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Back to School Illnesses

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Here we go again - Back to School time! Do you dread back to school time because your kids will be sick? All. The. Time.?  It seems like when school starts, my kids were constantly sick.  And when one kid gets sick, it would go through the whole family.    Worse with asthma  My kid's classmates would have snotty noses and be sneezing (never covering their sneezes.....) but that was about it for symptoms.  Meanwhile, since all 3 of my kids have asthma, they would be sneezing, wheezing, and coughing. They would have to whip out their inhaler at school and take a couple of puffs. I would always have them or the school nurse call me if they needed their inhaler at school. I needed to track how often they were using it.  I needed to know if they were getting worse, and if it was time to adjust their inhalers to a higher dose, or add another inhaler while they were sick.  They would usually end up missing school. A LOT of school.  They would e...
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Wildfire Smoke? Make a Do It Yourself Air Purifier

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  Do you live in the U.S.? Are you in an area blanketed with wildfire smoke?  The western U.S. is in a prolonged drought - and covered in wild fires. And the upper Midwest of the U.S. is getting wildfire smoke from Canada.  Air purifiers can help clean the air in your house or apartment - but they can be pricey 🤑 If an air purifier isn't in your budget, you can make a do-it-yourself version for about $40!  Yes, $40!   You will need: Box fan Square air filter  (with a MERV rating of 13 - just look at the label on the filter)  Michigan Medical has a video that shows how to assemble it:   "Build a Do-It-Yourself Air Purifier for About $40"  Instructions: Tape the air filter to the fan  That's pretty much it.  Look for the arrows on the air filter and make sure the arrows are facing away from the fan so the air blows through the filter into the room. In the video, the doctor tape it with a piece of tape, but some people like ...
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Wildfire Smoke Affecting Asthma

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  My city is inundated with wildfire smoke right now.  I woke up to see golden light shining through the blinds - and instantly panicked.  I know that a golden tinge in the air means the wildfire smoke from hundreds of miles away has drifted to my city.   Checking air quality  Did you know that you can check the air quality in your area using Purple Air ?  Purple Air uses data from 35,000 air sensors around the world. They are low cost air sensors that people can buy and attach to their house.  Are they as good as EPA's expensive air quality sensors? No.  But, does EPA have enough air quality sensors across the U.S.? Also no.   Health effects of wildfire smoke on asthma  Wildfire smoke is filled with tiny particles, called PM 2.5. (PM stands for particulate matter.) PM 2.5 is so tiny, you can only see it with a microscope. It's 1/30th the size of a human hair.     Those tiny particles can get down deep inside the...
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Back to School - Do You Have Your Forms That Allow Your Child to Carry an Inhaler and Epi?

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  Yeah, yeah.....I know it's summer and people are at the pool or lake.  But school is just around the corner!  You may be shopping for school supplies like clothes, backpacks, pens & pencils, scientific calculators, etc.  School supplies vs medical supplies   But - what about medical supplies?  Does your child have enough puffs in their inhaler for the school year? When does it expire?  Are their dual pack of epi auto injectors still in date? Epi also expires!  Can you carry inhalers and epi in drug-free zones?  Yes - and no    When my kids were younger, they couldn't have acetaminophen or ibuprofen in their backpack. And my daughter definitely couldn't carry Midol.  But - if you have the proper medical forms filled out at the beginning of each school year, your child can carry their inhaler and epi (instead of leaving it locked in the nurse's office)  Did you know that it's legal for students to carry their own ...
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Asthma Safe Dorm Rooms or Apartments

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 All 3 of my children have left home and gone off to college. Two have graduated, and my youngest is finishing her degree. I mean, they've gotta get good jobs to support us in our old age. Haha.  Sending kids to college is a little different when you have kids with eczema, allergies, food allergies, or asthma.  Since the chemistry in our body tends to over react when we are around dust, mold, strong cleaning supplies, etc. My kids have to be more careful than the average college students.   A few things we looked for when my kids went to college: Apartments without carpet    My daughter and her friend went apartment hunting. She was so excited to show us the apartment she found!     I recognized that carpet - from the 70's. It's a style and color they don't even make anymore. I mean, like totally rad! Can't believe we talked like that back in the 70's...   I was worried about her living in an old apartment (built in the 40's) with ...
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Listed in 20 Best Asthma Blogs and Webistes 2025

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      The new list is out!    And guess who's on it?    Again?!   Not bad for a little 'ole asthma mom just trying to help other families  I can't compete with companies who have full time staff that run analytics, create posts, and graphics 😆 It's just me creating graphics and writing posts!   I started this blog back in 2010 to help other families who are struggling with asthma  Thanks for reading over the years and supporting me.   If I have helped over the years, drop a comment!      
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4th of July. Fireworks & Asthma Are NOT a Good Mix!

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 As the 4th of July weekend nears, I'm VERY worried about fireworks smoke. We live in a cul de sac, and the neighbors like to put on a BBQ with fireworks and dub the party  "The Cul de sac of Fire" Can I tell you how much I hate fireworks?  Am I old and cranky? Well, yes - but that's beside the point  Firework smoke almost killed my son When Son #2 was in elementary school, his asthma was almost impossible to control. This was before asthma biologics were available for those under age 12.  He was on multiple daily, anti-inflammatory inhalers.  He also had allergy shots in the hopes that controlling his allergies would control his asthma.  And our home was allergy & asthma friendly.   We were also germaphobes WAY before COVID.  We tried everything to keep him healthy.  Every minor cold morphed into pneumonia for him - and another hospital stay.  RSV also put him in the hospital for a week (at age 5). Yes, 5. 4th of July fire...
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