Back to school with asthma

I can't believe summer is over and it's Back to School Night next week for Kitty. The first thing we'll do when we meet Kitty's teacher is to let her know that Kitty has asthma. I'll make sure she also knows that how serious asthma is, and that Kitty has been hospitalized 4 times for asthma. (Not to mention countless doctor and ER visits.)

I also took a new Asthma Action Plan to Asthma Doc to fill out for this school year. I need her teacher to have a copy of that, so that when Kitty has an asthma attack, the teacher knows what to do. I found a great Asthma Action Plan online, click here for the link. The weird thing about asthma is that there's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to asthma. Everyone has different triggers, different symptoms when they have an asthma attack, and different medications that they take to treat it. So, making sure Kitty's teacher knows what will trigger Kitty's asthma, what symptoms to watch for and what medication she takes to treat it are very important.

I also filled out a new Self Administration Form so Kitty can legally carry her inhaler with her at all times. Did you know that it's legal in every state in the U.S. for kids to carry their inhaler with them in school? BUT they must fill out a form and have the doctor sign it. Click here for a link to the form our state uses.

I also feel a little better knowing our school nurse tracks students with medical conditions, so she has come to know my kids quite well over the years! I also make sure the people in the front office know about the kid's asthma, since they are often times the first one notified if someone has an asthma attack. I want people to know so they can keep an eye out for Kitty. I'm at work, and must rely on other people during the school day to help if my kids have an asthma attack. They can treat themselves, but I like to know there is someone supervising and helping them.

Once Kitty's Back to School Night is done, we'll head over to Son #2's school and repeat the same process......but if that's what it takes to protect my kids, I will gladly do it.