My Life as an Asthma Mom

  I was reading a story in the newspaper last week, about a newer way to treat severe asthma. The patient in the story was waking up almost EVERY night for the past 42 years with an asthma attack. He has had asthma attacks so bad that on two occasions they have had to call the helicopter to fly him to the hospital. He's also been on a ventilator twice. So how can doctors treat someone like him? Bronchial thermoplasty is an option. It's a technical sounding name but easy concept to understand. They put a small bronchoscope through the nose into the lungs. The bronchoscope zaps the smooth muscles in the airways. The heat softens the muscle and reduces the spasms that cause asthma attacks. The article said that 80% of those treated with the heat have had a better quality of life. It has meant having to miss fewer days of work or school because of asthma attacks. It also meant fewer trips to the emergency room and fewer hospitalizations. This patient had to a series of 3...

(A Pink Sunset) Angela Giaco, who manages Pink Sunset Blog contacted me while she was in the hospital for asthma. Angela was lucky enough to get out of the hospital just before Christmas! Asthma never picks a good time to hit, my kids have been in the hospital 12 times over the years, including the 4th of July, New Year's Eve and on their birthday. Angela's story is interesting, you can read what it's like to be in the hospital from her point of view. So why do you need to be hospitalized for asthma? There comes a point when you can't do anything more at home and you are still having a hard time breathing. My kids already take daily asthma controller medicine, allergy medicine, a leukotriene modifier, and have had 5 years of allergy shots. When my kids start the horrible asthma cough and their peak flow meter  is in the yellow zone, they take oral steroids, prednisone   Sometimes that works for my kids, other times they continue to get worse, and we move to the ...

It's supposed to be a fun time at grandma's, but I'm starting to think my in-laws have other motives.  Are they trying to kill me off?! It's scary traveling with food allergies, and grandma's house has everything we are allergic to. Son #2 is allergic to tree nuts, and what does she have? Almond milk and almond butter.  Same thing happened last time we were there, we had to go buy a gallon of milk and remind her that Son #2 is allergic to tree nuts, and that means he can't drink almond milk. He needs regular old cow's milk. Then Hubby decided to make Clam Chowder for Christmas Eve dinner. I am allergic seafood, so I bought a can of chicken noodle soup at the store so I could have something to eat. I left the kitchen when he started cooking, and was watching TV in the area next to the kitchen. Suddenly, I felt a flushed feeling race through my body and my heart started pounding. My first thought was the seafood. Uh oh! I ran from the room into another part...

  For those of you that have allergies, it can be a real pain. My college-aged son and teenage son and daughter are allergic to everything. Literally. Grass, trees, flowers, bushes, animals, dust and mold. You name it, they're allergic to it. There comes a time when no matter how much medicine you take, you are still miserable. My kids would take Singulair and Zyrtec and still be miserable all the time. They would sneeze, their eyes would itch and water, and they would start wheezing.    Asthma Doc told them to shower every night before bed (to wash all the pollen off their skin and hair.) That didn't help either. Daughter Kitty would sneeze all night long and wake us up. Then she would get a bloody nose. Fun times! So all three of our kids have had to have allergy shots (immunotherapy)  It's a long process, it usually takes 3 to 5 years. And it takes A LOT of time. You have to go to the doctor's office twice a week. Have one shot in each arm, then...

Did you know that strong emotions can cause asthma attacks? I have been thinking about the families of the school children in Connecticut. They're dealing with shock, panic, disbelief, anger, and sadness after the mass shooting.  When you experience any strong emotion (laughing, crying, fright, etc) it can cause an asthma attack. On Webmd's website, they have an article about asthma, stress and anxiety. The article says that asthma attacks can be caused from exposure to violence, public disasters, public speaking, school exams and family conflicts. So how does that work?  How can strong emotions cause an asthma attack?!  For those of us with asthma, we know that our bodies over-react to situations. We can't help it. When we experience strong emotions, our bodies release histamine and leukotrienes, which makes our airways narrow. That's what makes it hard to breathe and causes an asthma attack.  Since asthma attacks can happen at any time, it's important to mak...

