My Life as an Asthma Mom

  When Asthma Doc tested my kids for allergies, they have 4 columns that go all the way down the back, with about 10 spots in each column After they scratch the skin with a vial of allergen, you have to wait 20 minutes for the welts to form. Oh, and did I mention that you can't move??!! If you do, it messes up the test. They measure the welts after the test, if it's a certain size, that means you are allergic to that particular allergen. Then they mix up a vial of serum just for you, and you start allergy shots. We start out going twice a week (every week), you get a shot in each arm. So you are really getting 4 shots a week. Then once you get to a certain level, you go once a week. Then you can move to every other week, then once a month. The whole process usually takes 3-5 years. The most important thing about allergy shots is that you stay 20 minutes EVERY time. They are giving  you an injection of what you are allergic to, so there is small chance that y...

  I saw a website (that also is available as an app) for kids with food allergies. It's called the BugaBees:friends with food allergies.  Son #2 is allergic to tree nuts (he is VERY careful about what he eats) But if you have younger kids that may not be as careful at checking out their food, you can get help from the BugaBees! I'm reading about Firefly, who is allergic to tree nuts. Firefly goes to the corner bakery with mom, but says "no thanks" when the bakery offers free donut samples. She knows that some donuts have nuts or can be cross-contaminated!  Then it lists foods that Firefly has to watch our for because they have nuts. What a cute idea for kids! You can never be too careful with food allergies. Son #2 was at Subway, getting lunch, when he saw the cookies display. They looked REALLY good, but Son #2 carefully looked at the labels, and saw that one of the cookies had macadamia nuts.    He knew that meant that the whole displ...

      This is going to be a short post. I thought maybe we would squeak through flu season without getting hit. But it looks like Son #2 has the flu. I worry about flu season every year, but this year it seems to be hitting younger people, and also taking the lives of people who were healthy. So what does that mean for those of us with asthma? We already have a hard time breathing, and with the flu on top of it, that spells trouble. So, how do you know if it's a cold or the flu? I did a search on Webmd, and here is a screen shot from their website, it's what they say about a cold vs the flu: Symptoms Cold Flu Fever Rare Characteristic, high (100-102 degrees F); lasts three to four days Headache Rare Prominent General Aches, Pains Slight Usual; often severe Fatigue, Weakness Quite mild Can last up to two to three weeks Extreme Exhaustion Never Early and prominent Stuffy Nose Common Sometimes Sneezing Usual Sometimes Sore Throat...

If you have asthma, you have probably been asked this question (over and over and over again.) My favorite is when some "helpful" person will say that "my old roommate's best friend's neighbor has a cousin who outgrew their asthma, so your kids will too!!" Ya, well it's not that easy. There's no one-size-fits-all when it comes to asthma. I haven't outgrown my asthma, and with 2 sons in college, I'm WAY past the age of hoping I outgrow it! For those of you who feel you have outgrown your asthma, here's a great quote from a Webmd article website titled "Can Kids Outgrow Asthma?" "There’s always a chance of the symptoms coming back. Sometimes they reappear in adulthood, and they can be brought on by triggers different from before. In about half the kids whose symptoms decline during adolescence, they'll reappear when they hit their 30s or 40s, studies say." I didn't have many problems with ...

I was contacted by the makers of Wellapets to beta test a new app. I don't really play games on my phone (come on people, I'm not that tech savvy.....it's amazing I can keep my blog going! And I do that on my desktop computer!)   But if you are interested in being one of the first people to try it out, you can contact them.  The Wellapets website says that:  "Wellapets help kids manage their asthma and promote self confidence. Teach your Wellapet to blow fire by caring for and playing with it every day, unlock new upgrades and collectibles along the way." Experts at Boston's Children's Hospital gave input to the developers of the game.  If you want to try it out, you can click here.  Let me know if you like it (or I should say if your kids like it!)  I haven't tried it yet, since I can barely do email and Facebook on my phone. And occasionally Pinterest..... But anything that helps kids understand about asthma is wor...

The answer is a resounding YES!!! I am watching a special that was on Dateline, called "in plain sight: poverty in america"   The footage shows a reporter in New York City. He turns one way and looks over his shoulder at the affluent Upper East Side where asthma rates for children are about the same as the national average- around 7%. He looks over his shoulder to the other direction at the impoverished East Harlem, where asthma rates are 19%. Two neighborhoods close together, but miles apart in how people live. How can the rates be so different? The housing conditions in some of the poorer areas are horrible. It's sometimes hard for me to watch the story on TV.  Leaking pipes that have landlords won't fix leads to massive amounts of mold. Mold is a known to cause (or trigger) asthma attacks.  Cockroaches were also mentioned in the story. The problem with apartment complexes is that even if you try VERY hard to keep your kitchen clean, your neig...

The New York Times reports that a new asthma medication, dupilumab, is being tested by Sanofi and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals.  It's for patients whose asthma is not well controlled by other asthma medications. So far, the results of the 12 week study look promising, since asthma attacks decreased by 87% (compared to those not getting the drug) . Woah!!! That's amazing! The drug also improved lung function and the control of the disease. As an added bonus, the research shows it also helps with atopic dermatitis (eczema) They think the drug might be able to block numerous allergic conditions. And since many of us who have asthma also have allergies, it would be exciting if it worked for allergies too (all of you that suffer from hay fever know I'm talking about....) Dupilumab works on the interleukin-4 and interleukin-13, they are two inflammatory chemicals that they think are involved in asthma. In the study, dupilumab was given by injection once a week fo...