My Life as an Asthma Mom

( qnasl.com ) Daughter Kitty was at Asthma Doc's office, getting her allergy shots last week, and she was miserable. Even though she takes Zyrtec and Singulair, (in addition to a daily asthma medicine) and has weekly allergy shots, she could still hardly stand it! She was sneezing, her eyes were watering, she talked through her nose like she had a cold. She was one miserable girl. We were actually at Asthma Doc's office for Son #2 to get his Xolair injection. But he took one look at Kitty and jumped into action. He first had to approve her to get her shots because she was having so many allergy symptoms. (I am wondering if Shot Nurse was worried that Kitty would have a reaction to her allergy shots if she was that severe before she had shots.) Asthma Doc approved her, and she didn't have a reaction. But in the exam room with Son #2, he could see that Kitty was miserable. He quickly stopped what he was doing to talk to Kitty. He asked if she had ever tried nose spray, a...

There is a generic form of Zyrtec that is available over the counter. I love the price - it's about $15 for 365 pills - yes, a year's supply!    And since all 3 of my kids take the antihistamine every day of their life, the cost can add up. They also take 2 other maintenance inhalers every day for their asthma too. We spend LOTS of money at the pharmacy!   Some people have seasonal allergies, but not our family. My kids are allergic to anything that is alive - cats, dogs, horses, trees, flowers, bushes, grass, etc.  So when daughter Kitty went in for allergy shots yesterday, she was miserable. She was sneezing, her eyes were watering, and she couldn't stop sniffing her nose.    Shot Nurse had to check with Asthma Doc to see if she could have shots. I think Shot Nurse was worried about Kitty's allergies that day and if she gave Kitty her allergy shots when she was that miserable, would she have a bad reaction? Shot Nurse checked with Asthma Doc, and he ...

(Bed Bath & Beyond) My friend works at a national discount store and is a cashier. She gets hot standing at her register, so she uses a necklace fan. It is a small flat fan that hangs around her neck with a lanyard and blows air to keep her cool. She loves it! One of the people that came through her register line asked if she used the fan for allergies. My friend was a little puzzled and said that she uses it to keep cool. The customer said she uses hers to blow air on her face and keep the allergens away. The customer said it really seemed to work for that! Here's a link to the fan my friend uses  It's inexpensive, just under $6 and available in several colors. The photo above is from Bed, Bath & Beyond. Theirs sell for $8 but their website says they are sold out. You may be able to find some in their stores. I sneezed all day yesterday and the day before. Maybe this fan is worth giving a try for allergies. It can be a two-for-one. Keep me cool and blow all...

It's that time of year again, time to fill out Asthma Action Plans!  I just got my blank forms in the mail from Really Amazing School Nurse.  She sent two copies, one for daughter Kitty, and one for Son #2. She has done a great job taking care of my kids over the years. Every summer, she sends out a new Asthma Action Plan. She uses a different version than this form, but it's the same basic idea. I fill out my part, then take it to Asthma Doc so he can fill out his part. It's VERY important to actually turn those back in to the school nurse. She makes sure the kid's teachers have a copy of the Asthma Action Plan.  Since kids are in school an average of 7 hours a day, I would like everyone there know what to do if my child has an asthma attack. And they won't know what to do unless they have the form. There are different types of inhalers and different doses.  How will your child know what to do? Ever seen a kid panic during an asthma attack? It's nice to hav...

    Packing for a trip is always an experience. If you forget to pack something, you can usually buy it wherever you are. Soap, shampoo, combs, razors, etc. EXCEPT: inhalers. It's not like you can find a corner drugstore and grab an inhaler. You will need a prescription, which will mean a trip to an insta-care, clinic or emergency room. And if you are traveling in a different state or country, that can be expensive. My inhaler and the kid's nebulizer   have gone to the Grand Canyon, Disneyland, and many other places. I don't go ANYWHERE without my inhaler. With my luck, the one time I didn't have my inhaler in my purse would be the time that I would need it.(I have actually had an asthma attack and didn't have my inhaler with me once. It was scary!) Remember to pack your inhaler in your carry on bag , not in your luggage. Airlines do lose luggage, and you don't want to be without it on the flight. What if you have an asthma attack on the flight and your ...

("Mr. Nose-it-All" from American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology) I found a fun website for kids from the American Academy of Allergy Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI). "Mr. Nose-it-All" has a whole section of fun things for kids, including fun games: Allergy and Asthma Word Game Food Allergy Bubble Game Back to School Game They also have a section that has fun things you can print out for the kids, such as: Allergy and Asthma Puzzles Camping with Allergies and Asthma Children's Storybooks (English and Spanish) Dr. Al and the Sneeze 'n Wheeze Busters Coloring Book Stinging Insects matching game Tim and Moby Explain Asthma Video Game If you are looking for something to keep your kids busy for summer, click here. And pass the crayons-why should kids have all the fun?!

