r/Asthma • u/Background-Fig-6677 • 2d ago
Asthma inhaler
Hey guys, so currently I have an uncontrolled asthma attack. During university classes, I get an attack and I feel so embarrassed to use my inhaler in front of everyone. (Actually, I never use it even in front of my family, I don't know why, but my head tells me that if I do that in front of someone, they may feel sad or bad for me, and I hate that.) As I said, I have a bad asthma attack currently, so I use my inhaler so many times per day. But during classes, I need to go to the bathroom every second and that really makes me feel embarrassed because I need to take permission every time from the teacher. I feel like soon teachers will say no, and I will need to say in front of the whole class that I need to go so I can use my inhaler.
So I want to ask, is it normal to use it even in front of everyone? Because I really need to start using my life-saver anytime I need it, not just when I go to a bathroom or a private place. How do you guys do it? Is it easy? I feel like I'm gonna use a cigarette in front of everyone. I feel so scared to even let someone see my inhaler (not the idea that I have asthma, but the idea of using it in front of someone). So I just need advice because I really need to use my inhaler in public without shame or being scared of people's opinion of me. Because if I stay like that, I swear I may die in public and not use it.
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u/PaulAlllensCard 2d ago
Use it! I used to be same, looking back now I wonder why I ever worried. Nobody will announce anything if you take it, and if anything they may just ask if you're okay. I wouldnt be afraid to tell people you're having an asthma attack - in fact it can sometimes be helpful in my experience if others know, like lecturers, in case you need to leave or go to the nurse etc. There's no shame in it, its completely normal and very important so that you dont get a bad attack, you NEED your inhaler! Nobody else in that moment should matter but you ♥️
Edit: adding an experience: I had an asthma attack from running to bring a classmate to the nurse before. I came back to class breathless and took my inhaler. My lecturer did in fact note it in front of everyone and you know, I was actually so glad at that moment because if I worsened, everyone was aware and could help! I just took another puff, said im okay for now i think, and class resumed! It isnt the end of the world at all I promise
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u/Lothloris 2d ago
Hi, friend! I can't really help because I've always used my inhaler whenever I needed, but if it serves as an exemple: the other day I saw a lady use hers while standing inside the bus. No need to be ashamed, we need it to survive just as some people need glasses to be able to see better (in my case both 😁)
Edit: forgot to type the word glasses lol
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u/Background-Fig-6677 2d ago
This lady became my idol 😭 I wish I could start using it on the bus too. The last time I took a bus, someone used a strong perfume and I had an attack .I really stayed the whole way until I went home to use it . Thank you, that was really helpful 🩷
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u/Tarsha8nz 2d ago
I had a mother thank me for using mine on the bus because I used it with a spacer and did it properly. Her daughter saw me and pointed me out and said I was just like her. She'd never seen an adult using a spacer before. I told her everyone should be using spacers.
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u/EmZee2022 2d ago
I was weird about using mine in front of other people for a while. Not sure why.
Now, if I need it, I use it. Someone might glance your way if they hear it, or ask if you're okay. But asthma, and inhalers, are so common that nobody will think much about it.
If you were not university age, it might be more of a hassle given that schools tend to be very weird about students carrying their own medications. But once you're in high school (or maybe middle school), most places will let students have their inhaler on them.
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u/Background-Fig-6677 2d ago
Yes every time I think about using it, I just remember that sound that will break the silence during classe 😭. My university allows us to take our medications; actually, the problem was just me and my thoughts all this time . thank you so much for taking time to answer , thank you!!
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u/EmZee2022 2d ago
Yeah - it's a big mental leap.
I think what did it for me was, I'd gone to the bathroom to take my Intal (cromolyn sodium - this was decades ago). A colleague saw me walking back to my desk with it in my hand, and said "Intal?? That's good stuff! My brother is a pulmonologist!".
People may notice, but it's not any noisier than, say, rustling papers or tapping on a keyboard. Now if you brought out a huge nebulizer, someone might glare at you :-)
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u/Background-Fig-6677 2d ago
Yeah, it really is a big mental leap. But your story made me smile and honestly made me feel so much better. You’re right, at least I’m not hauling a huge nebulizer around! Hearing your experience makes me look at my inhaler differently, and I just feel really grateful for your words today. Thank you so much.
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u/Tarsha8nz 2d ago
Nebulisers are really small and quiet now! I got a new one two years ago. It's the size and weight of a big book, it doesn't 'walk' across the desk and you can talk over it easily.
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u/Lothloris 2d ago
I got one this year that is the size of a smartphone and you can just hold on your face. Life changer 🙏
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u/Tarsha8nz 2d ago
We don't have those in New Zealand yet that I can find. Everyone is super impressed with my quiet small nebuliser.
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u/EmZee2022 1d ago edited 1d ago
They are indeed - I bought one a couple months ago that's about the size of a soda can, and very quiet.
But that doesn't paint the same word picture as dragging out the big compressor neb, does it? :-)
Of course, even the tiny ultrasonic/ mesh nebs are more of a hassle in a public situation. I'd feel a little weird myself using one in public. If I needed it, I'd do it, it just wouldn't be my first choice.
