Mary Y
Mary, age 73, was diagnosed with asthma at age 6. She is white British, widowed and lives alone. She has one adult son, and has worked in medical research and counselling. Mary says that asthma medication has improved a lot since she was a child. She finds swimming very helpful and goes twice a week. She feels it is important to focus on what you are able to do, rather than what you cannot.
When Mary was 6 she had pneumonia and her Mum asked the doctor whether it might be asthma. The doctor was not very receptive to this and said that Mary would need to stay home from school for six months to recover, but in fact her condition did not improve. Mary had brittle asthma as a child, but now describes it as chronic. She was regularly admitted to hospital due to asthma in her youth, and was not able to keep up with the playing and games that other children did. She often had aminophylline injections at home and hospital which could make her sick. She remembers feeling down about her asthma when she was younger, and wondered why she had asthma when her brothers were in good health. Mary says her brothers have always been very supportive, but she is aware that her asthma dominated her family and took up much of her mother’s time.
Mary had steroid injections and tablets until the introduction of inhalers, when she was in her forties. She finds that Ventolin and steroid inhalers make a big difference to her asthma, and thinks that if such treatment had been available when she was younger, her asthma would not be so chronic now. Mary did worry about the effects of steroids on her baby when she was pregnant. Mary fitted her job as a nurse around her asthma, and recognised that there were some things she was not able to do. Mary is allergic to house dust (and therefore does not have any carpets in the house), tree pollens, nuts, mould spores and nuts, but finds allergic reactions can often be delayed and sometimes don’t appear until the next day.
Mary lives alone and has strategies in place in case she is taken ill and needs help. She has a safe key outside and a telephone by her bed in case of an emergency. Mary takes two puffs of steroid inhaler twice a day and two Phyllocontin tablets every morning, and one Singulair tablet at night. She sees her doctor at least every six months, and knows that if her peak flow reading goes below 200, she needs to alter her medication. Mary is a great believer in the benefits of swimming, and swims twice a week, going at her own pace. She takes Ventolin before she goes swimming. She had a pre-payment prescription for her medication when she was younger, but now she is over 60 she gets her prescriptions for free. She thinks that is unfair that people with chronic asthma are not entitled to free prescriptions.
Mary feels it is important to know your own body and asthma, and respond to symptoms, and to continue to take your medication even if you are feeling better. She also recommends having a flu vaccination. Mary tried hypnosis and acupuncture when she was younger but they were not successful. She suggests that if trying alternative therapies, people should do so in conjunction with their usual medication. Mary feels it is useful to share experiences of asthma with others, and to focus on what you can do rather than what you cannot. She reminds medical professionals to take asthma seriously and to be aware that there are different severities of the condition.