Hot off the Helpline: August edition

Top questions on the helpline this month

Why is my asthma inhaler being changed when it’s working well for me?

Some people are contacting our Helpline because they are concerned about their asthma inhaler being changed, particularly when they feel their current inhaler is working well for them.

 Asthma treatment has changed over recent years as our understanding of how best to manage asthma has developed. Your healthcare professional may recommend changing your inhaler to make sure you are receiving the most appropriate treatment to keep your asthma well controlled and reduce your risk of asthma attacks.

Any change to your inhaler should be right for you. Your healthcare professional should consider your symptoms and asthma control, the treatment you need, your individual circumstances and preferences, and whether you can use the inhaler device effectively.

It is also important that you understand why a change is being recommended and feel involved in decisions about your treatment. If you are prescribed a different inhaler, you should be shown how to use it correctly and have the opportunity to ask questions or raise any concerns.

Some inhaler changes may also have environmental benefits, but the priority should always be making sure your asthma treatment is clinically appropriate and works well for you.

If you are concerned about a change to your asthma inhaler, or feel your asthma is not as well controlled following a change, speak to your GP, asthma nurse or pharmacist. You can also contact our Helpline for information and support.

My COPD seems to be getting worse - what can I do to make things easier?

If you have COPD, you may notice that your symptoms gradually change over time. If you are becoming more breathless, coughing more, finding everyday activities harder or noticing other changes in your usual symptoms, it is important to speak to your healthcare professional. They can review your COPD and check whether your treatment is still right for you, as well as considering whether anything else could be contributing to your symptoms.

A more sudden worsening of symptoms may be a COPD flare-up (exacerbation). Signs can include becoming more breathless than usual, increased coughing, or changes in the amount, colour or thickness of your phlegm. If you think you are having a flare-up, follow your COPD self-management plan if you have one and use your medicines as prescribed. Contact your GP or healthcare team for advice. If you need urgent medical advice and your GP is unavailable, contact NHS 111. If you are severely breathless or feel you cannot breathe, call 999.There are lots of things that can help you manage COPD and stay as well as possible. 

These include:

• Stopping smoking – if you smoke, stopping is one of the most important things you can do for your lung health and can help slow down further damage to your lungs.
• Getting the most from your inhalers and medicines – taking your treatment as prescribed and having your inhaler technique checked regularly can help you manage your symptoms and reduce the risk of flare-ups.
• Pulmonary rehabilitation – this combines exercise, education and support and can help you manage breathlessness, improve your fitness and feel more confident being active.
• Staying active – regular activity, at a level that is right for you, can help maintain your strength and fitness and make everyday activities easier.
• Having a COPD self-management plan – this can help you recognise changes in your symptoms and know what action to take.
• If you feel your COPD is getting worse, you don't have to simply put up with worsening symptoms. Speak to your healthcare professional about what has changed and whether there is more that can be done to help you manage your COPD and live well with it.

Find out more about COPD and the treatments and support available. Or call our helpline.

Has the heat contributed to worsening of my lung condition?

We have been hearing from lots of people on our Helpline who have found their breathing and lung condition symptoms more difficult to manage during periods of hot weather.

We’re experiencing more extreme weather, and this can irritate the airways more than milder weather. During hot, sunny weather, sunlight reacts with pollutants in the air, causing ozone levels to rise. High ozone levels can irritate your airways, leading to coughing, wheezing, and a sore nose or throat. They can also make breathing more difficult.

Heatwaves can also put extra strain on your body as it works harder to keep cool. You lose fluid through sweating, which can lead to dehydration and overheating. This can leave you feeling more breathless and may worsen your lung condition or trigger asthma symptoms. If a heatwave is forecast, plan ahead to reduce your exposure to the heat. Stay indoors or in cool, shaded areas during the hottest part of the day, usually between 11 am and 3 pm.

We then have the risk of thunderstorms, which can trigger some people’s asthma. Stormy weather creates a high-risk environment for breathing issues through combining high winds, humidity, and peak pollen counts. With these increasing temperatures and more severe storms, people with asthma are at higher risk of weather triggering asthma flares. 

Climate change (an extended change in weather patterns) affects all of our health. The latest weather seems to have provided a perfect storm for lung conditions.

I need electricity to manage my lung condition. Is there any support if I have a power cut?

