Hot off the Helpline: January edition

Meet the team

This month meet Stacey. 

Stacey is one our Health Care Advisors who works on our helpline. She recently joined us at Asthma + Lung UK, and brings a wealth of experience from the education and health care sector to the role.

Stacey enjoys supporting people of all ages with emotional, practical and financial advice about their lung condition. The thing she enjoys most about her role is empowering people and their loved ones to live fulfilling lives with their lung condition.

Stacey has asthma herself. She enjoys staying active and is currently planning her next half marathon which she’ll be running to raise money for Asthma and Lung UK. Watch this space for more information about this later in the year.

Top questions on the helpline this month

My asthma is controlled but it gets worse when I have a cold. How can I manage it better?

If you have asthma, even a mild cold can lead to wheezing and chest tightness. Colds and the flu are among the most common causes of asthma flare-ups, especially in young children. Recognising changes in our condition and understanding how to treat it quickly can really make a difference. It can lower the risks of asthma attacks and need for antibiotics or oral steroids to control your asthma.

Asthma attacks can come on suddenly but there might be some changes may build up slowly before the attack. This means there can be a window of opportunity to act quickly and treat promptly before they escalate into an emergency. That means it’s really important to be able to recognise the signs of worsening asthma.  Every patient should be given a personalised asthma action plan at their annual asthma review. It will give you simple and clear information and instructions to help you manage your asthma well, how to recognise when your asthma is getting worse and when you need to take action. in a structured way this will reflect 3 stages. These three stages are traffic lighted green (routine), yellow (warning that control is starting to slip ) and red (emergency).

Your asthma plan may include details about when to seek help and whether you need to do anything different with your medicines.

Asthma is different for everyone with the condition. People might be worse depending on the season so some people may need different levels of treatment at different times of year. Having the right tailored medication regime with the right level of inhaled steroids seasonally can make all the difference when trying to establish control.

Find out more about managing uncontrolled asthma.

Which masks are better to use when living with a lung condition?

There’s been a lot of concern about the current flu season. The early start to the flu season, higher than average cases for this time of year. and much talk about the mutated influenza A strain has caused some alarm. The best way to protect yourself is still to get your flu vaccine. It has protected people well this year – including against the new strain -  preventing deaths and hospital admissions. Make sure you’re taking your medicines as prescribed too.

It could also be helpful to wear a well-fitting face mask The UK Health security Agency (UKHSA). recommends wearing a face mask if you have symptoms of a virus affecting your nose, throat or chest. Wearing one is not something we all have to do but it is a simple measure you can take to give you the best chance at staying as well as you can and prevent viruses from spreading. 

How can I manage mould and damp in the home?

We‘re seeing more calls about problems with damp and mould causing worsening symptoms of lung conditions. Damp and mould can be more of a problem in winter due to condensation build up caused by warm, moist indoor air meeting cold surfaces. A build-up of condensation can create that ideal breeding ground for mould. Common mould spots in the home are corners, around windows frames and behind furniture. Breathing in mould can be harmful to our lungs. because it releases spores, allergens and toxins which can irritate the airways and cause or worsen lung symptoms.

It's important to be mindful of the environment we live in to help make sure our home doesn’t prove a threat to our lungs. We have simple ways to help improve the quality of your home environment.

Travelling and my lung condition, how can I stay well?

Many people have been calling in concerned that travelling over the Christmas holiday and into the new year have affected their lung health. While we all look forward to going away on holiday and breaking from our usual routines, if you’re living with a lung condition, getting ready for our holidays may require a bit more planning. Being around more family and friends and engaging in more social activity can increase risks of viruses spreading.   

Before planning a trip, speak to your doctor for advice. If you haven’t seen your doctor recently, it’s worth arranging a review and making sure your self-management plan or asthma action plan is up to date. There are other things we need to think about too, things like weather, flying, accommodation. We've got lots of advice on travelling with a lung condition.

Healthy lung habits

Our lungs are the centrepiece of your respiratory system and are always hard at work - each day, we take about 23,000 breaths. They are the primary entry point for air and are in direct contact with the outside environment. As we age, our lung capacity declines, and factors like smoking, infection, pollutions and underlying conditions can increase the rate of decline.

But there are things you can do to keep your lungs healthy and even increase their capacity.

Over the next several months we will be encouraging healthy habits you can adopt to help keep your lungs healthy. 

Number 1 - Quit smoking

Yes it’s that time of year again! The New Year is a time where many people want a fresh start, get into some healthy habits and improve their health.

Quitting smoking is the fastest way to improve your lung health and the best thing you can do for your overall health. The longer someone smokes, the higher the risk of chronic inflammation and swelling in the lungs. This can greatly increase your risk of developing lung cancer and COPD. Smoking prevents medicines like inhalers and antibiotics from working as well and slows healing and recovery. It also is a major cause of heart disease, stroke, blindness and erectile dysfunction. As early as minutes from your last cigarette your heart rate and blood pressure reduce. After two weeks to a month your breathing may become easier and your coughing and shortness of breath improves.

Our helpline team are always happy to have conversations around the benefits of quitting smoking and give you support and advice to help you quit. Why not use this time of year as a starting point to kicking the habit for good?

Here are some tips to get you started. 

Support group spotlight

Did you know you might be able to find a face to face support group in your local area? By using our simple search tool we can help keep you connected with other people with lung conditions that are close to you.

Thank you for reading this month’s blog. Stay tuned for next month’s edition.