Your stories

My name is Ellie.

I'm 24 years old and I have a type of asthma called allergic asthma.

Now my diagnosis came about because when I was quite young.

I started to have lots of asthma attacks and then I was later diagnosed with allergic asthma.

My asthma is triggered by kind of allergens in the air so anything like cat's hair, dog hair, candles, aerosols, diffusers, anything that is essentially designed to make the air smell nice, or pets.

I take a combination inhaler so instead of a blue inhaler and a brown inhaler, I just use the one so it works as a preventer and a reliever and that's really made a difference to my asthma symptoms and how they're managed.

Asthma + Lung UK, their information that they put out is so helpful to be able to go on the website and get the information that you're looking for is a really fantastic resource.

I try and go to the gym four times a week, sometimes it ends up being two or three.

The type of asthma I have, being allergic asthma, typically kind of doesn't impact my own ability to exercise per se.

I do a type of exercise called calisthenics so that is body weight training and I found that a really good way to keep fit and healthy.

Exercise, I find, gives me lots of benefits. I'd say the main one is the mental health side of things, improved confidence, learning new skills is also a nice thing to focus on that's low pressure.

You know, it doesn't have the same deadlines as work or university life so it's a real outlet for channeling your energies into something else.

My advice to any young people dealing with a lung condition or asthma specifically and wanting to exercise, I would say, you know, find something that you enjoy.

Don't start comparing yourself to other people who perhaps don't have a lung condition and can kind of push a bit harder than you, you know, go at your own pace and, you know, set your own goals and as long as you enjoy what you're doing that is the main thing as well.

Hi my name is Diven.

I'm 38 years old and it's been four years since I've been diagnosed with interstitial lung disease.

After I did a half marathon, two months afterwards I was feeling really out of breath.

The symptoms came really quickly. Unexpectedly, more than anything.

I would do simple daily tasks and I'd feel really out of breath.

I wanted to bring normality back to my life, my normal, and my normal was being the active person that I always have been, so I had to look into ways to do that again and one of those ways was speaking to the right people, getting the right advice.

I was offered an oxygen machine and now I go to the gym regularly.

Asthma + Lung UK have supported me so much that it's helped me achieve the things that I never thought I'd be able to do.

The London Marathon was probably one of the biggest things I've done.

They helped me through the process.

They helped me with any obstacles that came in the way and supported me with all my training, what I needed to do, learn about the training and what my body needs to be able to do and without them I wouldn't have been able to do that.

Exercise has helped me manage my condition a lot better.

I feel a lot more confident going out with friends, family, or even going to work.

And now with the oxygen machine, it helps me do everything that I want to do.

Hi, my name is Steve. I live in Rayleigh in Essex. I'm now 69 years of age.

I was diagnosed with COPD about three and a half years ago.

I went to pick my grandson up from school, I noticed that I was really breathless on the way back. My breathing became really laboured.

I found that I was struggling really with breathing and I went to the hospital and they diagnosed me with COPD.

Because I thought I'm not gonna let it beat me so I started exercising really hard and from the diagnosis, I went out and walked six miles a day, every day.

I lost two and a half stone in three months and carried on walking and exercising.

On most days, well Wednesday through to Friday, I pick the boys up from school.

I love being with them.

They're like a ray of light, a breath of fresh air.

The only downside to COPD is if you sit there and do nothing, then you'll be able to do less and less and less.

Where if you're extremely active, I think I'm now fitter than I was before I was diagnosed so I feel quite blessed because if I hadn't have got COPD, I wouldn't have been exercising.

Now I've got COPD, I'm exercising like mad and I feel a lot better for it.

My next target, my oldest grandson is six.

I'm hoping upon hope that I see his 10th birthday.

If I do, then I'll reassess and then look for his next birthday date that I want to go to.