Hi, please can someone help advise?
My Father is an (until recently) pretty healthy 75 yo. He stopped smoking about 15 years ago.
Over the past couple of months he developed a cough that didn't go, so he finally made a GP appointment where the Dr said his chest sounded tight and gave him an anitibiotic course and a Ventolin inhaler. this was 4 weeks ago. She also said he should have a spirometry test with the practice nurse, but the nurse is off work until 16th September.
I was on holiday with him 2 weeks ago, and when I saw him again following an absence of 1 week, I could hear that in that time his chest was worse. He is feeling steadily worse, and is now also waking at night short of breath and coughing and having trouble getting back to sleep. Me and my son are both asthmatic and I'm aware that this can be a symptom of asthma, He also feels very breathless when climbing the stairs etc. He does find that his Ventolin helps relieve the symptoms.
In the meantime he has had a chest xray and sputum test which were both negative. The worry is that they are due to go on a 3 week cruise for their golden wedding anniversary in less than 2 weeks time, The Dr has said she won't prescribe a steroid inhaler until they have the results of the spirometry which obviously is after they get home. The Dr can't do the test as it takes too long, also he has been told that you cannot have a spirometry test until 6 weeks after antibiotics!
He is worried about the effects of visiting hot countries if he is suffering from untreated and undiagnosed asthma. In fact, they are so concerned they don't even want to go on holiday now which is so frustrating as in my experience, with the correct medication - if it is asthma - he needn't be suffering unnessecarily.
Any advice would be gratefully received :-) I have enquired about a private spirometry test, but havent heard if the 6 week antibiotic rule needs to be strictly followed.
Many Thanks