This is my little friend, it goes on every trip with me.    And I use it EVERY morning before breakfast. It's my daily, maintenance medication (so called because it maintains my lungs and prevents swelling in them). But it's different than a rescue/reliever inhaler.     Click here for a link to the American Academy of Asthma Allergy and Immunology's website that shows different rescue inhalers.    The most common inhalers are Albuterol, and the brands are Pro-Air, Proventil, or Ventolin. Xopenex is another rescue inhaler, but it's a different form of albuterol. Rescue/reliever inhalers are used during an asthma attack, but as Asthma Doc so often tells me, they are just a "bandaid" approach until you can get the swelling down in your lungs. So, I take Advair every day to keep the swelling down in my lungs.    But it's used differently than a rescue inhaler. Click here for a Youtube link from the American College of Physicians ...

(Bull Publishing) This CD has been so useful! I used it today to calm down after a sudden asthma attack (right in the middle of an office retreat). Everyone from my office was at a park, enjoying a delicious BBQ lunch. So was I! Unfortunately, the valley is smokey again from a new fire. I'm not sure where the smoke is coming from, it was all clear when I went to bed last night. I went to open the windows this morning and could smell the smoke from a new fire. There was one that started last night about 40 miles away from me, but the wind must be blowing the smoke into our valley. Each coworker was giving a short presentation on something we have learned at a conference in the last year. I was last, and by the time it was my turn, I was feeling pretty sick. We had only been at the park for about an hour, but that was long enough for my lungs to be out in the smoke. When I have an asthma attack, I usually start coughing, which is always followed by coughing up the mucus from...

Does this photo look a little strange? Take a close look. The left side of the building says "Allergy and Asthma Center." If you look closely at the windows, you can see that EVERY window says "Cigars, Tobaccos, Pipes." A co-worker who was on vacation sent this photo to me. He thought it was pretty bizarre! An asthma clinic sharing a building with a tobacco store?! It doesn't take a genius to figure out that smoking and asthma don't mix! Smoking + asthma = bad lungs.  Webmd's site says that: " Second-hand smoke is especially harmful to people who already have asthma. When a person with asthma is exposed to second-hand smoke, he or she is more likely to experience the wheezing, coughing , and shortness of breath associated with asthma." It also has a section that says, " Can Smoking Harm My Child ?" I'm sure we all know that it's more dangerous for kids to breath second hand smoke than it is for adults. To re...

It's the middle of summer, but I'm still thinking about Back To School Time again.  Time to make sure the kids have their asthma inhalers for school.  I check the expiration dates on their inhaler to see if they have enough albuterol for the school year. I just found out daughter Kitty's inhaler had expired. People ask me if it's legal for kids to carry their inhaler at school?  Don't all schools have a Zero Tolerance when it comes to "drugs" in schools? In the U.S, it's legal in EVERY state for kids with asthma to self carry their inhaler.    HOWEVER-you must fill out a special form at the beginning of every school year. In our state, there is a form called the "Self Administration Form."  That means your child knows their asthma triggers, can recognize the symptoms of an asthma attack, and use their inhaler by themselves.  There are different versions of this form, American Lung Association usually has the latest form on their website....

We are waiting for Singulair to go generic, Merck's patent expires in August of 2012. That means a generic version will be available in the U.S., but I don't know when.    Soon I hope!    It's already available in Mexico and Europe. Hubby just called from the pharmacy, he was getting 2 of the kid's Singulair prescriptions filled. But our insurance co-pays start over again in July.    So Hubby had to pay full price for both prescriptions. They are $125 a piece!    So, there goes $250!!!    Ouch. Since all 3 of our kids have asthma (and so do I), we buy A LOT of asthma and allergy medications, so trips to the pharmacy really hurt our budget.    It's almost time for a new Advair disc, and that's really expensive. Advair is about $500 without insurance, but I usually pay $60 with my copay. I'm dreading another trip to the pharmacy when I need a new Advair disc. So, what to do? Needymeds is a great resource. T...

    What do you do instead of fireworks?   We could still have fun, but I didn't want the smoke from the fireworks this year.    At last count, there were 11 fires burning in our state.    Our valley has been very smokey lately and yesterday was a "red air quality" day. Smoke from fireworks + smoke from forest fires = VERY unhappy lungs.    I was miserable last night and went to bed early.  Of course it's hard to sleep when others are still setting off fireworks at 1:00 in the morning.... This morning some places in the state actually had rain! Yes!!!!! This is a big deal since we haven't had rain here in over 36 days.    Those dry conditions are why we have so many fires here now. I hope the rest of you with asthma were okay during the 4th of July. I don't want to be a party pooper, but there's only so much smoke a girl's lungs can take.    The poppers were fine for our family, and we could see other...

Well, another week means another visit to Asthma Doc for allergy shots. All 3 of my kids have had  the series of allergy shots which takes 3- 5 years (depending on the person). Of course they have all started and ended at different times, so it's been about 10 years of me taking kids for allergy shots.....every week. To learn more about allergy shots, click here.  Once your serum is mixed (depending on what you are allergic to) you start by getting allergy shots twice a week (one in each arm) and then they slowly increase the dose until your body can handle the injections. Since you are being injected with a what you are allergic to, there is a chance you can have anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction.) You are supposed to wait 20 minutes after each injection, but at Asthma Doc's office, I regularly see people leave right after they get shots. Stupid people. They are tempting fate. The ONE time we left early was because Son #2 was in the hospital due to asthma. It ...