Asthma Management in Point Cook
Asthma that is well looked after should rarely interrupt sleep, work, sport or school. Good asthma management in Point Cook starts with a GP who knows your history, checks your medicines and gives you a clear written plan for bad days.
Our GPs see children and adults with asthma, whether it was diagnosed years ago or you suspect it for the first time.
Your written asthma action plan
The National Asthma Council describes written action plans as one of the most effective asthma interventions available. Everyone with asthma should have one. It sets out:
- Your usual medicines and doses
- How to recognise asthma getting worse, and what to change
- When to seek medical help
- What to do in an emergency
Keep a copy on your phone, and give one to your child’s school, childcare or sports club.
Getting inhaler technique right
Many people use their inhalers incorrectly without knowing it, so the medicine lands in the mouth and throat instead of the lungs. Bring every inhaler and spacer you use to each visit. Your GP or nurse can watch you take a dose and correct the steps that matter.
A preventer only works if it is taken as prescribed, even on good days. Relying on a reliever alone is no longer recommended for adults and adolescents.
Asthma management reviews: how often
Asthma Australia recommends a review:
- Every 3 to 12 months, depending on how stable your asthma is
- Within 3 to 12 weeks after a treatment change
- Within one week after a flare-up
Book sooner if you need your reliever more than twice a week, wake at night with cough or breathlessness, or have to cut back on activity. These are signs your treatment needs adjusting.
Testing and diagnosis
Asthma is usually confirmed by a breathing test that measures how much air you can blow out and how fast. Read how that works on our spirometry testing page. Adults who smoke or used to smoke and have a long-standing cough may need assessment for a different lung condition, explained on the emphysema management page.
Triggers and thunderstorm asthma
Common triggers include pollen, dust mite, mould, cigarette and bushfire smoke, colds and flu, exercise and some cleaning products. Your GP can help you work out yours, and arrange allergy testing where it would change your management. A yearly flu vaccine is worth discussing too.
In Victoria, grass pollen season usually runs from 1 October to 31 December, and thunderstorm asthma can affect people with asthma, hay fever or both. If your control has slipped, book a review before spring.
When to call 000
Call an ambulance on 000 and say it is an asthma emergency if symptoms get worse very quickly, if there is severe shortness of breath, difficulty speaking or blue lips, or if the reliever gives little or no relief. While waiting, follow the asthma first aid steps on your action plan. If you are ever unsure, call 000.
Common questions
Can my child have their asthma managed at the clinic?
Yes. Children need reviews more often than adults, and their action plan should be updated as they grow and their medicines change. See our paediatric care page for other care we provide for children.
What should I bring to an asthma review?
Your current action plan, all inhalers and spacers, and a note of how often you have used your reliever recently.
Is asthma care bulk billed?
Pensioners over 65, DVA card holders and GP care plans are bulk billed with all our doctors. Other visits may have an out-of-pocket fee, set by each practitioner. Current consultation fees are on the fees page.