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Showing posts from December, 2010

Using oxygen

Using oxygen for asthma Of the 12 times Kitty and Son #2 have been hospitalized for asthma, they have all included oxygen. Yet there are different ways it is administered. I was reminded of this when Hubby was telling me about being in the hospital last week with a family member. Because of our many experiences with oxygen, he noticed that the family member's oxygen rate was only at 89%. It should be closer to 98%. This family member was sleeping, and was using a nasal cannula (a thin tube with a small nozel that fits inside each nostril). Hubby noticed the family member was breathing through their mouth, instead of their nose, so the nasal cannula wasn't helping. Hubby notified the nurse and asked her to switch the family member to an oxygen mask. I love my Hubby, what a great guy! This ended up being a better delivery system, since the mask covers the nose and mouth. Sounds simple, right? Well, the nasal cannula and oxygen mask are used for different levels of oxygen use. Th

Nothing under the bed

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Tip #3 One thing I have learned is that if you have allergies and asthma, it is best to not store anything under the bed. Sounds terrible, doesn't it? (What am I supposed to do with all that junk now?!) And if you ask Son #1, he would say, "Oh great! I've have not one, but two parents that are clean freaks!" Well, I'm not as bad as some people (when it comes to cleaning) but I try to narrow down what triggers a case of sneezing and wheezing. And stuff shoved under the bed seems to be one of them. When was the last time you cleaned anything out from under your bed? Be honest......the last time you moved? And then you were forced to clean it up? Granted, it is a great place to put things. Out of the way, you don't trip over anything, great hiding place, but the last time you had to retrieve something from under the bed, how was it? Full of dust? Did you sneeze and cough? That's one of the biggest dust magnets there is, so the rule in our house is 'nothin

Asthma advocate

Want to be an Asthma Advocate? I always perk up when I hear about something that has to do with asthma. Do you want to help out in your kid's school and teach people about asthma? It's actually fun! The Utah Department of Health's Asthma Advocate program offers a chance to get involved in your community. Asthma Advocates come up with ideas and take them into local schools. You are encouraged to be as creative as you would like, based on what interests you. You can let the schools and students know about resources that are available about asthma. You get to work it around your own schedule, which is great for all of us busy multi taskers. The Utah Department of Health will provide a free 3 hour training, and even provide lunch. If you want more information, contact Kelli Baxter at (801) 538-6595 or email her at kabaxter@utah.gov . She also has a blog at http:// asthmadvocate.blogspot.com There's all sorts of fun things

Stress as a trigger

Stress as a trigger I was going to put another tip in here today about how we changed our home. But, we had a little family emergency last night. We are particularly worried about one elderly family member who is in the hospital caring for their spouse. The reason for our concern is that the care giver has asthma, and stress can actually trigger an asthma attack. I wasn't even thinking about that last night as we were discussing the situation with our kids. But Son #1 brought it up. We were worried about the care giver's coping skills, you never know how people will react in an emergency. Son #1 said, "I hope she's okay and doesn't get so stressed out that she has an asthma attack". Oh yeah, that. Belly breathing is a great exercise if that happens. I know it's the last thing you want to think about. But you can put one hand on your stomach and one on your chest, then you breathe slowly in through your nose, and out through your mouth. I usually do it 5

Flash back - fires

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    Flash back Friday- fires There's a beautiful historic building across the street from me that is on fire. I saw the news coverage this morning during breakfast. The area here is swarming with people taking photos. It's freezing cold outside, and the area smells of smoke. I can smell a little bit of smoke in the main part of the building where I am, I am watching through a window. It's a shame to see beautiful architecture lost to fire, we're all hoping if can be saved and renovated. I'm not so sure. But I am lucky to be able to watch it from inside another building. If the cold didn't trigger my asthma, the smoke definitely would. It always makes me a little uneasy. Smoke from a forest fires several years ago blanketed the valley where we live and almost cost Son #2 his life. It all happened so fast. He was outside playing with friends, and we didn't notice how smoky it was. You know little kids-if they're have fun, they won't come in for anythin

Tip #2 - floors

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Tip #2 So, as much as my historic home drives me crazy because there is always something leaking, flooding, shorting out, breaking, etc. There is one up side- original wood floors. We had to rip out all the carpet when we moved in and Hubby refinished the entire upstairs, which had wood floors. (You can rent all the equipment at hardware stores). Hubby looked with satisfaction at his handwork and declared, "We could play a great game of basketball in here!" I love my wood floors, especially for allergies and asthma. They're easy to clean, plus I can actually see the dirt and dust bunnies. Helllllooooo vacuum! Yes, I am a little strange. I love to vacuum. There's something about the monotonous work of vacuuming. My canister vac (equipped with a hepa filter of course) allows me to vacuum the area rugs, then flip a switch and use it on the wood floors. Then I switch attachments on the nozzl

