Life with BA...

People quite often look at me in a weird way when I am in the pharmacy and I am picking up my medications - because there is quite a lot of it! Sometimes I think people find it hard to believe just how much of an effect BA can have on your life, and how much medication can be needed to manage it, so I have taken some pictures to show you what my daily medication regime is like, on a good day!

So with my breakfast I have this little lot!

There are tablets there which include steroids, allergy medications, pain relief and antibiotics among others. The two pen like objects are insulin injection devices, each containing a different type of insulin which both control my diabetes, a side effect of steroid use. I also have some supplements there as I am anemic, which means I require iron and have low potassium levels meaning I require supplements for that as well. There is my trusty symbicort inhaler, of which I take three puffs four times a day! The little plastic nebules contain solution which goes into my nebuliser, is vaporized and then breathed in. Theres four types there, one is another inhaled steroid, one is a type of sterile water, another opens up my airways and the other also does the same but in a different way. I also do 'chest physio' using an accapella device and postural drainage which helps clear mucus in my lungs and prevent bugs from growing there. I also have to check things like lung function, blood sugar and oxygen levels.

 This is lunch! More nebulisers, puffs of symbicort and insulin. There are also tablets there for various things such as pain relief, allergy and nausea. This is normally all taken four hours after breakfast, though my nebulisers can be taken in between if I need them - which I quite often do! I also check my blood sugar and defending on how I am feeling my lung function and oxygen levels.

Dinner time! More nebs, insulin and puffs of my inhaler - I also take more tablets such as calcium and metformin which help reduce the damage that the side effects of steroids can have. Again I do my sugars, lung function etc at dinner.

This is normally the last little lot of the day which I take around 10pm, its got more insulins, inhalers, nebs and tablets. There are a few new ones there like montelukast and one to help me sleep, but mainly its pain meds, steroids and bits like that! I also do more chest physio before bed, check my sugars, oxygen and lung function!

I also tend to need another nebuliser around midnight, as well as during the night if I am particularly unwell. Sometimes I wake up in a lot of pain around 3/4am so I take another dose of one of my pain medications so that I can get comfortable enough to sleep.

I have other medicines like extra antibiotics, steroids, bronchodilators, allergy tablets, pain medications and ones to regulate lows in my blood sugar that I can take when I need them! If this little lot doesn't sort me then I have to go into addes (My local hospital) for IV meds, oxygen and other things which I cant have at home, which is normally every two to three months.