Asthma...

[WillingPilot]

Hey Guys,

I'd just like to ask, I've been "diagnosed " with Asthma. Well, I've been issued an inhaler "if" I need it.

I got diagnosed when I were 16, but I think it is incorrect. What can I do? I'm from the United Kingdom. I've also never had an Asthma attack or anything, but what can I do?

To be honest, I don't really use it, can I still get my Class 1 Medical? I want to know before I spend money on my career. :sad:

[Raptor_]

Yes you can still get a class 1 medical. Go to the CAA at Gatwick, and take the medical examination with a AME. If you pass, you´re good to go. Let them in on everything regarding your condition, and they´ll discuss it with you. As long as you don´t have regular asthma attacks, or haven´t had any within 5 years you could be able to get a Class 1.

[gingernut]

Try a search on here, 'cos it's been well covered.

Have a chat with your GP about any labels' on your medical records.

Let him know how important the records are to your career. "Asthma" can be quite a challenge to diagnose, sometimes a definative answer isn't always available.

Are you sure you didn't have a "viral wheeze?" (Most people have one at sometime) Records can be ammended. (A littlle more difficult since Shipman though.)

Chat to your doc.:)

[WillingPilot]

Unfortunately, I'm still 17 and my doctor was chosen by my parents. He's Indian and to be fair he has made the wrong judgement.

I've been prescribed inhalers upon inhalers, even when I went out to visit family in the Arab Emirates, the Pharmacy has been delivering them with me just having to bin them\!

Now, how do I tell him that I don't have Asthma? :ugh:

[cats_five]

I speak as an asthmatic, not someone who knows about medical requirements.

Firstly, you don't have to have had a classic asthma attack to have asthma. Other symptoms include breathlessness and coughing especially night-time coughing.

Secondly, you say nothing about why your GP thinks you have asthma and you don't. What diagnosis was done? In my case I was prescribed a peak flow meter and had a classic saw-tooth pattern when I recorded morning and evening values. Mine was a classic way for an adult to develop it - I got a nasty virus which set of a cough which never went until I was on a steroid (brown) inhaler. That nailed it. I almost never take a reliever (blur) inhaler.

In a friends case the asthma nurse at his GP did spirometry and repeated it 20 minutes after giving him a dose of a reliever. He had bad asthma as a child, effective treatment was almost nil (we are talking about 50 years ago), he grew out of it but as with about 1/3 of such people he aged back into it. Being a man he was ignoring things like coughing and wheezing, but last time I saw him he found the improvement in his breathing following the right (steroid) medication a revalation.

So, what is your history?

Thirdly, what kind of inhaler have you got (blue I suspect) and how come the pharmacy are delivering them even though it seems you are not requesting them via a repeat prescription form? For heavens sake don't let that continue to happen - if nothing else it's a ridiculous waste of money.

There's a lot of information on the Internet about asthma though as always some of it is wrong. Suggest you browse the following website and see what they have to say:

Asthma UK - Homepage (http://www.asthma.org.uk/)

I don't know what age you can choose your GP at, but at 17 I'd say you are either there, or you will be when you are 18. Obviously for a small child the parents choose the GP but you are no longer that, and in your situation I think you should see the asthma nurse. They are specialists in asthma and often know more than the GP does. My luck was a good GP who recognised firstly how to diagnose it and secondly that the treatment of choice for the vast majority of asthmatics is a steroid inhaler.

[homonculus]

Willing Pilot

Labels in notes are indeed a problem.

You are over 16 and so in medical terms you are able to consent to or refuse treatment in your own right and to discuss your medical problems without involvement from your parents.

go and talk to your GP and tell him why the label is a problem. Invite him to review the diagnosis. If you are not happy simply get a new GP

Asthma is reversible airway contractility so to be absolutely sure you have asthma you need to measure the peak flow (a simple blow in a tube machine you can buy from a chemist for a few pounds) and demonstrate it both falls and goes back to normal. In the absence of such readings and if there is no good history, the diagnosis, for this arguement, can be questioned. Asthma was massively underdiagnosed and a lot of work went into educating doctors to 'think asthma' with the result that I see lots of questionable labels. The CAA medical bods will not be ignorant of this!

good luck

[WillingPilot]

A while back from now I had to do blow in to some machine? I'm not sure what that was, but it was a year or so back.

I have an appoitnment with my NHS "specialist" soon, I'll let him know that I don't have any problems and I don't think it was Asthma at all?

[cats_five]

The machine is probably a spirometer, and sorry but that is a good way of diagnosing asthma, especially if they gave you a dose of blue inhaler and measure you again... How did they come to be doing spirometry on you? Preusmably they didn't kidnap you off the street.

Spirometry - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirometry)

[gingernut]

The diagnosis is usually made "clinically" ie on the basis of a number of factors.

Have a look at the SIGN/BTS asthma guidelines (quick reference guide) for an insight into how the educated guess is made:) and be careful of anyone with "specialist" in their job title.
http://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/ClinicalInformation/Asthma/AsthmaGuidelines/tabid/83/Default.aspx