Making your home allergy/asthma proof - tip#1

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How do you make your home allergy/asthma proof? Tip#1 I was listening to a presentation the other day about asthma by two pharmacists. I'm not suggesting you disagree with someone with medical training, but I will anyway. Someone asked him if you should change things in your home to make it more allergy/asthma proof. He said no. He has a family member with asthma, and he had removed his carpet and replaced them with wood floors. But he said it would be too expensive for most people. I think he missed the boat. There are a lot of things you can do to make your home better. The first is the photo you see here. Take your shoes off! This is the view from my front door. And if you come to visit, your shoes had better be in there. This didn't cost much, you can find baskets at any craft store. Or use a big plastic box, whatever works for you. As a designer, mine has to coordinate with my room..... So, what's the big deal about wearing shoes in a house? Well, everywhere you ha

Flash back diagnosis

I was thinking about when Son #2 was diagnosed with asthma. It was his first time in the hospital when the respiratory therapist told us he had asthma. I still remember the shock, thinking 'wait a minute!' I already took him to the pediatrician clutching my wrinkled little article about asthma out of a parenting magazine. Something just didn't seem right. I still felt unsettled when the doctor said there was nothing wrong with him. The day he was admitted, I took him to the doctor because he had a cold and was sick and coughing. But his color was really off, he looked very pale, had purple circles under his eyes, and his lips were a burgundy color. I just felt something wasn't quite right. So, off we went to the doctor's office. The physician's assistant came in first, then suddenly the room filled with the head doctor and a couple of nurses. I remember Son #2 seemed very sleepy. He couldn't even sit up right when they were doing a breathing treatment, so

Water leak

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Success! I think Hubby may have finally fixed the mysterious leaking washing machine. I spent time laying on my stomach on top of the washing machine, with a flashlight trained on the pipes to see if I could isolate the leak. How hard can it be? Very difficult, it turns out. I gave up at one point. Then, as I was running a load through the washing machine, I heard a loud splash. Both Son #2 and I looked at each other, said "Uh oh" and simultaneously and jumped up to check the washing machine. Still puzzled. I had Hubby take a photo of the pipes and head over to the plumbing supply store and to see if they could help him figure out the problem. They suggested there may be a blockage and recommended a product to clean out the pipes. He had already tested that theory, he stuck the garden hose down the pipe and turned it on full force. No blockage. He actually figured it out on his own, he deduced that there was an airlock in the pipe at one point of the cycle. He replace

Christmas trees

Christmas trees - real or fake? Well, it's that time of year. Kitty was so excited to put up the Christmas tree, that we did it the day after Thanksgiving. Sorry, I only celebrate one holiday at a time. So, she had to wait. But, do you get a real Christmas tree, or a fake one? We used to get real trees when the kids were little. But we noticed non stop sneezing and coughing. That was when the kids were first diagnosed with asthma. And since the kids have multiple triggers (basically, they're allergic to anything that's alive). Trees, bushes, flowers, grass, dogs, cats, horses. Oh, I exaggerate. There is one animal that Kitty isn't allergic. Shot Nurse was laughing when she said there was one animal that didn't show up on Kitty's scratch test (skin test to see what you are allergic to). A rat. She said we could get a pet rat! Very funny. Not happening. So, I know it takes the fun out of Christmas, having a fake Christmas tree. It's one of the wonderful smel

Flash back - triggers

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      Flash Back Friday - triggers F lashback is just from this week. I had another asthma attack, this one on Wednesday night. Problem is, I can't for the life of me figure out what set it off. I remember sneezing quite a bit, and my family laughing and saying, "are you done yet?"but instead of answering, I just sneezed some more. Then I started coughing, and coughing, and coughing. I could feel my chest tightening up, then started coughing up mucus. Fun times! So, as I was sitting on the couch in my big furry bathrobe, I had to try to think back to what I had just done. I changed clothes in my room, washed my face, then went in and retrieved a book from my nightstand. That was it. I had to analyze each action. Anything in the bathroom that would have set it off? How about the nightstand? Was it too dusty? I remember the curtain catching on my bathrobe as I passed. Hhmm, it was the 'winter curtains' I had in the store room. I had changed my bed set to put the wi