Oh crap, bronchitis.
Discussion
My 'main' PA (personal care assistant, rather than secretary) is now pretty sure she's got bronchitis.
She does about 45 hours a week providing me with one-to-one support, including various close-contact personal care type stuff.
Needless to say if I get bronchitis it's not exactly good news.
Is there any sensible, quick way to find out if she really has got it or not, and if so, is there any sort of prophylaxis that I can take?
She's off to her GP in the morning but we've had difficulty in the past with getting GPs to understand that the PAs (I have 5 in all, 24 hour care on a rota) are providing safety-critical support, and that exposure to pretty much anything more serious than the common cold could be disastrous for me as it's starting to be very hard to clear my chest properly - for example, several of them were refused the 'flu vaccine last winter even though I was advised that they needed it.
Meh.
Am I doomed?
She does about 45 hours a week providing me with one-to-one support, including various close-contact personal care type stuff.
Needless to say if I get bronchitis it's not exactly good news.
Is there any sensible, quick way to find out if she really has got it or not, and if so, is there any sort of prophylaxis that I can take?
She's off to her GP in the morning but we've had difficulty in the past with getting GPs to understand that the PAs (I have 5 in all, 24 hour care on a rota) are providing safety-critical support, and that exposure to pretty much anything more serious than the common cold could be disastrous for me as it's starting to be very hard to clear my chest properly - for example, several of them were refused the 'flu vaccine last winter even though I was advised that they needed it.
Meh.
Am I doomed?
I understand where you're coming from with this. I don't know if there's a test she can have but it would be worth contacting your hospital/specialist to get them to writ to your GP about the risks via your carers.
FWIW echinacea and garlic may help prevent catching cold/flu-like infections but again, worth getting advice from your specialist doc imho.
FWIW echinacea and garlic may help prevent catching cold/flu-like infections but again, worth getting advice from your specialist doc imho.
I'm not doomed at all, it was just her asthma going nuts for some reason which may or may not be related to her cycling up the Cat and Fiddle last week...
New inhaler and a stern talking-to from the practice nurse and she's good as new.
Thanks very much anyway. My own GP is fine - it's her and the others' GPs who seem to miss the point sometimes. Am sure if they were hospital nurses or similar nobody would argue about flu jabs and such - unfair but also very silly given how much it costs the NHS if I end up in hospital.
New inhaler and a stern talking-to from the practice nurse and she's good as new.
Thanks very much anyway. My own GP is fine - it's her and the others' GPs who seem to miss the point sometimes. Am sure if they were hospital nurses or similar nobody would argue about flu jabs and such - unfair but also very silly given how much it costs the NHS if I end up in hospital.
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