Breathless.

[Theland]

Not really a question, just feel like talking a bit.
My COPD is really bad at the moment. Been terrible for last three days. A few times I have panicked and almost rang for an ambulance.
Tonight it is so stressful. Using the nebuliser every half hour. Just walking to the kitchen or bathroom is enough to almost cripple me.
Again, tonight, I feel panicked as I fight for breath. Don't want to ring for the ambulance, out of fear, embarrassment, being a burden, something like that, but feeling all mixed up and confused. Son is still out and missus sleeping.
There, I have let off steam and shared a problem.

[kvalidir]

My Grandfather (well not my genetic grandfather but the man who looked after my Dad when his own father died, so same thing) has COPD and a host of other things as well and is in really poor health Theland. He likewise gets terribly breathless and then has panic attacks because of his breahtlessness which leads to the breathlessness worsening and he gets very upset, depressed and confused. Have you been to any workshops on breath control that are offered for COPD and anxiety, that's helped him a lot. The local hospice runs them here and he was dreading it thinking it would be very depressing etc but he had a ball there and felt really supported. x

[hc4361]

Hope you're feeling a bit better now, Theland. Never be frightened to call an ambulance when you are having problems breathing

[retrocop]

First time and last,I hope, I asked my wife to call an ambulance for me I was having a heart attack and did not know it.
Having been discharged from hospital after Aortic stents procedure my kidneys were packing up due to OD of contrast dye during the procedure and CT scan the next day..One night I was fighting for breath and thought I was about turn my toes up so the ambulance was called. I ended up in cardiology and a year later a quadruple bypass. I thought I knew the symptoms of a cardiac arrest. I obviously didn't.
If you wan't to delay the meeting with your maker then call an ambulance. Life or Death ?
It is not as though you are some airhead binge drinker collapsed in the gutter on a Saturday night out. They are a waste of ambulance resources for sure.

[dannyk13]

Theland, like you I have COPD (stage three) and I often struggle to reach the kitchen without being seriously out of breath.Have you tried exercise, as I find that it does help?

[bodeker]

Hi Nailit I am in the same position as yourself and it can be upsetting when your breathing gets that bad. One thing worried me , you said you used your nebuliser every half hour , that sounds a lot , on bad days I use mine maybe 4 times a day . I had a time when my heart would be racing and I would get breathless and I would use my nebuliser and it was not till later when I was in hospital that a Dr said to me "you realise that the nebuliser makes you heart race " and of course that can make you feel worse . I am not very good at calling an ambulance I hang on till I really need to get one, usually end up calling one in the middle of the night much to my daughters disgust lol. I now have oxygen at home which has lessened the need for hospital visits. Please don't hold out phoning for help if you need it .

[murraymints]

Theland....hope you feel better now...take good care.... xx

[Peter Pedant]

The real cost is the diesel to get to the call out and the disposables used to treat the patient which is negligible.

erm these are variable costs and are volume sensitive - really by defiinition

the others are fixed costs which behave as you say - the cost / unit goes down with greater use - and are also sunk ( you dont get them back if you dont use them)

but they are still there and have to be paid ....

[Theland]

Thank you all for your friendly supportive posts.
I saw my GP this morning and got told off for not calling an ambulance during the night.
Have got Doxycycline and Prednisolone, so see how that goes.
Well at least I didn't clog up a hospital bed, so that's good.
Thanks again. AB really is a comfort.