SummerOnair_Online

Asthma..It’s serious
Deanne’s Story
Have you ever been laser focused on one
breath? The one breath that you are willing
with everything in your being to fill your lungs;
the one breath that you are fighting to keep;
the one breath that you are so scared will not
easily move through your body the way that
everything in your learning about good health
promises it should? I have. And it sucks.
I’m a 54-year-old woman, happily married to the
love of my life. I grew up in Perth, spent 27 years
living in Melbourne and returned “home” to WA
in 2010. I had never had respiratory problems of
any kind in Melbourne, or indeed in Perth as a kid
but on arrival back in WA I got a horrendous cold
that resulted in sinusitis and eventually surgery to
have my sinuses drained. Somewhere along the
way I started finding it difficult to get my breath.
A childhood friend, a nurse and life-long Asthma
sufferer, suggested I look at using a Ventolin. I
went to the Doctor, she tested me and said yes,
I was borderline asthmatic and that it would
probably be a good idea to have a puffer when I
needed it. The doctor also gave me some Seretide
and suggested I use it morning and night and
wean myself off when it “felt right. You’ll know,”
she said confidently.
I didn’t know. I felt like I was an imposter. Not
really an asthmatic. Who contracts Asthma at 50?
Isn’t it just a kids disease and you grow out of it?
How do I know when I should take this medicine
or not?
I had good days and bad days but the bad days
were hell. Up to 12, 15 times a day I’d be sucking
the life out of my Ventolin but the breath never
was easy, my lungs hurt, my throat hurt; I was
forever thinking “I’d better go to the hospital, I
might die”. My husband was worried and I was
frightened. It went on like that for a year.
My nurse friend said I should go and talk to
someone at the Asthma Foundation WA. OMG!
What a life-changing event. Two hours of
informative, caring, thoughtful advice.
Models that I could see, touch and understand
what was going on in my body. Demonstrations
of spacers. Relevant data on what Asthma was
and how I could best manage it in my life. All
of it delivered with empathy, understanding and
genuine desire to help and support me.
I ended up in tears of relief. I wasn’t alone, I
wasn’t crazy - I just had a doctor who really wasn’t
the full bottle on Asthma. I came out of that
meeting armed with information, two spacers and
a determination to find a new doctor who was
experienced with Asthma treatment. I found my
new doctor, my Asthma is well controlled and I
haven’t used my Ventolin in 6 months.
Thank you Asthma Foundation WA – you gave me
back my life, one easy breath after the other.
Do you have an asthma story to share?
AFWA would love to hear your personal experience
with asthma and any experiences you have had .
By sharing your asthma story you will also inspire, educate
and connect the wider WA community affected by asthma.
To share your story please email ask@asthmawa.org.au or
alternatively contact us 08 9289 3600.
5