Nice kitty. *hack* *wheeze* *splutter*

[reddragdiva]

I am hideously allergic to marnameow's beautiful cats. I had an asthma attack bad enough to go to A&E in search of Ventolin. (In civilised countries, you can buy Ventolin over the counter. In the UK, Ventolin is apparently a terrorist weapon, and attempting to buy it without a prescription will give you an authentic British Jobsworth Experience, particularly when you're actually in the process of turning a fetching shade of blue in front of them.) ladylilith has made me promise to give up smoking. So if I'm out and bum a cig off you, remember that it's a furtive one.

HEY greap! I'LL QUIT IF YOU DO!

Life with ladylilith is surprisingly wonderful. We're currently working out how to convince the Home Office to let her stay in the country. This will require interesting levels of commitment.

Update: My first journal entry to get enough comments to go into indexed view. Gosh!

Comments

Civilised countries

[silverfiligree.livejournal.com]

Pedantic epidemiologist moment:

The country with the highest incidence of deaths from asthma in the world is New Zealand. You can buy medication over the counter there, and many do because for some bizarre reason you need to pay extra to get it on prescription. The theory about the excess deaths is that patients self-medicate and use the wrong drugs/wrong doses which exacerbates the asthma. Some buy asthma drugs for the wrong reason and potentially serious illnesses go untreated.

I use diskhalers - it makes it far easier to spot when you are running low and you can get a new scrip in plenty of time. I have to use them because perversely I'm allergic to the aerosol in normal inhalers (boy, did I have fun figuring that one out!)

About the commitment thing. Since you're not British enough to count (whatever the jargon is) couldn't you both find a Brit to marry you? Passports all round. I mean, there are all these divorced goffs hanging about doing nothing useful :)

Re: Civilised countries

[reddragdiva]

"The theory about the excess deaths is that patients self-medicate and use the wrong drugs/wrong doses which exacerbates the asthma. Some buy asthma drugs for the wrong reason and potentially serious illnesses go untreated."

That's a very comforting thought when I'm standing at the chemist puffing and wheezing ... at least it's in a good cause, then?

"couldn't you both find a Brit to marry you? Passports all round. I mean, there are all these divorced goffs hanging about doing nothing useful :)"

Now, THAT's a scary thought :-)