Asthma Attack

This is copied straight from my dA journal, because I can't be bothered to write it out again. Note that "today" actually means Thursday, because that's when it happened ...

I had an asthma attack in PE today. It was so freaking scary O_O

We were doing cross-country relay, and I had to throw the baton to the next person in my group 'cos I was too weak to go any further. I collapsed on the floor, my breathing worse than a seventy-year-old smoker's, in so much pain (in my lungs) that I started crying (I don't cry. Today was the first time that my best friend of two years saw me cry). My friend, who was in a different group, got to the same station as me a few seconds after I collapsed, and sat with me and cuddled me and tried to calm me down, while panicking herself ("Deep breaths, Steph. Ohmygod, ohmygod. Come on, it's alright. Deeeeeep breaths. Ohmygod." Because she's a sweetheart.

Someone got the teacher, who literally sprinted across the field (She was near the changing rooms, and I was at the opposite end of the field ... it's a BIG field) to me. I tried to get my inhalor out of my pocket, but I was shaking so badly that my hand kept falling away from the zip.

Eventually, I took my inhalor, and I sat there for a good five minutes, on the soaking wet grass, shaking, crying, gasping for breath. And then, after I started recovering, the teacher made me walk across the field. I nearly fell over at least five times, because I felt really unstable, and she ended up supporting me half the way. And then I sat (again, on the soaking wet ground) and stared at the grass until the end of the lesson.

I've been in a zombie-like state all day. PE was first period, and the rest of the day, I just walked around blankly, almost completley unresponsive. It felt like someone was stabbing my lungs every time I breathed, and when I spoke, it was like they were twisting the knife. I nearly started crying again a couple of times, but I managed to fight back the tears. It was awful.

I got a lot of hugs and arm rubs, too ... I don't like attention, but it was interesting to see who cared and who didn't. Jess was clearly the one who cared the most.

It's still painful when I breathe, but it's not as bad. More of a pin-prick. Compared to the pain I felt all day, this is nothing.

But I'm still shaken. This was my first proper asthma attack. Asthma has given all kinds of pains in PE, the most popular being what I describe as "someone sticking a knife down my throat and twisting it." ... basically, when the cold air gets down my throat, my asthma kicks in, and causes agony. But that is NOTHING now, after today. I've had small asthma attacks before, but this one hit me so strongly and so suddenly, it was so much worse.

Worst. Experience. Ever.