My Life as an Asthma Mom

     I am watching the news as they cover the Los Alamos fire.   Wildfires make me REALLY nervous, Son #2 came close to dying after a forest fire in our valley several years ago.  It was 4th of July weekend about 10 years ago, and there was a forest fire that caused the smoke to blanket the valley. Fires are scary because they can change direction quickly and the smoke can change direction as well. Son #2 was outside playing with friends while the smoke slowly crept into the valley, and before we knew it, he was in trouble. Breathing treatments didn't work, and we quickly ended up in the Emergency Room, where things went from bad to worse.  He continued to decline, and we found out later that they had the "crash cart"outside his room in case he quite breathing. And he came VERY close to that. If you have asthma, stay indoors if there's a fire! Luckily, we have central air, so we can keep the windows closed up and stay safe (and keep breathing) inside. ...

(Google Images) I've found some great things over the years for allergies and allergic reactions. When the kids were little, I would use the Benadryl Perfect Measure if they were having problems while we were traveling.    This was especially helpful when Kitty was taking horseback riding lessons, and would have asthma attacks afterwards. We tried to get home as fast as we could to get her in the shower, but would usually end up using one of the pre-measured doses for her.    They're better than carrying around a bottle and medication dispenser and dripping sticky medicine all over. Son #2 carries the Benadryl Strips along with his Epi Pen, since he is allergic to tree nuts. In fact, we add that to his Self Medication Administration form at the beginning of every school year. I sign the form, along with his doctor, which makes it legal for him to carry it with him in school.    The strips look like a little piece of turquoise tape, you just place it on you...

  I just read an article in the newspaper about food allergies. Some of us have asthma, environmental allergies AND food allergies.    About 1 in 13 people have food allergies. The problem is that many people confuse food allergies with food intolerance . A true food allergy will involve a skin rash, wheezing, difficulty breathing, and tightness in the chest. People with a food intolerance , say to milk, will experience digestive problems and bloating. Bloating and digestive problems won't cause  anaphylaxis, but a true food allergy will. If you have ever witnessed one (as I have with Son #1) it is extremely shocking.    Not to mention the fact that it can kill you in a matter of minutes! If you are confused about if a food you are eating is merely causing some annoying symptoms because you are intolerant, or that you are truly allergic, please contact an allergy doctor near you as soon as possible.    True food allergies require you to avoid th...

     Hello all you loyal readers!   I will be taking a week off from writing to relax and spend some time with my kids before I start a new job. The search box on the blog is a great way to look up posts, I have over 100 on here so far talking about everything from hospitalizations of my kids, allergy shots, traveling with asthma, and on and on. So, if you're looking for something specific, spend a little time looking through the older posts until I get back to the computer next week!

www.waveatthebus.blogspot.com Who is this guy? It's who I look at for a good laugh. But did you know that laughing (or any strong emotion) can cause an asthma attack.? Son #2 does a great belly laugh, but instantly will start coughing. Mind you, it's not the kind of asthma attack that needs an inhaler. But still, it can be a little scary. There is a blog that I have been following called " Wave at the bus" , it's a really funny blog that shows the 170 different costumes that a dad would wear every day to wave at his high school aged son. On the first day of high school, his mom and dad ran out to wave at the bus, which of course embarrassed their son. He told them to never do that again.   Game on!    Dad decided to wave at the bus EVERY day and to wear a different costume every day. If you want a laugh, click on the blog, but if laughing is one of your triggers, watch the asthma! Have fun!

It's always fun to find some kids books about asthma. There are several on the Environmental Protection Agency- EPA website Dusty the Asthma Goldfish is great for kids, and is also available in Spanish. I also have Helping Your Child Gain Control Over Asthma (which is also available in Spanish.) It's always hard trying to explain to kids why they have to be a little more careful around pets, the outdoors, foods, etc. These are worth checking out if you have time. And if you know of any other good books for kids with asthma, let me know!

I just read an article in the newspaper from North Haven, Connecticut entitled " Special dogs protect kids from allergens ." It was interesting, because some families are getting dogs that can sniff out allergens (such as peanuts) to try to protect their kids.  The baseball player in this picture has to wait for his dog to inspect the field before he can play. One family has a daughter who has to carry wipes, Benadryl, an inhaler and an EpiPen for anaphylactic shock. She has had to go to the hospital several times because of reactions to peanuts. Another woman was in a big box store and couldn't figure out why her dog wouldn't let her go down a non-food aisle. She thought something was wrong with the dog, but then saw a mouse trap with peanut butter on it. These families want to have the dogs accepted everywhere, just like service dogs for people who are blind or who have seizures. I have mixed emotions about this, because what about people who are allergic to the dog...

Peak flow meters are inexpensive and an easy way to check how your lungs are doing.  A peak flow meter is a simple hand held device that helps you see how air moves in and out of your lungs.    There are different zones on a peak flow meter ( red , yellow and green .) Green means go! Your asthma is under control and you can do whatever you want.     Yellow means you are having problems, you may be having an asthma attack or getting sick. You should do whatever your doctor has prescribed, which often means using your reliever inhaler. Your doctor may tell you to take extra doses of your controller inhaler if you are getting sick. The red zone means get to the hospital-quick! Or you may need to call 911.    Your doctor or nurse can set up your peak flow meter since the numbers are different for each person. They also have electronic peak flow meters which work really well. It depends on what your insurance will cover - either an electronic version o...

    I helped out with the Fight For Air walk on Saturday with our state American Lung Chapter.    I had the chance to talk to a lot of people about their experiences with asthma. One woman told me about being in the hospital with a loved one, and seeing someone else come in who "just" had an asthma attack. Except that she was on a ventilator (it's the machine that breathes for you and keeps you alive) Does everyone know that "just" having an asthma attack can kill you ?    In the U.S. every day, there are about 11 people that die from "just" having an asthma attack. That's right, with all the medication and doctors and hospitals, people are still dying of asthma attacks. Why is that? I'm not sure.    There are about 40,000 people every day that have an asthma attack, about 5,000 people will need to go to the emergency room, about 1,000 people will be admitted to the hospital.    And 11 people every day that die from asthma. PLEASE know...

There are a lot of different types of spacers. I listened to a pharmacist recently who gave a webinar about the importance of using a spacer.  He said if you don't use a spacer with your inhaler, the medicine goes to the back of your throat (because it comes out of the inhaler at 50 miles per hour.) Yikes! Many people don't use spacers because they take up room in a briefcase, purse, or backpack.  Or they may not know how to use one - and many doctors don't tell their patients they need one.  Of course it's easier to just slip the inhaler in your pocket, but what's the point of using an inhaler if you aren't getting the medicine down into your lungs? If it just goes to the back of your throat and you swallow it? Another thing the pharmacist said was to make sure you wait several minutes between puffs on your inhaler. There is a reservoir in the bottom of the inhaler, and it needs to refill before it can discharge the medicine.  So, once again you may be using yo...

Photo courtesy of My Life as an Asthma Mom I know this is something that is confusing to a lot of people, because there are so many different kinds of "maintenance" or "controller" medications.    And this photo doesn't list all of the options (the Advair diskus shown in purple also comes in a inhaler version for example) and there are other medications that are used. Just remember that controller or maintenance medication is something that you need to take every day , whether you feel like you need it or not.    You can't feel inflammation (or swelling) in your lungs, but it can be there. So follow the doctor's orders and take it every day. Think of it as a preventative inhaler to prevent swelling in the lungs, and possibly help prevent an asthma attack. Some people just need maintenance medication in the fall and winter, some people need it year-round. So, ask your doctor what's right for you. Your doctor might want to try different inhalers to see...