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Showing posts from July, 2011

No horse for the back yard.

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(Googleimages.com/ghorses.webs.com) So, my youngest child, Kitty, reminded me the other day that we still haven't bought a horse for her for the back yard. She said she has been patiently asking for five years now, and still no horse. Hubby said he keeps forgetting to get one each time he goes to the horsey store. I had to listen to an hour long car ride of her saying, "but they're sooooooo cuuuuuuuute!" "aaaahhhh, there's another one!" and on and on. Now, we live in the city, and our backyard is about the size of a postage stamp. Not to be deterred, she has decided that to save room, she will store the horse's tack and food in her oldest brother's bedroom (who recently moved out.) We can joke about it with her, but the sad truth is that we can't have any animals inside or outside out home. When you have allergies and asthma, animals are not a good thing to have around. They are a very common asthma trigger and as cute as pets are, they can

Familiar face at the pharmacy

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(photo from Google Images/Michelehow.wordpress.com) So, is it a good thing or a bad thing that the people at the pharmacy know me when I go to pick up prescriptions? Not only do they know me, but they also knows all 3 of my kids. When I walk up to the counter, they simply reach bag and grab the bag, I don't even have to tell them which prescription I am picking up and for which family member. All 5 of our family members have allergies, and 4 out of the 5 of us have asthma. So we are at the pharmacy a LOT! We have tried a three month supply from the mail order pharmacies, but it didn't seem to save any money. For some people, it does. The mail order pharmacies will send a three month supply for the price of two or sometimes three co-pays. For us, we had to pay three months of co-pays, so it didn't save any money. Not only that, but the kids always forget to tell me they are running low on their prescriptions. They will usually tell me when they are completely out (as they s

Eczema

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(Google Images) It looks like Eczema is back to bother Kitty again. I didn't think she would still be having a problem as a tween it seems like most of my kids had problems when they were toddlers. Unfortunately, asthma, allergies and eczema often go hand in hand and can often last a lifetime. Lucky us! Kitty started out with a spot on top of her knuckle, which then spread to the top of her other knuckles. Then it spread to the inside of her elbows and knees. What confused me was having it on the top of her knuckles, that's what made me wonder if it was something else. So Kitty got to visit Dermatologist today. Kitty has several patches on her hands, so Dermatologist asked if she washes her hands a lot (which she does.) He then laughed and said he doesn't see a lot of eczema in boys, because they are usually terrible hand washers. Ugh. He did prescribe a prescription cream for her to use, but recommended using a mild hand soap (such as Dove.) He also suggested we use Canol

How to use a nebulizer

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(Google Images) Have you ever looked at a nebulizer and thought, "huh?" How do all the little pieces fit together? How do you clean it? I found a great resource from the Utah Asthma Program. They have a link for 16 pages of different picture diagrams from the American College of Chest Physicians. They show: How to use a diskus How to use Foradil Aerolizer How to use Maxair Autohaler How to clean your Maxair Autohaler Using an inhaler-closed mouth technique Using an inhaler-open mouth technique Using an inhaler with a spacer Using an inhaler with a spacer and pediatric mask Priming and cleaning your MDI and spacer How to use Pulmicort Turbuhaler Using Spiriva Handihaler Using a nebulizer How to use Asthmanex Twisthaler Page 15 shows pictures of how to use and then clean a nebulizer. Click here to be taken to the 16 page document. You may find several of the diagrams useful. I know my kids have used a variety of asthma medications, and they're all different. These photos

Coffee for asthma?

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(Google Images) I'm always hearing something new about ways to treat asthma, the latest one I heard involves drinking coffee to treat asthma. According to a New York Times article , caffeine has a substance that acts similar to theophylline , which is a drug used to treat asthma. Can caffeine replace theophylline? The Times article says that coffee can result in a small improvement in lung function for 2-4 hours. But it also says that the improvements are very slight , not enough to act as a replacement for medication. If you are having problems breathing, I would not suggest drinking coffee! Use your inhaler! If you feel like your inhaler isn't working, call your doctor. The majority of people (medical personnel included) don't use their inhalers properly. So, you may not be getting as much medication into your lungs as you think you are. Simply changing the way you use your inhaler can improve your asthma dramatically. Click here to view an asthma telehealth by David Yo