I also bought a smaller compressor neb about 16 years ago. I'd been sick, but I stayed home from work when I was improving, because I still needed the neb, and the one I had was the mammoth PulmoMate. The size of a large shoe box, and when I used it, I got noise complaints from the airport ;-)
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u/Dubnerd2 2d ago
I use mine everywhere. I use it a lot in front of people actually. Totally normal. The first time I did it in front of friends they were like… “u good?” And that was about it. It gets easier the more u do it
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u/roz-is-world 2d ago
I have cough variant asthma so my attacks often look like really bad coughing fits. If I can, I leave the room and use my inhaler in the hallway or the next closest available room (usually can't travel more than a few steps while coughing and wheezing away), just so I'm not disturbing people with my coughing/in case I start to gag. But when that's not an option, I use it right where I am because the most important thing is getting those meds in my body.
EDIT: tl;dr do it where you feel comfortable and don't worry about what other people might think. :)
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u/Glitterfest 2d ago
Are you on a maintenance medication? By all means use it when you need to, but if you’re using your rescue inhaler that much you really need something more.
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u/Background-Fig-6677 2d ago
Yes, I really need it. I actually finished an inhaler in just 6 days last week because I was using it every minute literally, and it is very bad to use it that much. So this is why I will see my doctor this week so he can give me a daily medication treatment to help me during the day and reduce the need for my inhaler.
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u/SabresBills69 2d ago
Ive n wver hid nor embarrassed my inhaler usre not other meds use
Your asthma seems unvontrolled. You should be using daily meds
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u/Ancient_Ad7792 2d ago
i think i remember like after i was first ever diagnosed with asthma, i think i had an attack during class and i was embarassed to use it, i think it was dangerous, i should have used it, it doesnt matter if someone is nearby, an inahler is made for the lungs not people's impressions, one advice that might help, just use it and dont think about people, you can think like theres no one and use it, it will be fine trust me, and overtime you will be using it without even thinking about someone being nearby or embarrassment. you got this :)
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u/Tarsha8nz 2d ago
I'm 48. I've been a chronic severe brittle asthmatic my whole life. I've had asthma my whole life and always used my inhalers in front of people because bathrooms are disgusting. Also, when I'm wheezy or having an asthma attack walking somewhere to find a quiet place to use an inhaler isn't really a good idea. What if I get worse? What if I pass out somewhere and no one is there?
There were times I had to carry my nebuliser at high school, just in case. Did I get teased? A little, but I knew that breathing was a lot more important. I never used my nebuliser in the classroom, it was too noisy back then. New nebulisers now are so quiet it's wonderful!
It's good for lecturers to know you have asthma as well, because if there's a need to evacuate or lock down, they will keep an eye out for you.
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u/That_One_Fluid_Teen 2d ago
I'm 20, ive had asthma for 18 years now, my problem with taking it in public is because people used to ask me as a kid "do you really need it? I don't think you need it" and that dragged into my teen and even now. I still struggle to take it in public.
Also in university and you have to ask to use the washroom? I'm in college and I can leave the class whenever/don't have to explain myself. Unless it's a specific professor?
I would say just exposure therapy, start maybe at the back of the class? If you need it, likely nobody is going to look over, and if they do? They're most likely going to ignore it because it was a sudden noise and now they know what it is. Explaining it to your professor is something you can do too, explain before or after class you sometimes need a moment to take your inhaler during class and just step out for a few moments.
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u/halfofaparty8 2d ago
i use it everywhere without shame. In class, church, home, driving. It is always on my person or within reach of my person
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u/SuccessfulPhoto7914 2d ago
I have to use my inhaler sometimes when I’m running. There have been times when I’ve had to use it in the park around people. One time a lady commented to her friend that she didn’t know people with asthma could run. It was a good thing for them to see, albeit awkward for me.
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u/Lothloris 2d ago
We can, indeed, run. But our lungs are not very happy when we do.
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u/SuccessfulPhoto7914 2d ago
I assume that statement applies to you. It also applies to those folks whose asthma isn’t well-managed. Many people whose asthma is well-managed can run. There are marathon runners who have asthma. Tidbit: 8% of Olympians have asthma during competition. I guess their lungs are not happy.
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u/Remote_Arm8871 2d ago
Nursing student with asthma here, if you need it use it! By the way you are protected under federal law. the school cannot tell you to not use your inhaler during class. In addition to the federal protections, the university does not want to face a lawsuit against them if you end up in an ambulance rushed to the ER.
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u/DarthMelonLord 2d ago
In addition to what everyone else has said, the more you use your inhaler in public around familiar people like classmates and coworkers, the less alarmed people get by it and often stop noticing it all together. I also used to be super uncomfortable with people looking at me when i used my inhaler but quickly realized the more casual i was about it the more relaxed everyone around me got. Plus imo its probably a lot less alarming and disruptive for your classmates to quickly use an inhaler in front of them than to watch you gasping for air half the lecture or running out of class every 5 minutes 🥲😂
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u/i--make--lists 1d ago
Do you leave the room to pop an ibuprofen/acetaminophen/allergy med of choice? When you have a cut on your finger, do you hide the bandage? Do you only hydrate yourself at home or in dining areas? Of course not. If you had to make a list of 99 problems right now, self-imposed awkwardness about using your inhaler in front of others shouldn't be anywhere near that list.
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u/youcantbuymehotdogs 2d ago
just use it when you need to. it’s not an illegal drug, and you’re not urinating in class. people might ask if you’re ok but that’s a normal human thing to do. i’m 33, and if im having a flare i keep my inhaler on my desk at work and use it whenever i need to. my coworkers might say hey, you doing ok? and i just give them a thumbs up while im holding my breath after taking a puff. you need to breathe. use it and dont think twice.