7 kids and a budgie

By jftss5

1 min read

I'm a 51 year old mother of seven I'm a grandma to 8 granddaughters and 1 grandson. My father passed at 60 from COPD after years of chest problems.

I started with asthma at age 24 and by 30 I had my first sign of COPD. In the last year I have had two respiratory arrests I spent time in the ICU in a coma for few days. This happened again 8 months later and on both occasions I was lucky to have someone nearby. The second time I did not go to the ICU - they said no point, I was going to die within 48 hours.

No doctor knows what arrest anaphylaxis is. I'm house bound, not just with my breathing, but fear of just stopping breathing for no reason.

Can anyone help?

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Ann D. Cuccia, MPH RRT Moderator
Dear jftss5, After what you have experienced it is understandable that you would be fearful of another event. For those in our community who may not be familiar with the term, anaphylaxis is a sudden whole body allergic reaction which can be life-threatening or fatal. A consultation with a physician specializing in allergy and immunology or a visit to an allergy clinic might be helpful in providing you with more information about what the possible allergen is (food, nuts, latex, insect stings, or medications) so that you know what to avoid and how to manage your symptoms. Additionally, because of your history, they may prescribe an EpiPen®; this is a device that contains the drug epinephrine or adrenaline that is used when the first signs of a reaction occur while you are waiting for the ambulance to arrive. An experience like yours is extremely frightening and can make you leary of venturing out. Gaiining more insight into what you are allergic to and how to manage your symptoms may make you feel more comfortable and confident. Thank you for sharing your experience with our community, by sharing you help us all! Please check in again to let us know how you are doing. Yours in Health, Ann Cuccia (Moderator)
Leon Lebowitz, RRT Member
Hi Jftss5. As our moderator, Ann, has pointed out, you have certainly undergone a significant ordeal medically. Ann has provided a thorough explanation of anaphylaxis for our community to better understand your issues. It is entirely possible that your respiratory arrest is caused by a severe allergic reaction to some 'trigger', that is as yet, undefined. Having said that, it is extremely unlikely that you will stop breathing for 'no reason'; the challenge is to identify what might predispose you to this overwhelming allergic reaction. To determine that, a specialist (as Ann mentioned) will be able to guide you. All this is frightening, to be sure, but securing appropriate medical assistance will go a long way towards putting your mind at ease and enabling you to live more normally again. We appreciate you sharing your experience here in our online community and wish you the best. Please feel free to let us know how you are doing and if we can be of further assistance. Best regards, Leon (site moderator)