My Life as an Asthma Mom

  What is the September Asthma epidemic? The 3rd week of September is an "epidemic" when asthma hospitalizations spike. That week is  the highest time of the year for asthma hospitalizations! Crazy, right?  You may have thought the worst time for asthma is the middle of winter - during flu season. But it's the 3rd week of September. Every year.    What causes the September Asthma Epidemic? There are many causes: School starts again  -  so instead of spending time outdoors, kids are back inside     Not well ventilated classrooms - new schools are closed up tight to be energy efficient, which means windows don't open. And classrooms are usually small, but packed with kids. If there isn't enough fresh air coming into the classroom through the ventilation system,  germs can stay in the classroom and spread to other kids    Cat and dog dander - kids with asthma can have asthma attacks when other stud...

      Shootings are all over the news here in the U.S.  And not to get too political, but I don't want another panicked call from my daughter that she is being evacuated due to a shooting. She's been through two (so far......)  The panic I feel when I get a call from her about another shooting she's involved in is indescribable.   We shouldn't have to live like this.   There were two shootings in one day in the U.S. yesterday, and I had to stop looking at social media because of the nonstop coverage and horrible photos. There are many things that can trigger an asthma attack, and one of them is fear.  There was a LOT of fear after yesterday's shootings.  One gunman was caught in one state, but the other state's shooter is still on the loose.   Fear causing an asthma attack    Strong emotions are a known asthma trigger. Any emotion such as laughter, crying, anger, or fear can trigger an asthma attack. And it's har...

  If you have heart problems, your doctor might prescribe a beta-blocker. It can slow your heart if it's beating too fast, and it can help lower blood pressure.  But - if you have asthma, beta blockers can make asthma worse.  That's why it's important that your doctor knows about ALL of your medical conditions.  How do beta-blockers impact asthma?   First, it's important to know that there are two types of beta-blockers.  Nonselective beta-blockers -  these affect the blood vessels in your body (including the lungs)    Selective beta-blockers (cardioselective beta-blockers)  - these affect your blood pressure and heart rate    What does this have to do with asthma?   Nonselective beta-blockers have a side effect of causing a bronchospasm (when the airways suddenly narrow when the muscles contract) which can make it hard to breathe  According to Healthline :   "Doctors don’t recommend nonselective beta-blocke...

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...

  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 ...

  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...