How do you help someone having an asthma attack?
Some asthma attacks are severe and others not. When someone is having an attack and has no inhaler, check whether the person's shoulders are up whilst gasping for air. Make sure neck area is clear of any tight articles, i.e. tie, scarf etc. Have the person sit down. Keep calm. Do not panic. Keep the one having the attack calm as well. Fan the person with whatever you can use to do so. Let the asthmatic take deep slow breaths until breathing is regular. Gently massage neck and shoulder area if shoulders are up and tight. Should breathing become regular, transport person home where access to an inhaler or nebulizer is at hand. However, if breathing is short and fast and you cannot get the person to slow down and you see that he/she is gasping for breath, call 911 immediately. Explain the situation and give as much pertinent information as possible: such as age, sex, problem, location etc. The 911 operator will also give a little advice as to what to do and will ask you to stay on the line until help arrives.. Stay with the person until the paramedics arrive if you can. Convey all you know and have done to the paramedics. Should the asthma attack be at home, family members will know to get the sufferer on nebulized treatment straight away. This treatment should be repeated again after a few minutes should there be no immediate results. This treatment should be repeated every 4 to 6 hours until back to 'normal". Many times little gentle pats on the upper back between shoulder blades will help to have the asthmatic cough.and get rid of excess fluid. Advice: Asthma sufferers should keep an inhaler in purse and pocket when not at home. A Medic Alert bracelet or necklace would be of great help, since it will contain all necessary details and can speed up help when an attack happens when without an inhaler.
What happens in the lungs during an asthma attack?
During an asthma attack (exacerbation), the immune system is responding to a stimulus. Example: dust, pet dander, pollen or stress. The immediate response is bronchospasm. The smooth muscle that line the airways constrict (narrow) to prevent whatever stimulated the exacerbation from getting into the lung. Then the airways secret mucus to protect themselves. The final phase is the inflammatory response. Inflammation causes more airway narrowing than bronchospasm. The narrowing of the airways increases airway resistance and increases the work of breathing, making it difficult for the patient to exhale. This results in hyperinflation of the lungs.
How can you tell someone is having an asthma attack as opposed to a coughing fit?
The wheezing — inspiratory, expiratory or both.
What causes asthma attacks?
Hey, hope you are feeling better after your attack There are many different causes to an asthma attack: dust/house dust mites exercises pollution infection/illnesses sprays/perfumes animal fur ie cats/dogs thunder storms pollen food molds smoking hormones (sex) But it is important that you finf out what your triggers are and avoid them if possible. Asthma is a condition that affects the airways – the small tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs. When a person with asthma comes into contact with something that irritates their airways (an asthma trigger), the muscles around the walls of the airways tighten so that the airways become narrower and the lining of the airways becomes inflamed and starts to swell. Sometimes sticky mucus or phlegm builds up which can further narrow the airways. Attack can come on suddenly or with notice ( you get worse over time). Don't be too concerned there are lots of different meds out there that will help control your asthma and help to prevent attacks in the future, you can lead a normal life just remeber to take your asthma pump with you and take your med when told! Good Luck WHen having an attack: - Take your reliever inhaler (usually blue), immediately -Sit down and ensure that any tight clothing is loosened. Do not lie down -If no immediate improvement during an attack, continue to take one puff of your reliever inhaler every minute for five minutes or until symptoms improve -If your symptoms do not improve in five minutes – or you are in doubt – call 999 or a doctor urgently -Continue to take one puff of your reliever inhaler every minute until help arrives SInce youve had your attack you should make an appointment with your doctor or asthma nurse for an asthma review, within 48 hours of your attack You will also need another review within one or two weeks after your asthma attack to make sure your symptoms are better controlled
How does breathing into a paper bag help with a panic attack?