Inhaler-rescue vs maintenance

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(Allergy and Asthma Network Mothers of America) Do you ever look at a poster like this and think "huh? I'm confused!" Join the club. It seems a lot of people are confused, there are discs and inhalers. So what do you use and for what? All the discs I have seen are for maintenance medication, so you use them every day. But what about metered dose inhalers? They look the same, except for color, so which ones are used for every day (maintenance or controller medications) and which are used for when you are having problems breathing (rescue or emergency inhalers)? It's hard to tell a difference, Son #2 has two inhalers, one is Advair (so he uses it every day) the other is Xopenex, so he uses it when he's having problems breathing. One is purple, one is blue. Hubby can't tell the difference, as much as I love him, he wouldn't know what to do if Son #2 was in trouble. I know some companies are developing stickers to put on inhalers. The Utah Asthma Program is w

Asthma Action Plans

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There are a lot of different types of Asthma Action Plans on the internet. I like this one from the Utah Asthma Program's website . That's the version our school nurse uses, and we just got our copy in the mail. Our School Nurse sends out a new Asthma Action Plan for us to fill out every summer. We also get a Self Administration Form to fill out. By the way, did you know that it is legal in every state in the U.S. for students to carry their inhaler with them during school? However, you must fill out a Self Administration Form every year, sign it, and have the doctor and principal sign it. As long as your child is old enough to use their inhaler on their own, they can carry it with them. (Do you really want them to have an attack out on the soccer field and have their inhaler locked up in the front office?!) We all know that schools are drug-free, however students with asthma and diabetes are allowed to carry their medication with them. Also, according to Allergy & Asthma

Giving nebulizer treatments

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Have you ever had a hard time getting your kids to sit still while you do a nebulizer treatment? How can you distract them for 10 minutes? It was always a challenge when my kids were little, sometimes Teddy Bear would get a "treatment" (we would just hold the mask up to teddy-we wouldn't turn the nebulizer on and waste our precious vials of Albuterol.) Or we would let Kitty be in charge and hold the mask up to teddy, or horsey, or whatever stuffed animal was her favorite at the moment. I just found something on the website for the Allergy and Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics. The video called " Baby Breaths " is made especially for kids to watch who are having a nebulizer treatment. It only takes 10 minutes and is designed to distract them from the treatment. I wish I would have known about this when my kids were little.! It shows other little kids getting nebulizer treatments. And little kids are always fascinated by watching other little kids. And it's

The Great American Asthma Challenge

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I found something in my Allergy & Asthma Today magazine. There is something called The Great American Asthma Challenge It's the first ever nationwide grass roots movement to end asthma suffering and death. Everything is online, and free. They have different "challenges" each week. But a lot of them are really easy, such as making sure you have an Asthma Action Plan. Or reading an article about asthma. You can also talk to family members about asthma, to see if there's a family history. They have a challenge about learning about anaphylaxis and letting family members know about it. You don't have to do them in any certain order, whatever is most important for you. You have to register and then can log on every week and see what you want to work on. I believe that knowledge is power, and the more you know about asthma, the better you will be. I am always learning something new, and I've been dealing with it for 11 years now. Anyway, just another idea. Let m

4th of July Fireworks

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(nydailynew.com) It's that time of year again, time to celebrate the 4th of July. Many of us are having BBQ's, attending carnivals and parades and of course lighting off fire works. Many of you who read my blog regularly know that I have a fear of smoke. This is due to Son #2 who almost died from the effects of a forest fire-the smoke filled our valley, along with my son's lungs. It was during 4th of July weekend, so the kids wanted to light off fireworks. It seems like kids are drawn to fireworks and water. (Watch your kids near the water too-we've already had 9 children that have drowned so far this summer in our state. All it takes is you turning your back 'just for a second' and they're gone.) But back to fireworks. They can cause problems with asthma-any smoke can. Keep your kids a safe distance from them, and watch the way the wind is blowing the smoke, change positions frequently if you need to. And watch their breathing- if they start coughing then d