eye opener for me. I figured that if or when i would need emergency attention that it would be a breeze. Just go into a er room and with new medicine there would be a huge improvement on how to deal with asthma cases. The only difference is they do take you in faster then most cases. Once your there they pump you up with more breathing treatments. Same treatments one that i was using all day and night at home and couldn't get a handle on it. The second time i went into the er room i had the same thing. Just wheezing in the left lobe. But, they felt i was pushing a sizeable amount of air. I told them i was tight and couldn't breath. I always have a wheeze. What i can't manage is being tight, short of breath. I've read from several people on this board and others the same complaint. Most dr's don't feel your in need unless you have a wheeze. (rhymes) :rolleyes: , but to me is im not getting air to wheeze.
I was hospitalized when i was 14-16yrs old on the avg every other month. I am now 41 and felt im in semi-remission. I still take inhalers and meds daily. But, its managed. Im just in shocked with the care. At least when i went in 25yrs ago they would open your lungs with adrenlyn for some relief.
Now they only are bent on giving 2 or 3 breathing treatments. Just enough to get the lungs to open and go home. Im sure if im blue in the face they'll give me adrenyln shot or something. Don't get me wrong i don't want anymore adrenlyn shots. Maybe something for quick relief though. Just thought they came farther then this. They worked hard on prevental meds like advair and many others, but when your in trouble because the prevental meds don't work. They are clueless on what to do. Even in the old school days 25yrs ago when you were tight/short of breathe that was called a asthma attack. Now if your not wheezing your basically okay to tend to business. This attack i had lasted the longest. Im on day 14 now. Since i had the doc change my antibotics i hope and pray that this is the end of this road. I am so disappointed in the new so called asthma world. SCARED to have another attack. Maynot have the strength to live through the next one. Anyone that has those stubborn attacks understands the day and night, day after day fighting to get your lungs back. Its very exhausting along with the prednisone doses. I would love to hear from others who had to rely on emergency services to get your asthma under control. I'll be spending alot of time on the board to re-educate myself on what i need to do when this occurs again. Thanks for all your support in the past week.
jane

You poor thing! The prednisone is not working? I am on it right now, and I feel like a new woman. So much energy. I know its a false bravado, meaning it just makes me hyper, but whatever works to get me through the day.

Well, I haven't been to the er for asthma in about 7 years. I seem to remember them giving me a steroid shot and breathing treatment. Now that I have a nebulizer at home, I use that and put myself on prednisone. But with all the new preventative meds, I don't seem to get as bad anymore. Do you see a pulminologist? If not, do. I find that my general practitioner is just not as knowledgeable and I don't think I was getting as effective treatment when I was just going to him.

Have you figured out if there is another cause to your attack right now. I know you said you were sick too. Is there something else in your environment that's triggering it?

Well, sorry I'm not much help. But it is disappointing that you didn't get better care. I've been to the ER a few times with my kids with head injuries and such, and they made me wait forever. Very disappointing. Hope you feel better soon!

well..i've had good and bad luck with asthma care. In the ER, i've been twice, first time I had a 175 peak flow and they told me I was just tired and to take my albuterol in haler every 4 hours! Can you beleive that!
The second time, I must say was great for an ER visit lol. I was having a flareup up that just wouldn't get better, I had started on prednisone earlier that day but it still hadn't kicked in..so at nite my parents made me go in. My ER doctor was great! Very thorough..checked my blood and did cxrays to make sure of no collapsed lungs or serious infections. He also gave me a breathing treatments to hold me over until the pred kicked in, had a respiratory therapist come talk to me, they gave me a spacer to use my inhaler with from now on, a peak flow meter and even set it at my red, yellow and green zones. They gave me all kinds of packets and I didn't have to wait around at all. Really nice doctor, nurses, technicians. Ir ealyl lucked out that time.
I have a GREAT pcp, he's become almost a family friend as opposed to our doctor, he's really cool. Always knows what to do. However I saw a lung specialist who was TERRIBLE! I'm in the process of looking for one who will be good for me..
So it really just depends on who you have I guess.

