My Life as an Asthma Mom

   I'm glad it's not this time last year when the big Swine Flu or H1N1 was hitting the news!    There seemed to be a lot of panic and school closings going on. And since asthma complicates any respiratory infection, I was very worried about my kids. (They've already been hospitalized 12 times thanks to asthma) The news kept mentioning the high risk groups to get immunized, which included pregnant women and also anyone with a chronic disease.    But seldom did they say the actual word "asthma". I even had someone from a health department say, "asthma? you're not in the high risk category".    Oh YES WE ARE!   Asthma patients at high risk for complications  The Assistant Surgeon General was in town recently speaking about immunizations at a Public Health conference.     I heard her several times refer to people with asthma as being high risk and needing immunization, especially for the flu.    She also cautioned t...

          To follow up on the last post, I cautioned that you must stay 20 minutes after every allergy injection.    Why?   There is a possibility of anaphylaxis since you are getting injections of what you are allergic to. The ONE TIME we left early, #1 Son had anaphylactic shock.    Son #2 was already in the hospital with pneumonia and asthma, and we left the hospital to do allergy shots with Son #1 and Kitty.    The plan was: get shots, grab some pizza, and head to the hospital.    HA! We told Wonderful Shot Nurse that we weren't going to stay, but were headed back to the hospital. She assured us we would be fine.    Then Murphy's Law stepped in (If Anything Can Go Wrong, It Will.)   We were a block away from the clinic when #1 Son started coughing and said he thought something was wrong.    I looked in the rear view mirror and saw Son #1 with a bright red face, glassy and bulging eyes, and...

      Allergy shots (immunotherapy) is a great option for a lot of people. Sometimes, even on daily allergy medicine, it doesn't relieve your symptoms. You or your kids may still be sneezing and wheezing. To be tested for allergies, you must stop all allergy medicine for a week before the test so the antihistamine doesn't mask the results.    Usually, the office will pick an off - season time for the testing. The first time we tried allergy testing, Son #1 couldn't go a whole week without an antihistamine. He actually broke out in hives because his allergies were so bad, so we scheduled the next try for November. The kids start by laying on their stomach while our Wonderful Shot Nurse starts the test. She marks multiple rows and columns on the kids back with pen, that shows her where to administer the serum. It's not a needle, but a sharp scratch on the back that introduces the serum under the skin.    The kids need to lay still for 20 minutes - not ea...

            Who would have thought just running through the hardware store with Hubby would cause an asthma attack?! As a trained Interior Designer, a hardware store to me is like a kid in a candy store.  Oooh, love that flooring!    Hey, is that a new style of vanity for the bathroom?    Nice mirror...... So, I am usually accompanied by Hubby so I don't drag home any new project for him. This time we were in the lumber area, getting wood for some faux paneling we were installing.    I immediately started sneezing and coughing and my chest tightened up. This store was out of the size of boards we needed, so we had to drive across town to the other hardware store.    Repeat sneezing, coughing and tight chest scenario. Only this time, I had to grab onto a display to catch myself because I was coughing so hard. I managed to gasp out 'must leave' as I staggered toward the exit. The cashier was eyeing me as passed by ...

Does anybody like using oxygen at home after your kids have been discharged from the hospital? I'm can't remember how many times my kids were discharged on oxygen, but it always made me nervous.    Sometimes, hospitals can discharge an asthma patient if they seem to be doing well, but still need a little bit of oxygen. After a 3 day hospital stay, my kids are always happy to get back home in our own beds!    I also worry about picking up infections in the hospital. I don't want my kids coming home from the hospital with any infection they didn't already have! By the end of the hospitalization, my kids are pretty hyper from the steroid IV. Once they get home, they're still a little crazy.    They want to run around the house, but usually get to the end of the oxygen tubing and are yanked back like a dog who has reached the end of his chain. It's so sad! Sometimes my kids may need oxygen for a couple of days at home, but if they need oxygen for ...

            It's a good thing we've taught #2 Son to carefully check labels. Last night, he went to get some ice cream after dinner, we had bought a ice cream with candy bars mixed in. It looked chocolately and delicious! He came into the living room, holding up the carton by one hand (like a waiter carrying a tray) and said, "good thing I just read the ingredients on this before I took a spoonful." Listed right there on the side were almonds, tree nuts!    His worst enemy.    Known to cause anaphylaxis for #2 Son. It didn't even dawn on me that a candy bar ice cream would have almonds. Some mom I am!There goes my Mother Of The Year Award (again) ha ha.    Ice cream with Snickers doesn't worry me because they're peanuts, but tree nuts mixed in candy bars are another story. Sure, I'm supposed to protect my kids, not buy something that is going to give them anaphylaxis. Although, come to think of it-Hubby was the one who picked o...

            So, what are the odds of being in the hospital on your birthday?    Well, my daughter Kitty ended up there one year. We were planning her birthday party and had sent out all the invites when she started getting sick. (#2 son was also sick and already in the hospital)    Then Kitty started coughing and wheezing. Not unusual for an illness to travel through the family, especially one full of people with asthma. She was admitted a day later, and I just sat down and cried. Then I thought, now what?!    Two kids in the hospital, one with a birthday in a couple of days. Enter One Very Cool Child Life Specialist. She said, "We'll just have the party here!"    I didn't know you could do that! So she had us pick out a theme, pulled together decorations and party favors, asked the kitchen staff to bake a birthday cake, and set up a room.    I called all the parents, who met us at the hospital, then secu...

Yikes! It's that time already?! I haven't done any shopping yet as far as clothes and school supplies. I should probably get started. But I did just get the kid's Asthma Action Plans filled out by Asthma Doctor and mailed back to the school nurse. She thanks me profusely for actually taking the time to fill them out and return them. She said she is frustrated because she can send out 120 requests every school year, and usually gets 10 of them returned.    If you have a child with a medical condition, wouldn't you want the faculty and staff to know they have asthma (or diabetes, have seizures, etc?!)    How is the faculty or staff supposed to take care of my son or daughter if they don't know what medical condition they have, or what medicine to give them? I'm not about to leave that up to chance! I want the kid's Asthma Action Plans filled out so that if I'm not around, their teachers will know what to do. In our school district, the nurse has a heavy sc...

    Ah, cleaning carpet. It's about as much fun as getting the tires balanced and rotated on the minivan (next on my list). Luckily, the main living floor of our house has wood floors, which are recommended for people with asthma. I can keep them quite clean, because I can see all the dirt, dust bunnies and food particles that have dropped. And with teenagers around, they can get dirty in a hurry. The downstairs level is another story. With another living room, dining room and kitchen, the downstairs gets a lot of use. This weekend #1 Son had a Star Wars movie marathon. There was a great group of college aged kids over and they weren't too messy. But with all the previous stains we decided to bite the bullet and get the carpets cleaned. Our downstairs has Berber carpet, the unique smooth wool carpet seems to trap less dirt and gunk than a 'pile' carpet. We've had the carpet cleaned in the past, but it still looks dirty. So we're trying a new system that uses a ...