Sometimes it can be difficult to know when to talk about your asthma symptoms with your doctor, but delaying raising your concerns could prevent you from getting the right treatment, and this could be deadly. Our home doctor service Marbella allows you to test the severity of your asthma from the comfort of your own home.
These tests can include:
1. Peak flow
The peak flow test is one of the most commonly used asthma tests used by our home doctor service. The peak flow test is a lung function test which measures how fast you can breathe out.
To take the test you need to breathe in and then blow out again as fast as you can into a small, hand-held tube - this is the peak flow meter. The peak flow meter will then measure your peak flow and produce a reading.
You may be asked to repeat this test a few times as part of the home doctor service and your best reading will be noted.
You may also be asked to record your peak flow regularly yourself and note this down in a diary over a 2-4 week period.
Measuring your peak flow should be carried out as part of your routine asthma check-up. The results of your peak flow test show your doctor how well your lungs are working, although your results may be different in the morning and at night, so tracking your peak flow is a good idea if you want an accurate assessment.
2. Spirometry
This is a test which monitors both your breathing and lung function. Like peak flow, it's commonly used by our home doctor service to test the severity of your asthma.
Your nurse or doctor will ask you to take a deep breath and then blow into a mouthpiece which is connected to a spirometer. You may need to blow more than once in order to give an accurate reading.
After you have an accurate result, your doctor or nurse may give you a reliever medicine to help open your airways. You may also be asked to wait for between 15 and 20 minutes before blowing into the machine again. This test how effective the medicine has been on your breathing capacity and lung function. If there is a large difference in the readings before and after taking this medicine, it could be a sign that your asthma is more severe.
As part of your asthma testing and monitoring, you may be asked to take a spirometry test each year as your asthma is reviewed to see whether your medicine is still effective for you. A spirometry test can also help identify any other lung conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and help your doctor decide what treatment might be best to cure this if the condition is noticed.
Both these test can be carried out simply at home - and the devices could even be kept in some cases, so you can report your results to your doctor directly, without constant visits.
If you would like to know more about home testing for asthma with our home doctor service, get in touch to become a member of our helicopteros sanitarios family.