When my inhaler didn't work, I panicked

Julia had a bad asthma attack which caught her by surprise. Quick thinking and following our asthma attack information meant she was able to calm down and feel more in control.

I have asthma that’s triggered by exercise and allergies. I’ve been living with it since I was a kid, and I’ve generally learned how to manage it. 

Growing up, I had to make sure I had my reliever inhaler nearby before I played any sport. I had to use it when I came across an allergen like dust or dander, and sometimes when I moved from a hot room to a cold room. But my asthma was mostly under control. 

When I was in my 20s, I moved to England from the US, and things improved even more thanks to my new asthma nurse - I'd never had one before! The steroid preventer inhaler she gave me improved my symptoms quite a bit so I don’t have too much trouble with my asthma most days. And she said I'd have a review with her every year to see how I was controlling my asthma.

It didn't feel like previous attacks

But one day, something unusual happened. 

I’d been under the weather, recovering from flu. I was at home, resting on the sofa, when suddenly I felt I couldn’t breathe properly. 

I noticed every breath took a lot more energy and effort than it should. But it didn’t feel like the asthma attacks I’ve had before: I wasn’t wheezing - I was coughing, and feeling breathless. It was horrible. 

I realised I should use my reliever inhaler. But after using it, my symptoms got dramatically worse.

This took me by surprise and really panicked me. Normally after I use my reliever inhaler, 5 minutes later I feel fine. But not this time.

I started to wheeze badly, and feel dizzy and tingly. Because I was panicking, I was getting even less oxygen. 

I took another dose of my inhaler, thinking, surely this would help. But it didn’t. I couldn’t work out what was going wrong.

I took another dose of my inhaler, thinking, surely this would help. But it didn’t. I couldn’t work out what was going wrong.

I was scared and didn’t know what to do. Everything I was trying wasn’t working, like getting some fresh air outside or breathing in steam. I had to try something else. 

I went online

I decided to look online. I’d seen some leaflets from the British Lung Foundation at my GPs, so I looked at the asthma section on the BLF website on my phone.

I’m so glad I did. The information told me to take a puff of my reliever inhaler every 60 seconds for up to 10 puffs and see how it goes. If that didn’t work, I should ring 999. 

Although it didn’t stop my asthma attack, knowing what I had to do made a huge difference. I was panicking a lot, because my coughing and wheezing was so horrible. 

We called an ambulance. And because I knew I was doing the right things, I calmed down. Having clear instructions helped me keep my head on, because I felt more in control. 

After my attack

After my attack, I realised I’d been told how to cope with this kind of asthma attack a long time ago. I had known what to do all along. But on the spur of the moment, with everything happening, I had freaked out and forgotten everything I'd been told. 

Having clear advice and instructions to follow helped me keep my head on during my asthma attack, because I felt more in control. 

If I hadn’t found the BLF’s asthma attack advice, I don’t know what would have happened. We might have waited longer to call 999, and I might have been in a much worse state when they finally arrived. 

Having that information available to me was a lifesaver and kept me calm. It was such a relief to find it and know I was following the best course of action. 

I was unprepared – get a plan

Remember to follow advice you've been given for an attack – everyone should have their own personal asthma plan.

I didn’t realise how unprepared I was. Now I know how important it is to be prepared and informed. I’m going to talk to my nurse about having my own written asthma plan and I’ll keep a photo of it on my phone and send a photo to my husband, so we‘ll all know what to do if it happens again.