 Yes, I am a germa-phobe. I've already been REALLY sick twice this fall. And colds and coughs are always worse when you have asthma. My daughter, Kitty, is always careful about washing her hands. In fact, she washes them so much the skin is chapped. But she is still getting sick. She's had the stomach flu one week, sore throat the next, and last night had a blazing fever in the middle of her brother's Christmas band concert. So, we ducked out early. So, what's the solution to staying healthy? Here are some ideas from Webmd website.  Washing your hands frequently, using soap, for at least 15 seconds Avoiding close contact with people who are sick Cleaning the headsets of your telephones, and washing doorknobs, railings, and other frequently handled objects to keep them free of germs Keeping your hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth Covering your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze  I like their ideas, especially about "keeping your hands a...

Many of my friends are pulling out their Christmas tree to set up and finding out the tree is really dusty.  Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!  It can be especially dusty if you store it in the garage or attic. You can try putting the tree in your shower to clean it off before you set it up. DON'T try this if you have a "pre-lit" tree! Our tree is about 20 years old (before they had pre-lit trees), but it still looks fine once I fill in all the bare parts with decorations! If you live in an area that has mild winters, you could probably just spray the tree off with the hose, then let it dry before you put it up in the house. We do the same when we put our tree in the shower, we just let it drip dry before we put it up in the living room. It probably sounds like a lot to bother with, you may be wondering why we don't use a real tree. Well, Hubby and I and all three of our kids are allergic to trees. We're also allergic to flowers, bushes, grass, animals and some ...

(http://www.auvi-q.com/) For those of you who have food allergies (or family members with food allergies) you may be interested in a new epinephrine injector. I usually carry Epi Pens, so it may take a while to get used to this new device. But watch-my insurance company will decide not to cover these! I've never had to use my Epi-Pen (knock on wood!) The time Son #1 had anaphylaxis (after allergy shots) Asthma Nurse injected him with epinephrine and gave him a breathing treatment. Then she stayed with him for 2 hours, to make sure he didn't have a rebound anaphylaxis event. I will never forget how she saved my son's life. Since that time, I've been nervous about using an Epi Pen. Watching someone having an anaphylaxis reaction is scary, can I keep my wits about me and use the Epi Pen if I needed to? Auvi-Q "talks" you through how to use one. You can watch the video that shows how to use it  here     I've heard that it will be available in the fir...

Did you know that there are things in your home that can make your asthma worse? The 2nd time my son was hospitalized, he wasn't responding to traditional treatment for his asthma flare up. My pediatrician called in an asthma specialist to confer. Asthma Doc asked us all sorts of questions about our home. Did we have pets? Did we have wall to wall carpet? Did we use scented candles? Did we have floral arrangements or silk trees? He went on and on. That was my introduction to a sort of cause-and-effect for asthma. 12 hospitalizations later for my kids, we have tried to make a lot of changes on our home. Some of the things that are recommended through the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency). You can find information about controlling asthma triggers on the EPA asthma website. Here's some of the things we do to make our home allergy and asthma friendly Wood floors -easier to keep clean than carpet. I can actually see the dust and suck it up with my vacuum nozzle. ...

I found a short video that shows what happens to lungs during an asthma attack. It is from the American Lung Association. There are actually 3 different things that happen during an asthma attack. The video from American Lung Association shows it better than this photo. (But this was all I had to put on the blog). You can see from the picture above that the left side is what all of you "normal" people get to breathe through. The right side it what those of with asthma try to breathe through. On their video, they explain that: 1st-you have swelling in the lungs (you can see the swelling on the right side of this photo). They said the swelling is always there, even if you aren't having any symptoms (or can't "feel it") 2nd- bronchoconstriction which means that the bronchial tube is being constricted (or squeezed) by the bands on the outside of the bronchial tube. This picture doesn't show it that well, you should watch their video 3rd- mucus is ...

