My Life as an Asthma Mom

A lot of people HATE Facebook, but you can find out some interesting things on there!  One of my friends was talking about her kids being sick, and how they needed a breathing treatment with the nebulizer. One of her friends said they have a new pacifier hook up on the nebulizer now.  I just did a quick search online now, and didn't find anything about an osygen mask that would work with a pacifier. Has anyone seen anything like that? My kids are older now (teenagers to be exact), so they can just use a plain old boring mask. But there are lot of things for kids now!   I found LOTS of cute nebulizers (our is boring like the one pictured above) Here's what I found on Just Nebulizers website I found some masks on Shop Nebulizer's website  There are a LOT of websites out there for buying nebulizers and masks. Our insurance paid for our nebulizer, so the home health care company brought a boring regular style. I would have liked a cut...

Did you know that you can still have allergy shots when you are pregnant? I know moms to be worry about A LOT when they are expecting. You aren't sure what is safe and what isn't. I was just reading an article in Allergy & Asthma Today,  and they had a short article entitled "Pregnant Mom's Allergy Shots May Help Child." I am WAY past the age of having any more kids, but I always like to learn more about asthma so I can help other moms :) The short article shares information from Jay Lieberman, MD, from the American Academy College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology 2013 Annual Conference. His research shows that "Women who are undergoing immunotherapy - allergy shots- don't have to stop when becoming pregnant." He also says that "....continuing the shots during pregnancy might help prevent allergies in their child." He says it's like when you pass on antibodies to your baby after they are born (that helps protect...

Does anyone remember when Primatene made a rescue inhaler that you could buy without a prescription? I remember the controversy when it was pulled off the market. It looks like the company that makes it, Armstrong Pharmaceuticals, is asking for approval from the FDA to put it back on the market. It's the same medication, but has a different propellant now. Is that good or bad? An inhaler that you can buy without a prescription? The CEO and President of AANMA,Tonya Winders, is opposed to the Primatene inhaler. Why? Primatene contains epinephrine , which is not recommended for treating asthma. Rescue inhalers usually contain Albuterol.  Primatene doesn't have a dose counter. Ms.Winders says that "studies show that patients who carry an inhaler with a dose counter are less likely to require an emergency room visit than those without one." The Primatene inhaler has 200 doses, which "could encourage patients to wait too long to seek necessar...

What is Project Linus? Their website can say it better than I can: Provide love, a sense of security, warmth and comfort to children who are seriously ill, traumatized, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets and afghans, lovingly created by volunteer “blanketeers.” All three of my teenagers have allergies and asthma (they inherited it from me.....) The youngest 2 were in the hospital frequently when they were younger (12 times) and that meant some pretty scary nights. When they would be admitted to the Pediatrics Unit at our local hospital, the Child Life Specialist would give the kids a blanket that had been donated by Project Linus.  As a parent, I can't begin to explain the effect a simple blanket would have on my son or daughter when they were in the hospital. Often times, one of my kids would suddenly take a turn for the worse, and we would make a mad dash for the Emergency Room. 9 times out of 10, they would end up being ...

 I was talking to friends last night who both work in public schools. I was asking them what they think about having a "stock Epi pen" in every school? I know that many states are now working with legislators to make it mandatory to have stock Epi Pen in every school. This would allow school staff to inject ANY student having an allergic reaction with the Epi Pen. Why is this important? Did you know that some students can have an allergic reaction for the first time at school?  We were shocked when Son #2 had an allergic reaction for the first time. He ate something that had tree nuts in it, and his throat started itching and he was having a hard time breathing. It's scary to watch!! A visit to the doctor and a skin test revealed that he did indeed have an allergy to tree nuts. He now carries an Epi pen with him EVERYWHERE he goes! So, why do some people have a reaction like that? Here's what Mayo Clinic says: "When you have a food al...

Some of you are lucky and may only have allergies in the spring or summer, when everything is blooming. Hubby and I and all three teenagers have allergies year round. Sigh. What do winter allergies look like? This is from WebMD's website,  "Winter Allergies": Allergy symptoms caused by dust, pollen, or mold include: Coughing Dark circles under the eyes Itchy eyes and nose Runny nose Sneezing Watery eyes   The difference between allergies and a cold can be how long it lasts. For a cold, you usually suffer for a week or so (and go through LOTS of boxes of tissues!) For allergies, the symptoms can last for weeks or even months! Sometimes with a cold or flu, you may also get a fever and/or achy body.   WebMD recommends a few tips to reduce allergens in your home in winter:   Wash bedding in hot water every week. (my teenagers should be reading this.....) It also helps to use allergy covers on the pillow and mattress   If you...

I am SO excited for the start of the Winter Olympics tomorrow night! I LOVE watching the opening ceremonies. No matter what country you live in, it's fun to watch your country walk in under your flag. I also like to see the different uniforms! (Although I do think Ralph Lauren designed some really crazy uniforms for the U.S. athletes this year. Let's put it this way-we'll be able to spot our athletes in a crowd!!) I was looking at the schedule of events for all of the winter sports, and it made me wonder-how do the Olympic compete in winter??!! They're not just exercising in cold weather-they are competing at an intense level with other athletes from around the world. And everyone wants that Gold medal! I don't do well out in the cold because cold temperatures are one of my asthma triggers. I wondered.... how many of the Olympic athletes have asthma? Medicine.Net has an article called "Asthma Common Among Olympic Athletes."   It says tha...

The results are out! If you are allergic to peanuts, it is possible to be desensitized. BUT it has to be done in a doctor's office -and VERY carefully. A new report from CNN Health reports that oral immunotherapy (swallowing tiny amounts of peanut flour over time - and gradually increasing the amounts) can actually desensitize allergic people to peanuts! It's not a cure, but it does make it so their bodies are more likely to tolerate the peanuts. That means they won't have to panic and worry about an anaphylaxis reaction if someone accidentally eats food that has peanuts in it. WebMD has a section about anaphylaxis. Nuts are sneaky, and can hide in bakery products, cookies, ice cream, etc. Son #2 is allergic to tree nuts, so we have to be VERY careful anytime we are eating out.   This study ONLY worked on peanuts, I'm hoping the research will extend to tree nuts.  To maintain desensitization, researchers recommend that after oral immunotherapy ...