{"id":2221,"date":"2025-04-27T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-27T12:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/?p=2221"},"modified":"2025-04-30T21:34:21","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T21:34:21","slug":"ive-been-rushed-to-hospital-over-20-times-in-4-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/2025\/04\/27\/ive-been-rushed-to-hospital-over-20-times-in-4-years\/","title":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve been rushed to hospital over 20 times in 4 years"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t\t\"Lizzie:\t<\/div>
I felt a tightening in my chest and my breathing beginning to rapidly decline (Picture: Lizzie)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Walking along the riverbank in Cheshire<\/a> in January 2021, I suddenly became aware that I could smell smoke. I knew what was about to happen next\u2026 <\/p>\n

Right on cue, I felt a tightening in my chest and my breathing beginning to rapidly decline. An emergency call and a trip to the resuscitation department was sure to follow. <\/p>\n

This experience is nothing new for me. In the last four years, I\u2019ve been rushed to hospital by ambulance more than 20 times and been admitted to intensive care four times \u2013 but it\u2019s\u202falways scary\u202fto see\u202fhow fast an asthma attack <\/a>like this takes hold of\u202fme. <\/p>\n

And yet, if one thing changed, many of my attacks could so easily be avoided. <\/p>\n

So, when I heard that Asthma + Lung UK were\u202fcalling on the government to fund a national public campaign to raise awareness<\/a> of the impacts of air pollution<\/a> caused by wood burning, I knew I had to speak up. <\/p>\n

By helping people make more informed choices and educate them on how to reduce their own contribution to air pollution, people like me wouldn\u2019t have to suffer so much. <\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Lizzie:\t<\/div>
I was first diagnosed with asthma at the age of 11 (Picture: Lizzie)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

I was first diagnosed with asthma at the age of 11. I had mild asthma throughout my teens and used a preventer and reliever inhaler but generally I could play sports and lead an active life. <\/p>\n

Wood burning stoves weren\u2019t much of a trigger back then. Not like they are now.  <\/p>\n

However, since I caught Covid in 2020 and developed long Covid<\/a> as a result, my asthma has become much worse. My symptoms now come on very quickly and include feeling very short of breath. <\/p>\n

Up until then, I\u2019d been able to live a full and unrestricted life. I loved my job as a midwife, and doing outdoor exercise \u2013 such as running, horse riding and paddle boarding \u2013 used to be a big part of what made me happy. But almost overnight that all changed. <\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Lizzie:\t<\/div>
I had to be very careful to avoid people with viruses (Picture: Lizzie)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Suddenly going for a short walk became\u202fa real challenge and because my asthma attacks<\/a> became more frequent it really affected my job. <\/p>\n

Things like smoke on patients\u2019 clothing affected me more easily, and I had to be very careful to avoid people with viruses and other respiratory infections.<\/p>\n

I had to start working non-clinically, then from home and eventually, due to my severe asthma and long Covid symptoms, I had to give up doing a job I loved. <\/p>\n

As a result, I had to spend many months back at my parents\u2019 house as I needed extra help, which meant I forfeited a lot of my freedom and independence too. <\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t\tDonate to help\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
\n

My amazing mum is doing a sponsored open water swim for Asthma + Lung UK in July \u2013 you can donate here<\/a>.\u202f<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

With my attacks becoming more frequent, I started keeping a hospital bag at home, packed and ready for emergencies because the impact could be\u202fso sudden.\u202f <\/p>\n

A lot of the time I\u2019ve been too ill to leave the house, but even going out for a short 100m walk is important for my physical and mental recovery<\/a>. <\/p>\n

But these walks don\u2019t always end happily. And that one by the river back in early 2021 is a prime example. <\/p>\n

On that day, my asthma was triggered by some of the narrowboats having\u202fwood burning stoves. The smell, or more specifically the air pollution that the stoves created, caused an asthma attack so severe that I was in hospital for two weeks.  <\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Lizzie:\t<\/div>
I can\u2019t open my windows and feel the sunshine due to the\u202fresidual heavy layer of smoke(Picture: Lizzie)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Even now spring is in the air, I remain pretty isolated. I can\u2019t open my windows and feel the sunshine due to the\u202fresidual heavy layer of smoke from nearby wood burners, or dare risk a walk outdoors. <\/p>\n

Instead, I\u2019ve had no choice but to buy\u202fa treadmill so that I can still get some exercise at home but all I really want is a bit of fresh air.\u202f <\/p>\n

More and more homes have wood burners<\/a> these days \u2013 or at least it certainly seems that way to me as I\u2019m confident that I\u2019m seeing smoke coming out of more chimneys lately \u2013 and for the good of both my health and the planet, that\u2019s a problem that needs to be fixed. <\/p>\n

While road transport is still one of the highest causes for harmful small particle air pollution in the UK, recent research has revealed that the pollution caused by lighting fires (domestic burning) in our homes has more than doubled over the past 10 years. <\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Lizzie:\t<\/div>
Until wood burners are\u202fphased out gradually, people like me with serious health conditions will continue to be\u202ftriggered (Picture: Lizzie)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\n

\n\t\t\t\tFind out more\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
\n

For further info on the health harms of air pollution you can visit the Asthma + Lung UK website<\/a>\u202f<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

So, though I really don\u2019t want to have to ask anyone to change their lifestyle because of my asthma, I don\u2019t think I have any choice.  <\/p>\n

We really need to raise awareness about the risks of wood burning stoves and open fires because I don\u2019t think a lot of people realise the health risks they pose. <\/p>\n

I was surprised to discover the impact that lighting fires is having. Normally that\u2019s something you\u2019d associate as being a problem in cities where there\u2019s lots of traffic, but it\u2019s becoming a problem everywhere and we must<\/em>\u202fact. <\/p>\n

Until wood burners are\u202fphased out gradually, people like me with serious health conditions will continue to be\u202ftriggered. <\/p>\n

I have been on steroids for four years, but I remain hopeful that\u202fmy health will improve over time \u2013 once me and my severe asthma team can find the right balance of medication \u2013 but until then, every day continues to be\u202fa struggle. <\/p>\n

I look forward to a future where air pollution from wood burning stoves no longer blights my health and that of so many others with lung conditions. And what keeps me going is the thought that one day\u202fI might\u202fenjoy life to the fullest again.\u202f <\/p>\n

Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Share your views in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I felt a tightening in my chest and my breathing beginning to rapidly decline (Picture: Lizzie) Walking along the riverbank in Cheshire in January 2021, I suddenly became aware that I could smell smoke. I knew what was about to happen next\u2026  Right on cue, I felt a tightening in my chest and my breathing beginning to rapidly decline. An emergency call […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2223,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2221"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2221"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2221\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2229,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2221\/revisions\/2229"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2223"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2221"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2221"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2221"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}