 I always worried when my kids were little that they would have an asthma attack at school, and I wouldn't be there to help.  In fact, they did have asthma attacks and they would call me on my cell phone. I can't tell you how many times I have left a grocery cart in the middle of the aisle and took off for the kid's school! The school nurse was gone and the teacher and secretary didn't know what to do. In our area, school nurses are in charge of 5 or 6 schools, so the chance that they will be there when one of my kids has an asthma attack is zero. I used to joke that our Wonderful School Nurse will be at the school between 8:30-12:30 on Monday mornings, so if they're going to have an asthma attack, make sure it's during that time! Are the teachers and staff in your school trained to handle an asthma attack if the school nurse is gone? I know that in our state, the state health department provides an Asthma Training for Schools. It takes 15 minute and it's...

 I know what it feels like to not be able to breathe. My friend sent an interesting article from the New York Times  about breathing exercises and asthma. It seems like there are different ways of breathing that people have tried. One is the Buteyko Method, which trains you to breathe shallowly through the nose when you are short of breath. Another New York Times article is devoted to explaining the Buteyko Method . They explain it this way: "This technique may seem counterintuitive: when short of breath or overly stressed, instead of taking a deep breath, the Buteyko method instructs people to breathe shallowly and slowly through the nose, breaking the vicious cycle of rapid, gasping breaths, airway constriction and increased wheezing." I'm not sure I agree with the method. The article says that when people have asthma attacks, they breathe quickly and deeply. But I disagree, I DON'T breathe deeply during an asthma attack. Neither do my kids, they actu...

    Having dinner with others is always an adventure, especially if you have food allergies. Anytime we have a family dinner or eat out at a restaurant, we have to watch for tree nuts and seafood. I was at a conference for work last week, and the featured lunch item was salmon. Most places will have chicken as an option, but I had to call and double check just to be sure. When I saw all the plates of grilled salmon the other people were eating, I was a little nervous and asked if they cooked the chicken on a separate grill. The employees there assured me that the chicken was cooked first, then they grilled the salmon. You can never be too careful, every kitchen is different. And it doesn't hurt to ask how they prepare the food. It CAN hurt if you don't ask (anaphylaxis anyone?!) Anaphylaxis is an allergic reaction that causes your whole body to react. These are symptoms of anaphylaxis from Webmd's website: Difficulty breathing or wheezing Tightness in th...

    We use separate tube of toothpaste for each person in the house.     Yes, I'm a germa-phobe!    I want my own tube of toothpaste and my own shelf for my toothbrush.    When I get sick, I have a habit of getting REALLY sick.    So I try to avoid it at all costs. Case in point?    This weekend daughter Kitty was complaining that her stomach hurt. A few hours later, she ended up with the stomach flu. All of you parents know how fun it is to clean up after a kid that's been throwing up!    I carefully cleaned everything-doing multiple loads of laundry, sanitizing with Lysol, and washing my hands over and over again. When I got ready for bed that night, I was relieved to see my toothbrush and toothpaste on a separate shelf.    I did NOT want to get the stomach flu.    But that's what can happen if you share a tube of toothpaste - you can get infected by another family member before you even ...

    I am already starting to feel a little stressed out. Thanksgiving is next week, we need to travel to see family (both sides of the family)  I have a busy day at work, and we have a big event my work is sponsoring for 500 people tomorrow. Yikes!! I was looking on the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) website to see what it says about stress. Did you know that when you are stressed out, your body releases a chemical that makes the muscles around your airways tighten?  That can make for some fun times when you're trying to breathe. For those of you who don't have asthma, it's like trying to breathe through a straw while you pinch your nose closed. Try it some time. I am doing some deep breathing right now. I breathe in slowly through my nose and out slowly through my mouth. I can already feel my shoulders relaxing. Ahhh. There are a few other things in the AAAAI website. They have some good information about choosing a Christmas tree....

  Dark clouds are never a good sign, especially if a hurricane is coming your way. Most of you know about the devastation from Hurricane Sandy. So, what do you do AFTER the hurricane? I found some information from American Lung Association. They have a section on hurricane and flooding, called "After the Disaster." They want everyone to be careful, especially if you already have lung problems. They list a few things to watch for BEFORE you start to clean up. DON'T ENTER THE BUILDING unless it's been cleared by a building inspector. They also say to GET OUT if you hear the building shifting   IF YOU SMELL GAS, call the gas company and don't go back in until they tell you it's safe   IF ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT GOT WET, turn off the power and wait for an inspector to tell you it's safe   CLEANING UP CAN BE HEAVY AND HOT WORK and you can run into surprises, so don't go in alone.  Don't go in if you have allergies, asthma, or any other lung dis...

