by Jennifer Kennedy

Created on: May 11, 2008

My nine year old son has had Asthma from he was five years old, he suffer`s with it quite bad especially in the winter months and has been in hospital on several occasions. He is on the Seritide inhaler (purple), Asmasal inhaler (white) and a five milligram steroid tablet called Singular.

Until recently we had been controlling his asthma pretty well, however when he did visit the hospital a few times concerning his asthma we were told that he was fine and we were just over reacting even though his heart rate was extremely fast, he was pale and short of breath, supposedly this was caused by the inhalers he takes. (according to the asthma clinic this information is a lot of rubbish)

So I decided to mention the peak flow to my GP, he give me the prescription with no problem. The manufacturer of the meter he prescribed is Wright`s Ferrari and it comes in a clear packaging.

Inside the packaging is the peak flow meter, instructions and a chart to record readings, the peak flow meter is mainly white and blue near the mouth piece, it is a long tube with numbers along the side from 60 to 800 and has Bradbury Surgical written on the front in blue lettering.

Peak flow meter`s are available on either prescription or from most chemist`s for around 11, as I said earlier I got mine on prescription, there are several manufacturer`s of the peak flow meter, however they all do the same thing.

A peak flow meter is a device which is used to measure how well someone`s lungs are working, it is a must have for asthma suffers or anyone who suffers with other breathing problems. If the peak flow meter is used properly it can tell when the airways are beginning to narrow, well before an asthma attack has occurred.

A peak flow meter can be used by both adults and children , providing they are over the age of 6 years. Peak flow readings will differ from person to person depending on age, height and whether they are male or female, however the GP should advise what reading you should expect.

Reasons to use a peak flow meter:
Well you can keep an eye on what`s happening with your airways rather than guessing by how you feel.
By using the peak flow meter you can assess whether your medication is working properly and if necessary get it changed.
You can bring a copy of your recorded readings to your GP/nurse appointments and let them see how you asthma has be going.

The peak flow meter is simple to use, all you need to do is:
Check that the pointer is at zero
Stand/sit in an upright position
Take a deep breath and blow into the meter, this will measure the speed of the blow.
Check the pointer and repeat this three times and record the highest reading on the chart provided.

The peak flow meter measures your breath by litres per minute, you should take two readings per day, one in the morning and one in the evening and by doing this you will see if there is a difference in your asthma between the two times, it is quite normal to have a lower Reading in the morning.

Using the peak flow meter will give you a better understanding of when your asthma is well controlled or not so well controlled, for normal controlled asthma the readings should be all similar from day to day, however for asthma that not is so good you can expect the readings to vary from day to day.

I really don`t know why I did`nt get this sooner, it`s a great little gadget for anyone who suffers with asthma, so if you suffer with asthma and dont have the peak flow meter speak to your GP.

Learn more about this author, Jennifer Kennedy.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.