If you live with a lung condition, electricity can be essential – whether that’s to power medical equipment, store medication safely, or keep your home warm and maintain good air quality. Asthma + Lung UK encourage everyone living with a lung condition to register for their local Priority Services Register (PSR). Priority Services Registers are free services available across the UK, offering extra support to people who may need it.

By signing up, you’ll get:

• advance notice of planned power cuts to help you prepare
• priority updates and tailored communication during outages
• extra help in an emergency, including welfare support or help from other local services
• practical assistance during longer outages, such as emergency heating, alternative supplies, or support if you rely on medical equipment
• the option to nominate a trusted contact to be kept informed.

If you rely on electrically powered medical equipment, such as an oxygen concentrator, CPAP machine or nebuliser, it is also important to know what to do if there is a power cut. Speak to your equipment provider about your emergency or back-up plan and make sure you know how long any back-up battery will last.

It’s quick to sign up and helps make sure you get the right support when you need it most.

Find out more and sign up. 

What do you want to know more about?

We’re really keen to hear from you, so tell us what you'd like to know from us in next month’s edition.

Let us know, and we may feature your question in a future blog. Your question can help you to learn more, as well as help the wider community.

You can write in with your questions via Helpline@asthmaandlung.org.uk

Healthy lung habits

Each month, we talk about a healthy habit that you can adopt to help keep your lungs healthy. This month, we’re looking at breathing techniques and how they can help you manage breathlessness.

Living with a lung condition can sometimes leave you feeling tired and short of breath, making everyday activities such as walking, climbing stairs, getting dressed or carrying shopping more challenging.

Different lung conditions affect breathing in different ways. Some conditions can make it harder to move air in and out of your lungs, while others can make the lungs stiffer or affect how efficiently they work. When you feel breathless, you may also start to breathe faster or use muscles in your neck and shoulders to help you breathe, which can make breathing feel like harder work.

Breathing techniques can help you slow down and feel more in control of your breathing. They can also help you manage breathlessness during everyday activities and recover your breathing afterwards. Different techniques work well in different situations, and it can be helpful to practise them when you are feeling comfortable, so they are easier to use when you become breathless.

Techniques such as breathing control, paced breathing and breathing out on effort can be particularly useful when walking, climbing stairs, bending, lifting or carrying out other everyday activities.

Try different techniques to find what works best for you. If you are finding breathlessness increasingly difficult to manage, or it has changed from what is normal for you, speak to your healthcare professional.

Find out more about breathing techniques and ways to manage breathlessness..

We also have a respiratory physiotherapist on our Helpline team who can advise you on breathing techniques that work for you.

What tips and tools do you need in your lung health toolkit?

Self-management plan 

Self-management plans for lung conditions like COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiectasis or an asthma action plan are a really useful tool. It can help you understand and manage your condition, recognise changes in your symptoms and know what action to take if you become unwell.

Your plan keeps important information about your condition in one place, including your usual symptoms, medicines and treatments, and what to do if your symptoms change.

Working with your healthcare professional to personalise your plan can help you identify what is normal for you, set goals that are important to you, keep track of your treatment and understand when and where to seek medical help. Your plan should be reviewed and updated if your condition or treatment changes.

Self-management plan templates for COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiectasis, and asthma action plans can be found on our website. You can use these with your healthcare professional to develop a plan that is personal to you.

Webinar spotlight

Feel Good Fridays are our chair-based Zumba classes.

These sessions are designed to be fun, help manage your breathlessness, and increase your mobility. 

We meet online every Friday from 10.30am to 11.15am. 

Our instructor, Anne Little has been teaching chair dance classes for older adults and those with limited movement for around 7 years. She says:

"The laughter and smiles we see at our Feel Good Friday sessions are a joy to behold! Our beneficiaries feel comfortable to dance at a level that feels just right for them that day." 

Find out more and register.

COPD 101 

Have you recently been diagnosed with COPD? Our online sessions are led by a registered respiratory nurse and will cover all the basics you need to know about COPD. You’ll also be able to share your experiences and ask your questions.

These standalone sessions are repeated every other month on the first Wednesday of the month at 2pm over Zoom.

The next session date will be on Wednesday 2 September at 2pm. It will cover the background to Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), how it affects the airways, the symptoms and how it is diagnosed.  It will look at management and treatment options plus inhaler technique, flare-ups and management plans.

Find out more and register.

Thank you for reading this month’s edition of the blog. Remember to send any questions you may have, and we may publish them next time.