When is it going to start working??

One thing I have found since starting mepolizumab is I am constantly questioning myself and am almost preoccupied thinking about what results I may see and how my asthma will improve.

Its hard because with this drug unlike others there is no knowing when you will start getting the benefits and if you will get the benefits. If your chest is tight and you take some salbutamol your airways will relax and you can breath again without so much effort, or if you have a chest infection and given high dose prednisolone you notice the effects of it both positive and negative (I’m talking about the insomnia, restless legs, hunger) but with this I have no idea when I might start to feel better.

I track my peak flow and keep thinking I am seeing it trend upwards and wonder if this means the mepolizumab is working but then today I came crashing back down to earth. It was a bad night- up every hour, coughing, wheezing and getting more and more irritated with the noise coming from my chest. I knew before I blew my peak flow and it would not be good and I was right. It dropped- a whole 150l/min.

I know that just because of the mepolizumab I am not always going to have great peak flows and my chest will still have hissy fits but I guess what I am struggling with is knowing if my chest is just more stable (I have not been allowed to drop my steroids yet either) or its more stable because of the mepolizumab. Its a bit of a guessing game.

By the time I have my next injection in a few weeks I will have a lot more data and will have been able to capture a month of peak flows 3 times a day and will be able to get the average peak flow compared to previous months.

For now I guess I just need to watch this space!!