Heat as an asthma trigger



I know we are in the middle of a heat wave across most of the county, and I have been struggling, along with a lot of people.

Luckily, we installed central air in our home several years ago. But, I can't hide out there forever! I do have to go to work, and we enjoy taking walks in the evening with the kids. (The mosquitos especially love it when I go walking in the evenings, the nasty little blood suckers! They bit me 10 times in one night, my legs look like I have chicken pox!)

But I have really been struggling to breathe as we walk in the evenings, and I wondered how much of that was due to asthma. I don't think I'm THAT out of shape!

I found a story online from News25abc out of Evansville, IN about the heat and asthma. Click here to see the story. I knew there was some connection between heat and asthma! I hate this asthma body sometimes, I get so tired of it overreacting to every little thing. If it's not the heat causing problems, it's my beautiful flower bed I love to putter around in, the neighbor's dog or cat, someone mowing the lawn - and on and on.

At least I'm still alive and breathing, I shouldn't complain. But how do you avoid heat as a trigger? Stay inside at home or work? I'm not going to spend the rest of my summer locked inside. I carry a water bottle filled with ice (yes, cold temperatures also triggers asthma attacks for me) but it seems to help balance the heat.

If it's not one thing, it's another-or ten other. These crazy asthma bodies of ours! Anybody have any ideas of what helps when the heat or humidity trigger an asthma attack?


Comments

  1. Hi Andrea,
    I came across your blog while doing a search for parents of children with chronic diseases. I am a research associate at KDH Research & Communication in Atlanta, Georgia. We are submitting a proposal to the National Institutes of Health for a program to increase access to education for children with chronic illnesses, like asthma.

    We are currently searching for parents of children with a chronic illness who would be willing to read our concept note. If, upon reading the note, they think our program would be helpful, we ask that they write a letter of support.

    Letters of support from parents who have experienced frustration or have struggled with getting educational services for their children would increase the likelihood of our proposal being accepted.

    In return, we are entering the names of parents who write letters into a drawing for a $250 gift card to their choice of Wal-Mart, Target, or Amazon.com.

    We appreciate any assistance that you may be able to provide in the matter, such as providing a letter or passing our information along to parents.

    Time is of the essence—we must have all letters in hand by August 4th, 2011.

    Feel free to email me at KStringer@kdrhc.com

    Many thanks,
    Kimberly

    ReplyDelete
  2. Kimberly, I will send an email so we can discuss this. Thanks for your interest in my cause!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello, I am with the environmental group Friends of the Earth and I am doing a project on ordinary Americans impacted by extreme weather. We are particularly interested speaking with families or individuals living with asthma in extreme summer heat or near wildfires. I'd love to talk with someone from your blog about our project and I'm hoping you might know of some asthma sufferers who would be interested in participating in our project.
    Thanks,
    Peter Stocker
    Membership Director
    Friends of the Earth
    530 749 9935

    ReplyDelete

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