Author Archives: Jackie Aim

Accepting you need help

You also need to be open to accepting help and support when it is offered. Explain that you will let family and friends know when you will take up their offer to help even though you don’t need it yet.

If you keep on refusing help when it is offered family and friends may stop asking.

Self management is about keeping as well as you can be and knowing when to access help. Getting a balance between being independent and being confident in knowing when to get help rather than struggling on. Some people may put off asking for help if they think of it as a short term solution, better to continue without help till things settle.  However it is often better to get help when you need it and reduce that help as things improve.

Accept others may not do things exactly the same as you would do.

Sometimes you need to be flexible and think of alternative ways to do things you have done yourself. For example you may not be able to carry heavy shopping – what are your alternatives?

  • Ask a neighbour to get some of the heavier things for you when they get their shopping.
  • Order on line from the supermarket and have it delivered.
  • Ask your family for a lift when they do their shopping.
  • Ask a friend if they mind going with you when you go shopping.
  • Take a taxi door to door.
  • If some one offers to do your shopping accept and make a list for them of the things you need.

This process of thinking about alternatives and options can apply in lots of situations.

Family and friends

Couple reading

Even those close to you may not appreciate how your asthma is affecting you physically, emotionally and socially.

Everyone leads a busy life and sometimes family and friends don’t offer help because they don’t know you need it or they don’t know how to help.

Talking about what help you need or what you are worried about can give family and friends a better understanding of how they could help when you need them.

Some family and friends may under estimate how your asthma is affecting you now, especially if you have been diagnosed some time ago and your condition has changed over time. They may not realise your asthma is a long term condition when you have periods of feeling well followed by a flare up or attack. For example if family are relying on you to pick up children or baby sit while they are at work they might not know when this is getting more difficult for you to cope with.

Some families can be over protective and hardly let you do things you are more than capable of or take over your life without realising what you can do yourself.

Communication with family and friends is as important as the communication you have with health and social care teams. Think about how to discuss your worries and concerns with them.

Health and social care teams

preview Description: A mature woman patient consulting a GP in the surgery consulting room.

© Crown Copyright 2009

The amount of time you spend face to face with individual health and social care professionals is very limited. A GP appointment lasts on average between 6 and 10 minutes.

So when you do see a health and social care professional go prepared to make the most of your time to explain your concerns and get your questions answered. This helps to build a relationship with your health and social care team. They have knowledge or your condition but you are the one who can tell them how asthma is affecting you and your daily life.

Every appointment should involve communication both ways. Never be afraid to ask questions or ask for more explanation if you are not sure. Take a note book or list so you can write down important instructions or names of new medicines. Sometimes a diagram or leaflet from your health or social care professional can help you to understand clearly. If you have an hearing, eye sight or memory problems you can ask someone to accompany you to your appointment.

For more information on health and social care teams see:

Moving on Together (MoT): A self-management workbook by NHS Ayrshire & Arran.

Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland fact sheet Making the most of a visit to your doctor [.pdf]

How do you explain how you feel?

relationships_diagram

Try thinking about how your asthma affects you physically, emotionally and socially.

At different times these three parts in your life may be more or less important. There may be times when all three parts are having an impact on how you are coping. Once you can identify how these affect you, telling this to others will be easier and you can start to think about ways you have used to cope with similar situations in the past.

Some medications may also effect your emotions. Ask your healthcare team about this if you think your mood is being affected.

View text alternative

Long term condition
Physical impact symptoms can include: pain, muscle weakness, fatigue (tiredness), short of breath → Emotional impact for example: stress, low mood, fear, anger, guilt, frustration → Social impact for example: difficulty getting out and about, change of role in the family, being off work or unemployed through ill health → Physical

Communication

Two women talking at a table.

© Crown Copyright 2009

When you have a long term condition you will or may at times need help from various people. Your family, your healthcare team, your friends. The kind of help you may need can influence where or who you seek this help from.

To self manage your asthma effectively you need to be able to explain to other people how your asthma is affecting you.

This means being able to communicate what you need help with, sometimes to people who do or may not understand what it is like to have asthma.

Effective communication is also about both partners listening actively to what is being said. You should feel you have been listened to.

For more information on communication see:

Moving on Together (MoT): A self-management workbook by NHS Ayrshire & Arran.

Where do you get help and support?

This picture shows all the people, services and important signposts to support your self management. Think about yourself driving or walking along the road and all of these signs that you might see. It may surprise you to see just how much support there is when you begin to be supported in living with a disease such as asthma

Think about all the people around you who can help.

Formal help – ask yourself who would or could help you if you have a problem because of your asthma? This includes services run by the NHS, Local Authority, voluntary organisations and other independent groups.

Informal help – ask yourself who you would ask for help? If you feel you need cheered up or someone to go out with you for a coffee? This includes the large variety of support around us – family, friends and within our communities.

Road to self management diagram

Sleep disorders – further information

There are many different sleep disorders:

  • Snoring – this can be very disturbing for your partner or others in the house if it is very loud.
  • Night terrors – feelings of great fear experienced on suddenly waking in the night.
  • Sleep walking/talking – walk around and sometimes perform other actions while asleep.
  • Narcolepsy – an extreme tendency to fall asleep at any time or in any place.

Some heart disorders such as high blood pressure or heart failure can also affect breathing at night.

However:

  • By keeping a healthy weight
  • Keeping active
  • Taking medication effectively

This risk can be minimised.

If you are having difficulty sleeping because of your asthma, tell your doctor or practice nurse. They may be able to offer suggestions or make a referral for further assessment.

 

Obstructed sleep apnoea

Using a cpap

Continuous Positive Air Pressure

Asthma can increase the risk of developing Obstructed Sleep Apnoea (OSA) and other sleep related breathing disorders. Obstructed Sleep Apnoea (OSA) being the most commonly known.

Obstructed Sleep Apnoea happens when the upper airways are floppy and collapse. This results is loud snoring and can obstruct air flow causing short periods when breathing stops for a few seconds. This can happen many times each night. It is commonly associated with being overweight or obese, where the excess fatty tissue round the neck and upper chest push down on the airway when lying in bed. Obstructed Sleep Apnoea can be effectively treated with Continuous Positive Air Pressure (CPAP) allowing normal daily life to carry on. This uses a special face mask which you wear at night. Air at a slightly higher pressure is delivered by the mask to keep the airway open.

Things which can help your sleep

Peak flow diary and meter

Peak flow diary and meter

Using a Peak Flow meter and keeping a diary will show any early changes in your airways, allowing action to be taken.

Using your appropriate treatments effectively:

  • Steroid inhalers to reduced inflammation in airways.
  • Reliever inhalers to prevent airway spasm.

Try a bedtime routine:

  • Avoid distractions like television, mobile or tablet use in your bedroom.
  • Reduce your caffeine or alcohol intake in the hours before bed.
  • Try a warm bath, milky drink or reading for a short time before you go to bed.

Coping/improving sleep

Dust mite

Dust mite

Minimise any flare ups by knowing what your triggers are and avoiding those triggers.

  • The most common trigger for nocturnal asthma is the dust mite. No matter how hard you try you will not be able to make your bed or room completely dust mite free but you can try to reduce level of exposure by using a vacuum cleaner on your bed mattress.
  • Damp dust hard surfaces regularly.
  • Keep pets out of bedrooms.