When you have a panic attack, you tend to hyperventilate, which occurs when you speed up your breathing and your breaths become more shallow. Eventually, you breathe so fast that you blow off more carbon dioxide and breathe in less oxygen. This leads to respiratory alkalosis and constriction of the blood vessels in your brain, and can cause fainting, dizziness, tingling in your lips and extremities, and even muscular spasms or seizures.If you (or someone you love) is struggling with panic attacks then I probably don’t need to tell you how horrible they can be. Let’s be honest, horrible is putting it lightly.Maybe everyone experiences it a little differently but when I was asked to describe what my first one felt like I could only think of one reply: death.I’m no ta fan of the medication options. They didn’t work for me and the side effects were worse than any upside I saw. Obviously, the snake oil and homoeopathy snake oil isn’t any better.Then there’s the DARE technique book. While I wouldn’t normally point anyone towards a self-help book this one really did improve my life. You can see my experiences with it (and how to download the whole audiobook free) Dare: The New Way to End Anxiety and Stop Panic Attacks Fast (Complete Audiobook Free)
How do you stop an asthma attack without an inhaler?
I answered another question similar to this one so I'm going to use the same answer, however I want to preface this with the statement that an asthmatic should NEVER be without an emergency inhaler on hand. Even if you think you are doing well, you may not even consider yourself to be an asthmatic anymore... but if you ever were an asthmatic, you always will be. Be safe and keep an inhaler on hand. Always.I have dealt with daily asthma since I was 18 and I have been in and out of the hospital and ERs ever since. First, I do not "play around" with my asthma, if i feel I am in distress, I get help right away. And early on, even if it means having to "convince" others/doctors/caretakers that a problem is brewing. If I find that I am in a situation where I need help but can't get it right away, and you can only use an inhaler so many times before it becomes counterproductive, a cup or two of hot coffee will buy you time. Black coffee might be better, but cream and sugar are ok too... it should be caffeinated, not decaf. In the past I took a drug called Theophylline to treat my asthma. It is outdated and no longer used, but the chemical structure of Theophylline is very close to caffeine so this might be a clue though other caffeinated drinks do not help in the same way. Tea does not work for me. Some say drinking hot water will help, and I suppose to some degree it might but again, it does not work the way coffee does.I can say that coffee has gotten me out of some VERY bad situations where I was unable to get help right away. It has even kept me out of the ER a few times. It's a great tool to have in your arsenal.A second tool is "pursed lip breathing" or, breathing slowly in through the nose, and out through the mouth". I have been told that it serves to balance the pressure in the airways, or something to that effect, and it DOES seem to help with the actual breathing, but I think the main purpose it serves for me is to help me to keep panic at bay. The most useful lesson I learned in my years dealing with this is that panic is my enemy. No matter how bad it gets, if I avoid panic I will be MUCH better off. I use this whenever I have trouble breathing, and it is especially useful during times when I'm really struggling and say, need to get from the car to the ER
How severe of an asthma attack was this?
The coach's job is to motivate you to keep pushing. Your job is to recognize your physical limitations - and ratchet down your effort if you are getting to where you can't breathe. Keep running - it can only be good for you. You might succeed at longer distances where you do not go into oxygen deficit so quickly. Train for a 10k, a half-marathon or a marathon. I have asthma too, it sucks that I can't keep up high effort for a long period of time, but it means I have to find a good pace and keep it.
What is the likelihood of dying from an asthma attack?
Is your asthma inhaler buried at the bottom of your medicine cabinet? That could put you at jeopardy, say Canadian researchers, who are reporting today in the New England Journal of Medicine that using an asthma inhaler could reduce your chances of dying of an asthma attack. But despite these important findings, asthma experts say many doctors and patients are still reluctant to use inhalers faithfully. http://www.personalmd.com/news/n08031246...
Question about severe asthma attacks?
My friend recently passed away after being pronounced brain dead after suffering a severe asthma attack. I feel allitle shy to ask her family in detail about the attack but truthfully, i dont really know much about asthma. from what i heard, she had a severe attack and couldnt breathe for thirty minutes and was under cardiac arrest. at the hospital they got her to start breathing again but she was in a coma. she was diagnosed by three doctors to be brain dead. so my question is, please excuse my unawareness, why couldnt she breathe for thirty minutes? is it only because she couldnt get to the hospital quick enough or the physicians couldnt get her to breathe or does it vary with each person-she seemed very healthy, was a cheerleader and a singer? was there any way to prevent her from not breathing for thirty minutes? cause i think after three minutes brain cells start dying so i was wondering if could she have had a better chance of surviving if she started breathing after 10 minutes or so..