Finally with antibotic #3 or maybe #4 i feel better. I was on septra for 2 days, zithromax 5days, went back on the septra w/zithromax for 3 days, now on amoxicillin and feeling like i should of days ago.
Im not fond of zithromax at all. It probably works for the majority of people. Not me. Second time i went on it in 4 months and eachtime i felt worse. So no more for me. My husband is real sick and was put on zithromax today. So we'll see how he does in a day or 2.
After i get through with this bout i will hook up with a asthma specialist to see what i can do if there is a next episode. In all my years of being a severe asthmatic. I have never felt unsure of the care. 2 ER visits and a clinic visit. Not that they just blew me off they were kinda bumping there heads to give me everything to take home and get better. I think they should of kept me in the hospital to get it under control. I was told the hospital was full when i registered in ER the 2nd time. My doctor had called the ER room to tell them i was coming and he wanted me to have inpatient care. They sent me home 8hrs later. I am ticked. When i get better i will be really taking this to the top. I know when i can't manage my asthma and to be blown off is unbelieveable.
Thanks again for all your support and hope nobody has to endure this kind of care. Fight back.
Jane

Ahh I hate Zithromax also(Zpak)!!!
Makes my stomach hurt, even if taken with food!

Hi Jane, I am new here but i have been to the er so many times I coulnd;t even tell you, I usually wait too long to go, so I always get that lecture out coming in earlier and not driving myself there. I usually am wheezing loudly, but at other times I am so tight that I don't even wheeze at all. I was told that this is bad to get to that point. This is probably what happened to you. I usually get 4-5 neb treatments, oxygen, and a huge dose if IV steroids and fluids. If I don't improve by then( which I normally don't) then I get admitted, usually to icu. I know what it's like to get a doc that won't listen or understand how severe things are, then give you som prednisone a a neb or two and send you home. I had this happen once this year, I went home, and was back in in 8 hrs needing bipap and continuous nebs. Do you see a pulmonologist? I always from then on make sure they call someone from my pulmo's office that is on call and ask their opinions since they almost all know or know of me (which is sad). This might help you to get better treatment. I know asthma attacks are very scary, don't not get treatment because of what happened the last time you went to er. Is there another hospital in the area you could go to? That might be worth a try also. I have about 8 different hospitals in the city I live in, and there are a couple I would refuse to return to. If these attacks are that bad that they are scaring you, I would suggest getting a doc ( I like pulmo's, or evenan allergist, or gp) that you can call ang get questions answered or get advice on what to do. Then make the er doc call that doc if you don't feel things were treated correctly. Just my advice, but usually if I get to the er point I will be admitted for days until things improve. Sorry you had such a bad experience and that things still sound out of control. Hope things get better soon, Sandra
Also remember if you don't like a particular doc that you are seeing in the er, it is your right to be seen by someone else there.

ER visits vary for me. The last time I was there, my o2 sats were at 84, and the alarm was beeping. After about five minutes, someone came in and shut the alarm off without saying anything. I asked for a Tylenol and they never gave me one. They gave me a few breathing treatments and sent me home with Orapred. Well, thanks...but I can do that at home.

And another time I was sent by ambulance from school. My sats were okay this time, around 89. But they sent me for a chest xray, gave me IV steroids, and breathing treatments. Later they gave me epinephrine because I was still wheezing. I think ambulance patients may get more thorough care. I might be wrong, but it's just what I think.

Ahh I hate Zithromax also(Zpak)!!!
Makes my stomach hurt, even if taken with food!
I'm on Zithromax(Zpack ) right now and I hate it too my stomach is killing me......oh well one more day left (a then what next)!

I'm on Zithromax(Zpack ) right now and I hate it too my stomach is killing me......oh well one more day left (a then what next)!

If your not feeling better w/zithromax then don't mess around like i did. Get on amoxicillin or something else. Zithromax made me worse twice. My mom thought she read that zithromax side effect could be short of breath, tightness of breath.
Good luck and hope you get better.
jane