26/06/2026
Last night I came frighteningly close to losing my life.
It started with something I've done a lots of times before. I cut the grass. Not long after, I felt unwell, dizzy and couldn't catch my breath, so I took my inhaler and got in a cool shower. By the time I got out it was worse. So bad I couldn't even work my home nebuliser.
I went downstairs to find my husband and every step made it harder to pull air in. Everything felt tight, swallowing felt strange & I honestly told myself it was just because I was dry from breathing so hard. By the time I told him I couldn't breathe, I'd had nine lots of my blue inhaler and nothing was helping. He asked if I needed an ambulance. I just about managed to say yes before I collapsed onto the sofa.
I lay there fighting for every breath. I could hear him calling 999, then panicked when the call dropped because of our rubbish signal. After that it's a blur. I remember a tight band around my ribs as my stomach sucked in with each breath & not being able to keep my eyes open. Everything was bright white and all I could see was a window above me and a dark shadow figure of a man stood looking down on me which couldn’t be my husband as he was sat beside me. I seek some comfort in believing it was my grandad watching over me 😢
The last thing I remember is hearing my four year old daughter say hi to the paramedics & tell them where I was. Then I was gone again.
I don't remember anything until I was sat up, coming round. By then I'd had oxygen, nebulisers, hydrocortisone & adrenaline, none of which I remember. They got me into the ambulance, gave me more adrenaline & blue lighted me to Fairfield Resus. Ironically in the bay my grandad was in when he was last rushed to Resus struggling to breathe before we lost him in 2019. After having bloods taken, a painful blood gas 🥴, drips & more nebulisers I felt something pop open in my throat & I took my first proper breath in what felt like forever.
4 hours later I was breathing normally & well enough to go home. The paramedics later told me my airflow was zero when they arrived at my house & I was seriously unwell. With my respiratory history of chronic asthma, tracheobronchomalacia & sleep apnea, I can safely say anaphylaxis was the last thing anyone expected. It turned out to be a severe reaction to grass pollen. Something I've been around my whole life.
I want to say a huge thank you to the paramedics at North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust and to every member of staff at Fairfield General Resus department Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust who literally saved my life and restored my faith in the NHS following bad experiences at another trust. The staff were very supportive, attentive and all round brilliant people. They worked fantastically together even whilst trying to get through handover.
I will never forget what you did for me!
It’s something I will forever be thankful for!
I also want to raise a bit of awareness because I had no idea this could happen to me. Anaphylaxis is serious and it moves fast. If you ever hear that strange struggling noise when someone breathes in, see their ribs sucking in or feel like you can’t swallow please dont wait and hope it passes. Don’t talk yourself out of it like I almost did. Get urgent help straight away.
I'm okay now. Weak, tired & shaken but I’m alive!
I still cannot fully process the events of last night I think this will take a while.
Following this I have to be carrying an EpiPen everywhere I go just in case it happens again and I am to await a referral to the allergy clinic for what happens next.
Please share this post,
If this helps even one person to get medical attention quicker or a life is saved , I'll be glad I shared it.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart ❤️
