After three hospital admissions with breathing problems over the winter in 2015, and three admissions from 2013-2014, my then three year old daughter Phoebe was diagnosed with asthma. We had a referral to Asthma Waikato to discuss a management plan. This was a huge relief, as previously we could only react to her symptoms, with blue reliever inhalers, Redipred, and oxygen.
We met with the nurse in September 2015. We had an hour's consultation, where she discussed what asthma is, what can trigger it, and ways to prevent it from getting to an emergency. The nurse came up with management plan which gave us details of what medication to use and how often, and explained what the medication does to the body. This was extremely helpful and easy to understand as she had a model of the tubes into the lungs which gave us a visual image of what was happening.
We met with the nurse in September 2015. We had an hour's consultation, where she discussed what asthma is, what can trigger it, and ways to prevent it from getting to an emergency. The nurse came up with management plan which gave us details of what medication to use and how often, and explained what the medication does to the body. This was extremely helpful and easy to understand as she had a model of the tubes into the lungs which gave us a visual image of what was happening.
We received copies of a symptom diary, so that we could record what was happening if my daughter started to have a worsening of symptoms. This was really helpful for the time that the symptoms did get worse, as I followed the emergency procedure of using the reliever more often, and when we did go to the doctor, they could use our record to see what had happened so far. This is one of the most useful tools for us. The nurse also gave us handy tips such as how to clean the spacer, how long a preventer should last and therefore when to get a repeat prescription.
In the year since we started the asthma management plan, Phoebe's health has been so much improved, and our lives are so much better now that she sleeps properly, as it was affecting her sleep badly. Phoebe has settled into the routine of twice daily inhalers, and knows how to do it herself (although we still do it for her). She is starting to get to the stage where she can tell us when she feels the need for the blue inhaler, which is another step forward, as we know it is time to start recording her symptoms.
Thank you so much for the care, advice and understanding you have given us. The consultation has been a life changer for us.
Best wishes
Pippa
In the year since we started the asthma management plan, Phoebe's health has been so much improved, and our lives are so much better now that she sleeps properly, as it was affecting her sleep badly. Phoebe has settled into the routine of twice daily inhalers, and knows how to do it herself (although we still do it for her). She is starting to get to the stage where she can tell us when she feels the need for the blue inhaler, which is another step forward, as we know it is time to start recording her symptoms.
Thank you so much for the care, advice and understanding you have given us. The consultation has been a life changer for us.
Best wishes
Pippa
