Back in 2015, I noticed that I had difficulty in breathing. I wasn’t breathing well and this has been happening for over six months but it keeps getting worse everyday. The pain could not be endured again so I told my mum.
She called a nurse to come check me at home and I was given a sachet of theophylline tablet.
What happened?
My parents rushed me to the hospital on the next day. My case was an emergency one because I wasn’t breathing. Firstly, the doctor made sure that I was nebulized. Then he asked me about the drug I took earlier. I told him and showed him the remnant.
After the doctor scanned the drug, I learned that they were expired theophylline drugs.
“I rarely check expiry date for drugs,” I told the doctor.
He told me to start taking drugs expiry dates seriously because and that was why the drug made things go worse. He also mentioned that I didn’t come to the hospital early enough. He said I made things go worse because I should have tried to visit the hospital the moment I found that I was having difficulty in breathing. In a nutshell, I was suffering from Asthma.
Did you research your condition further?
What did you find out?
After I left the hospital, I began to make more findings. Truly, I was having asthma. I started taking note of myself. I cough every now and then, I cough whenever I use the perfume and even cough when there is dust. All of these happen before but as I kept of taking note of myself, I started knowing what triggers my asthma.
How can people prevent or manage a similar health issue?
Is Asthma preventable? I can’t tell but I can give a few tips on how to manage it.
• Stay away from dust. They are one of the fastest things that triggers Asthma.
• Reduce your stress. An Asthma patient isn’t supposed to stress too much because any minimal stress can trigger your health issue.
• Bring your inhaler close to you. In this case, your inhaler is supposed to be your best friend so it should go with you wherever you go.
What advice would you give to someone who's going through a similar experience?
Take your health seriously and visit the hospital regularly. Asthma is a serious condition that needs to be taken care of.