I was reading an article on the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology website. They were talking about if people could get the flu shot if they were allergic to eggs. They said there's a difference between being "allergic" to eggs or having an "intolerance." They recommend having an allergist or immunologist test you, because there's a big difference between being allergic and having an intolerance. If you have an intolerance, your digestive system can't break the food down. You can feel miserable, but it won't kill you. But an allergic reaction can. With an allergic reaction, your body over-reacts to something it thinks is an "invader" (peanuts, seafood, eggs, etc.) It makes antibodies which cause an allergic reaction. When this happens, you can itch and break out in hives and swell up. You can throw up or have diarrhea. You can also have a hard time breathing. If that progresses to anaphylaxis, it can kill you in a...

I just found out that my blog was listed as one of "The 10 Best Asthma Health Blogs of 2012" by Healthline website!!! I just happened to be checking the stats on my blog, I was a little curious where people were finding my little asthma blog. And one of the links led me to the Healthline website. I was more than a little surprised to see my blog listed on their website. They created the listing back in July, but no one from Healthline let me know that I was chosen as one of the 10 best asthma blogs. Oh well.  Here is a quote from the Healthline website about the winning blogs: 10 Best Asthma Blogs of 2012 Asthma is a growing health concern in America and worldwide, with increasing diagnoses – particularly among children. In addition to causing discomfort, inconvenience, and expense, asthma also results in excess doctor’s visits, emergency room admissions, hospitalizations, and deaths every year. These bloggers have certainly learned resourcefulness from ...

I got a letter from our insurance company over the weekend. They have decided they will no longer cover Advair (unless I have tried Symbicort and Dulera first and found them to be ineffective.)  Starting in January, they are re-classifying Advair as a "tier 3" medication.  Which means I have to try both Symbicort and Dulera first, then if they don't work as well, I can file an appeal with the insurance company.  That seems like a lot of work. I hope one of the other medications works, who has time to battle with the insurance company? Earlier they decided not to cover Pulmicort Respules (daily, maintenance medication we use in the nebulizer) or Xopenex Inhalers (our rescue/emergency inhaler).  Albuterol doesn't seem to work as well for Son #2 (he has severe asthma) so we have used Xopenex the last few years.  I called the pharmacy to ask the cash price for Xopenex, from what I remember, it was around $150- for one inhaler. Asthma Doc gave us a sample of Xo...

(Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America) The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America does a research project every year to see which states have statewide policies for people with asthma, food allergies and anaphylaxis. Can your kids carry their inhaler at school? Can they carry their Epi Pen? Have the teachers been trained how to use the Epi Pens? Do your schools ban smoking at all schools and school related events (football games, track meets, etc) Does your state still use diesel school buses? Do they let the buses idle in front of the school? They rank each state on 18 core policy standards. Your state can even get "extra credit" points in 15 different areas! To see where your state ranks, click here.   You can get involved and make a difference, it's amazing the power people have to make a difference in their area. They have ideas of how you can help. Have fun!

I was talking to a woman at the gym this morning who has been out sick for a while with pneumonia. I told her to join the club!! She asked how long it took me to feel better, I said it always takes longer when you have asthma. I'm still weak and not back to myself after 3 weeks. We started chit chatting and she said the doctor gave her an inhaler, but she doesn't want to use it because she might get thrush. She said the doctor told her to rinse her mouth out after she uses it. I told her not to worry, I've only had thrush once or twice from my inhaler, and I've had asthma all my life. She said she can "feel" that all of the swelling is gone in her lungs. I told her that you CAN'T feel inflammation in your lungs. Here is a direct quote from Webmd.  "Even when you feel well, your asthma hasn't gone away. Even if you can't feel it, your airways might still be inflamed." Asthma Doc always says that if you use a rescue/emergency inh...

