For life's little ups and downs.

A rather quirky, funny and sometimes daunting look in to the life of someone who has a lot of health problems but does their best to keep positive. Punctuated by guinea pigs, anime, superheroes, transforming robots and cross stitching.

I started this blog to tell my story, about who I am and what I do. On top of the health problems and raising awareness for those, I also use my blog as a way to help promote other causes, particularly ones which affect the most vulnerable. I live with a number of different and complex health problems but I refuse to let anything get me down. I know how it feels to be discriminated against or thrown aside. This is me. This is my life. I live it and do what I want with it. Nature sets the limitations. We set the boundaries.

About Me:

A blog about life. I live with Type 1 Brittle Asthma, Bi-Polar Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder as well as Various Allergies, Neutropenia, Crohns Disease (my IBS was rediagnosed as Crohns), Osteo and Rheumatoid Arthritis, PCOS and Osteoporosis and Heredetary Spastic Paraplegia. I have recently also been diagnosed with Sleep Apnea (which makes me stop breathing in my sleep) I live with these conditions, but I refuse to let them keep me down and out. I still try and make the most of my days despite being so poorly and having to rely on my wheelchair, nebulisers, nearly 50 pills a day and 2l/min of oxygen and CPAP.

I'll flap my broken wings and erase it all someday... You'll see.

All About Brittle Asthma.

Where do I start. Asthma is one of the most common conditions in the United Kingdom. There are 5.4 million sufferers in this country and it is a figure that increases. According to Asthma UK over 1000 people die a year from asthma, and every 8 minutes someone is admitted to hospital because of it. Those figures are set to rise every year because no one really understands asthma and no one really thinks it can be bad or hard to manage. There isn't a cure and there is a lot of people who have asthma and are not being managed properly. It is a condition that MUST be taken seriously and it is something that needs to be understood.

Brittle asthma is one of those conditions that unless you have it, you may struggle to fathom what it means for 2.6 million of us in the UK. It's a condition that few understand and even fewer even know about and it's something that can change your life significantly within a short space of time. It has been my constant companion for 8 years (only really getting to the more worrying point in the last 4 years) and has been a deep learning curve for my friends, family and even to me.

When you ask somebody about asthma, it is common for them to automatically think of the blue inhaler and sometimes even a brown one. Hegemony puts most asthmatics on "Nerd" characters in TV and sitcom situations. Asthma affects all different kinds of people from all different walks of life and as varied as the sufferers are, the cases of asthma are pretty varied too. No two people actually have the exact same symptoms, triggers or care plans.

Asthma as a condition is based around inflammation of the airways. This inflammation can cause breathlessness, shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing and and any number of other symptoms because the airways are trying to close up and make it harder to shift air in and out. During these attacks, patients have to take medicines to relax the airways and regular treatments with steroidal medication (usually inhaled, unless there has been an acute episode or the patient needs to use steroid tablets on a long term basis) to damp down the inflammation and theoretically make symptoms easier. Sometimes the use of inhalers isn't enough and some people have to take various other medications like phyllocontin, nebulisers and even some sub-cutaneous infusion to ease symptoms. For some people it can be an easy condition to live with and manage, for others it can be debilitating and medication routines can sometimes feel like a full time job in themselves.

My asthma is catagorised as type 1 brittle. This means that I am privy to severe attacks that come on very quickly (sometimes I can be fine one moment and the next, just fighting to breathe). These attacks can escalate rapidly from just being out of puff to life threatening situations. I have been in hospital with my asthma more times than I can count (or care to admit) and for the last few years (for a number of reasons) it has become a huge part of my life, fitting in treatments and all of my medication (sometimes I have to take up to 30 pills a day, on top of nebulisers, inhalers and who knows what else) as well as still trying to maintain an independent life in the middle of it all. It can be extremely frustrating and tiring, and sometimes I am so exhausted that I can't really do normal things like going to town and shopping. This is why I have to use my mobility scooter to get around and do things. I have had it now since October and the difference that it has made in my life is impossible to put in to words as it has been so brilliant. I feel like I can happily go out again and live my life without having to worry about what I'd go through later.

My life can sometimes be characterised by days when I feel symptomatic and sometimes I don't notice that things get out of hand because as I have said before, it is hard to distinguish between levels of crappy. Sometimes I don't realise until that last moment when things are about to go so far downhill that I'm already on what I call a "treadmill" and there are even some events where I have come closer than I would like to admit to losing my life. It's only after these things happen that I really manage to take stock of things and sometimes it helps to reflect on what we could have done better at that point.

