“When going out for a walk can be a bit of a gamble”
I was asked a while back to write an opinion piece for the climate issue of the British Medical Journal. I decided to focus on my experience of living with severe asthma and the impact that air pollution can have on it. Air pollution is a key topic just now among various lung charities not just in the UK but across the world. It is a concern because air pollution not only impacts those living with lung disease but it is also causing lung disease in those who did not previously have one which long term will cause a huge burden to the economy and will also be catastrophic to health services that are already on their knees. You can read the opinion piece here.
I am really proud of this piece. It is the second article I have had published as an individual author. The first was in 2015 as part of the “What Your Patient Is Thinking” series which was more educational about how to best help a patient when they are having an acute asthma exacerbation. It is not about the medical prescribing and giving drugs but the communication with the patient such as offering pen and paper when a patient cant speak rather than trying to guess what they are saying. I titled the piece “Just relax and concentrate on your breathing” (click the link to read it).
I feel it is so important to use the platform I have to share what it is like to live with severe asthma day to day and all the different things that can negatively impact it. It is often the unseen things that actually affect us the most that no one else would think about, things like air pollution. When I am given the chance to open the door and share this side I jump at the chance as it is the only way that things will change. If you don’t speak up and share then no one will know. Clinicians and healthcare providers only ever get a glimpse of what life is like so it is up to people like me as a patient advocate to ensure that they are provided with the full picture wether it be through articles such as the ones I have done in the BMJ or via social media or speaking at events. It can be hard to open up and speak about the issues that make you so vulnerable especially when the majority of people would perhaps question you and not believe how big an impact something can have. Even those working in healthcare may not appreciate it.
One such issue is air pollution. I am sure if you were to ask members of my family if air pollution affects my lungs they would say no. If by some chance they were to say yes they wouldn’t be able to say what type of air pollution affects me the most. I’m not sure if they would be able to tell you the different types of air pollution, this I reckon would be reflected by the general public and their ability to recognise all the different types of air pollution. But as things such as this are only going to get worse we need to speak up and get our voices heard so that change can be implemented, and the only way to make the change that is needed is by speaking up.
This is why I am really proud when I get pieces of my writing published because I feel I am doing my part to help make a change to help improve the lives of people with not just severe asthma but other lung disease too and I won’t ever stop.
ANONYMOUS-ASTHMA 