My Life as an Asthma Mom

      Not one to turn down an opportunity to talk about asthma, Kitty and Hubby and I went to our local American Lung Association fundraiser.    They had asked Kitty to hand out medals to the finishers of the stair climb of an office tower. Now this is no ordinary office tower, it's 23 floors, so people had the chance to climb all 23 flights of stairs, then get a medal at the end. Some crazy people were climbing it multiple times. Kitty and Hubby climbed it 3 times, so that would equal 69 flights of stairs. However, there were those crazy people that climbed for HOURS, some were doing the 23 stories over 20 times. That's equal to 460 stories. And, not to be outdone, there were fire fighters who wore their full gear, including their mask and oxygen tank, and climbed all 23 stories. Someone said their gear weighs 60 pounds, that's like carrying a small child up 23 stories. They are amazing, many of them collapsed to their knees and their fellow fire fighters helpe...

      Flash Back Friday - ER The first time you take one of your kids to the emergency room, it can be a little scary. They will usually have you check in at the desk, then wait to been seen in "triage." In triage, the nurse will assess your child for skin color, breathing, see if they're extremely tired, check their oxygen saturation level, etc. This is when you make sure to stress that your child has asthma, and list how many times they have already been admitted before (that always seems to catch their attention and lets them know you are serious and know your stuff!) They then decided who goes back first, according to who is the sickest. I know people don't like to wait in the ER, but kids with breathing problems are put ahead of kids with broken bones, those that need stitches, kids vomiting, etc. The problem is that kids with asthma can stop breathing at any moment. Not good. I have learned to be a little assertive in the Emergency Room. The last time Son #2 nee...

       This is always a tough one. It sounds so drastic to take someone to the emergency room. And let's face it, kids with asthma seem like they're sick ALL of the time, especially when they are little. So, when do any of you take your kids to the ER versus the doctors office or treating them at home? I'm comfortable doing treatments every 4 hours on the nebulizer when the kids are sick, but as Asthma Doc says, "That's just a Bandaid approach. You've got to find out what's causing the inflammation." I always take the kids to Asthma Doc to start, he knows them so well, he knows how they respond (or don't respond to medication) . Often times, we have to do a round of steroids (Prednisone bottles are always part of our medicine chest) . Sometimes antibiotics if they have pneumonia. But how do you know if you need to go back? What about after-hours doctor visits or skip that altogether and head to the ER? Webmd has a great section on the...

      This is something that is really important to me. I am indebted to the people who help keep my kids alive!  This includes Asthma Doc, his staff, and all the nurses and respiratory therapists that take care of the kids while they're in the hospital. I make sure I send a Christmas card every year, and bring in a small gift to Asthma Doc and his staff. I let him know I appreciate the time he takes with us and showing genuine interest in the kids.  Today is Son #2's Xolair shot, I already know Asthma Doc will ask what book he is reading and how his french horn playing is going. He knows all the kids personally (we have been seeing him for 11 years......)but he's a good people person too. The other thing I like to do after the kids have been discharged from the hospital is to take donuts to the staff in Pediatrics.Yes, I know donuts are not healthy, but they deserve a good treat for keeping the kids breathing!  I bring a thank you note, with a picture of t...

  There are a lot of different canisters and tubing kits that come with nebulizers.    Get familiar with yours so you can use it in a hurry.    Even after 11 years of dealing with asthma, one of the kids can have a bad attack and it can still catch me off guard. I have to think 'steady-you can do this, just put the nebulizer together'! Practice, practice, practice.    And make sure everyone knows how to put it together. (Yes Hubby, that means you!) After you use the nebulizer, make sure to clean the medicine canister kit well. The way the home health care professionals taught me was to:   1) take the canister apart and wash it in hot sudsy water   2) rinse thoroughly   3) soak the canister parts in 2 cups hot water, 1 cup vinegar for half an hour   4) rinse again    5) let the canister and parts air dry on a paper towel.    When completely dry, I put them in a ziploc bag and back in the drawer they go. It can be ...

    Wow, things have changed over the last 11 years when it comes to nebulizers.   Ours is a big, clunky white box, but it still works! Here are some great ideas for kids for nebulizers, there are a lot of fun things on the internet!I found some really fun shapes and oxygen masks. I just Googled 'pediatric nebulizers', and found some fun things! For those of you newly diagnosed, what is a nebulizer? It's a forced-air device simply changes a vial of liquid medicine into a mist, so the kids can easily breathe it in when they are having difficulties.  It's great because you can simply strap the mask on and give the kids a treatment during the night, without waking them up. (Well, for my kids anyway, they were so used to getting treatments....) How do you get the kids to sit still?  Whatever works. Sometimes you can hold the mask up to your face and pretend Mom or Dad is having a treatment, then it's your child's turn. Or, they can give a treatment (minus turni...

  So, last week I wrote about going up to the pharmacy counter, and without saying anything more than 'good morning!', the pharmacy tech turns around and pulls out my asthma medicine. So, good or bad, they know us. But, how do you pay for all of those prescriptions? We have 4 out of 5 of us with asthma, 5 of 5 with allergies. That adds up.  Especially when Son #2 has his Xolair injection every month to help control his severe asthma. It used to cost $1000 a month, with a $100 copay. I'm not sure how much it costs now, but our copay is now $150.  On top of that, we pay for controller/maintenance inhalers, reliever inhalers, allergy pills, allergy nose sprays, and it adds up fast.  And we wonder where all our money goes?! Here is a link to a national foundation that helps people with their prescriptions. It's called Needymeds, and it changes daily. http://www.needymeds.org/resourcepages/asthma_allergies.shtml Check out that resource if you are having a hard time paying...

    Do you ever get sick of asthma?  I was doing a presentation about asthma last week, when I thought 'how has this become so much a part of my life?'  There are days when I am tired of inhalers, nebulizers, and all of the other equipment. I was trying to explain asthma to a group of normal people. You know, people who can pet cats, go horse back riding, walk through a hay maze in the fall, etc, all without thinking about asthma. I hope they understood everything I was presenting, I went through it slowly, and asked if anyone had questions.  It's a lot of information, and I remember when the first of my kids was diagnosed 11 years ago. I think my reaction was something similar to 'wait-what?'.  Doesn't your head just swim when you or your kids are first diagnosed? I received 30 pages of printouts about asthma from the respiratory therapist when Son #1 was hospitalized the first time. I went through every page, re-reading, highlighting, etc.  Asthma is...

Why am I talking about curtains you can wash?  They are notorious dust collectors.  I love my extended family members, they built a beautiful house 17 years ago. And the curtains they lovingly picked out and had installed haven't moved.  In 17 years.  Yep, you read that right.  Have you ever visited someone's house and thought those are the same curtains that were hanging there when I was a little kid?! I know it's not up on the priority list-to take down the curtains, wash them and put them back up. And some curtains are so fancy, they have to be taken to the dry cleaners. I'm a simple kind of gal, all of the curtains in my house are washable. I wash them twice a year - at least. If they can't be thrown in the washer and dryer, I don't buy them (or make them).  I am a designer! I can't have anything for my home that looks like anyone else's home. That would be like arriving at a dinner party and wearing the same dress as another woman! If you like fancy...