I have learned to take each day as it comes. I have learned that there is more to life than material gain and I have learned how easy it can be to give up and how it takes a lot of personal strength and fortitude in order to pick myself up, dust myself down and figure out a way to make it work. I know some people would say that I was delivered a rubbish lot in life, but at the end of the day, rather than sit there and wallow in self pity, I still get up and go about my day. I use the things I have to use (things like my nebs and my scooter(due to my asthma and various other conditions)) to get through the days and I am happy, not that I have the illness but that I am able to still be me, regardless of the obstacles that are in the way.

12 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Extraordinary work
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    ReplyDelete
  3. Nice to find other people that deal with this as well. I have debilitating asthma, and it's only come on in the last year or two, and I am much older than you. My doctors are still trying to get it under control...and the only thing that has helped at all so far has been steroid pills. Yuck! Have you tried the breathing exercises. Buteyko Method? I started them yesterday...figure it's worth a shot.

    ReplyDelete
  4. It's very good information. I enjoyed your post. Very useful information it had.
    asthma treatment

    ReplyDelete
  5. I want to tell you the wonderful news about Dr George product and how it has gradually gotten rid of my son asthma. My son Joshua harry suffered from asthma and sinusitis. He has been on Ventolin and Flexotide and has had many sleepless nights with coughing and wheezing. We were able to get Dr George product on asthma. which we use for only 5 weeks now my son is living a batter life than before and he enjoy running around with friends without Asthma being so heavy on his chest. Many thanks to Dr George for helping me out with my son asthma. His herbal remedy is the only permanent solution to asthma. You can always contact him through his email for more information (georgeadam65@gmail.com)

    ReplyDelete
  6. As a sign of gratitude for how my husband was saved from asthma , i decided to reach out to those still suffering from this.
    My husband suffered asthma and it was really tough and heartbreaking for me because he was my all and the symptoms were terrible, we tried various therapies prescribed by our neurologist but none could cure him. I searched for a cure and i saw a testimony by someone who was cured and so many other with similar body problem, and he left the contact of the doctor who had the herbal cure to asthma . I never imagined asthma has a cure not until i contacted him and he assured me my husband will be fine. I got the herbal medication he recommended and my husband used it and in one months he was fully okay even up till this moment he is so full of life. asthma has a cure and it is a herbal cure contact the doctor for more info on drwilliams098765@gmail.com on how to get the medication. Thanks for reading my story

    ReplyDelete
  7. I want to tell you the wonderful news about Dr George product and how it has gradually gotten rid of my son asthma. My son Joshua harry suffered from asthma and sinusitis. He has been on Ventolin and Flexotide and has had many sleepless nights with coughing and wheezing. We were able to get Dr George product on asthma. which we use for only 5 weeks now my son is living a batter life than before and he enjoy running around with friends without Asthma being so heavy on his chest. Many thanks to Dr George for helping me out with my son asthma. His herbal remedy is the only permanent solution to asthma. You can always contact him through his email for more information (georgeadam65@gmail.com)

    ReplyDelete
  8. It's hard to deal with asthma if steroid is of big help why not? They said steroid have side effects but if this is the only way to extend someone's life why not give it a try. If given a proper guidance all the complications and all those side effects can be avoided.

    https://iasuperpharma.is/

    ReplyDelete
  9. Amazing post. Reading for the first time, but you yourself seem to be a strong willed person and inspiring!! Being an early asthmatic and wheezing person, Yoga also helped as a mechanism for me to get control over my problems and reduce the dosage of medicines. Inspired by yoga, I work as a yoga therapist for asthmatic patients now, helping them to recover and get control over their asthma. Truly inspired by your work!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Wendy, I've followed your blog for a little while now and I really appreciate your frank and honest ability to discuss your condition. My company makes inhaler sensors, could we send you one (free)? I just feel like I should do something for you

    ReplyDelete
  11. That would be interesting to try, could you please send me more info to guinea-piggin@live.com , thanks for the support and your kindness? Perhaps I could possibly offer a review for it?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hey,
    I noticed your Article. I just loved it.
    I have one that just got published, you can go through the topic and we provide treatments for more than 300. You can check it out here: asthma treatment in homeopathy.
    If you like it feel free and share it.
    Cheers,
    Varshini

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for your comment. I will review it as soon as possible!

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