 It's that time of year again...sugar overload!  I mean Halloween. If you have a child with food allergies (or have some yourself) you need to check all the Halloween candy carefully. Snack size candy bars can be different from full sized candy bars. Son #2 is allergic to tree nuts, so we have to be careful when we pick out candy. If you have someone that is allergic to peanuts , good luck finding chocolate candy without it! The Snickers, Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and even the Butterfinger candy bars in my cauldron all have peanuts.  Luckily, we're NOT allergic to peanuts, so we can eat all of these candy bars.  Mmmmm. We worry about cross contamination, so if I had a child that was allergic to peanuts, I wouldn't let him eat the Twix candy bars that are also in the cauldron. If you have candy bars that have peanuts mixed in with candy bars that don't, that can be enough cross contamination for some people to cause anaphylaxis.  We read labels to se...

ep, that was my breakfast this morning.  An antibiotic pill first, then a steroid. MMMM.  Then I did a breathing treatment in the nebulizer with Albuterol. Once my lungs were opened up a little, I could use my Advair inhaler. Breakfast of Champions, yum! I can't believe I'm sick again. Hubby got sick the last day of our vacation, and I was careful to wash my hands and spray everything with Lysol. I thought I dodged a bullet, but a week later it was my turn to be sick. When I woke up with a scratchy throat, I thought "uh oh-not again!"  Wasn't I sick with this last month? It's been miserable. First the low grade fever started, then I had sneezing fits that could be heard by the neighbors. I followed that up with a nasty cough. I woke up on Saturday and realized I was in trouble.  I was coughing up colored phlegm, a sure sign of infection. And I was so breathless that I couldn't speak above a whisper. I called Asthma Doc's after hours line, bu...

   Retractions are one of those severe symptoms of an asthma attack. It's when you are having such a hard time breathing, that you are using other muscles to help, and the skin sucks in around your collar bone and along your ribs. You can see the collar bone sticking out each time you try to take a breathe and you can see the skin tighten over the rib cage. It's a  BAD sign and you need to get to the hospital- FAST! A call to 911 would be a good idea. If you want to see a photo of what it looks like, click here. The Webmd website has a slide show called "Signs of  a Pending Asthma Attack." It has 10 very helpful photos and tips about asthma. I have actually seen retractions on Son #2 once, it was one of the many times he ended up in the hospital-only that time he was listed in ICU. (Intensive Care Unit) It was something I never want to see again. He was sick and I had just given him a breathing treatment with the nebulizer and I was rinsing out the caniste...

Something was bothering me one morning on vacation in Europe. I don't know what it was-sometimes that's how it is with asthma.    You can't figure out what triggered an asthma attack. I decided I had better use my inhaler, and I felt much better afterwards. We were visiting a beautiful old cathedral in Paris, and we had to wait some time to climb to the towers on the top and over look the city. I didn't think much of it until I started climbing the 350 stairs to the top. (And it was a narrow spiral staircase!)    My lungs felt like they were on fire. And my heart was beating quite fast. I realized that was thanks to using my inhaler AND climbing a steep flight of stairs. It was harder to climb the tower than I thought it would be. Luckily there was an older woman in front of me that had to stop to catch her breath. She apologized, and waved me on.    I told her I wasn't going any faster than she was and I would wait. It gave me a moment to try to be...

Time for a vacation, so I won't be blogging while I'm gone. I'm one of the few people in American who doesn't have a smart phone, so I couldn't blog even if I wanted to. Have fun reading through all the old posts, you can use the search bar to look up any information you would like. I hope my asthma behaves itself while I'm on vacation.....

 My Epi Pen goes EVERYWHERE with me because I am allergic to seafood.  Son #2 is allergic to tree nuts (cashews, almonds, walnuts, etc.) NOT to be confused with peanuts-since a peanut isn't a nut, but a "legume." What if your child suddenly has a reaction to food at school? A food has had eaten before, but is now allergic to?  It was a surprise to us when Son #2 had a reaction to tree nuts.  If that happened to your child, would your school have an Epi Pen on hand to treat them?  Many schools do not.   Allergy and Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA)  has an article in their latest magazine, Allergy & Asthma Today, that says less than half of schools stocked epinephrine for general use.    Yikes.  In their article entitled, " ACE (Anaphylaxis Community Experts) Team Spotlight:Sharing the Know-How.   Anaphylaxis can kill someone in less 30 minutes.    To read more about the article, click here. What is...