My Life as an Asthma Mom

Have you ever celebrated New Year's Eve without fireworks? Salt Lake City, Utah is about to try it!    Like several areas of the country, Salt Lake City can suffer from inversions . An inversion is when cold air is trapped in the valley with warmer air up above. That causes the air in the valley to become very polluted. Why? All of the exhaust from cars gets trapped in the valley. Unless a storm moves in with wind and snow, the air gets more and more polluted.  Salt Lake City doesn't want to add to the pollution, so they are using a two story disco ball. for their annual New Year's Eve celebration. For some people, air pollution isn't a big deal. But if you have asthma, it is a BIG DEAL!! To learn more about how air pollution affects asthma, visit the Utah Department of Health.  It's nice to know Salt Lake City is trying to help with air pollution. It will be interesting to see what the two story disco ball looks like.I thank you, and my lungs th...

Billionaire Sean Parker is donating $24 million to finance research for allergies and asthma. (What would it be like to have 24 million "extra" dollars floating around to donate.....)  Sean Parker has allergies and asthma. In fact, his allergies are so severe that he has lost track of how many times he's ended up in the emergency room - the last 14 times were with his wife. He now has two kids and is worried about the genetic tendency of allergies and asthma.  Hubby and I worry too. We both have allergies, as do all three kids. Asthma runs on both sides of our family, and all three kids and I have asthma. I really worry about what it will be like if I ever become a grandma. Will my grand kids spend countless nights in the emergency room and hospital, like their parents?  Sean Parker's money will fund the Sean N. Parker Center for Allergy Research at Stanford University. He is partnering with Dr. Kari Nadeau, one of the top specialist in the country f...

    Well, I'm having computer problems today, so this will be a short post. (Poor little laptop.....you have served me well, but I can see that you are ready for retirement.) There was a story on Good Morning America this morning with Dr. Michael Besser. He said that most people are NOT using their Epi Pen or asthma inhaler correctly , and it can be deadly. Sometimes, people may not be trained properly the first time they get an Epi Pen or asthma inhaler. Or, it may have been a long time since they were trained and they suddenly find that they need to use it - but can't remember how!    Uh oh! He said that most people who use their Epi Pens correctly administer it into the thigh (you swing your arm down and jab it into your thigh), but then it hurts- so they pull it out again. BUT - you have to leave it there for 10 seconds or all the medicine won't come out of the tiny needle.    There is a short video here that shows how to use an Epi Pen....

Well, I wish it looked like this where I lived. But, no such luck. We are in a drought! I have accepted the fact that we will NOT have a white Christmas. Sigh. It's that time of year when people are putting up Christmas Trees. So - the age old battle starts.....is it better to have a real or artificial Christmas tree? Everyone is different - so it depends on if you are allergic to trees. (Yes....many of us are allergic to various trees, flowers, bushes, grass, etc. ) I saw an interview with Dr. Michael Borts, from St. Louis, who specializes in asthma, allergies and sinus care. He said some people may have problems with a real Christmas tree because the tree may have pollen and molds on the branches. Once you bring the tree inside your house, it may cause problems for anyone with allergies and asthma.  However, with an artificial tree, if it's stored in the attic or basement, it might be dusty or have mold (if your basement is damp). And if you are allergic ...

      I was a little shocked this week when I read a story online about a school board member who joked that students with food allergies "should be shot." I believe they were discussing food allergies in schools and how to handle them. I COULD NOT BELIEVE WHAT I WAS READING.  Anaphylaxis is no joking matter. I have a seafood allergy, and Son #2 has a tree nut allergy. I have actually witnessed a severe allergic reaction - anaphylaxis   in Son #1. I never want to see that again as long as I live. I have shared this story before, but here goes.... Son #2 was in the hospital (one of 8 hospitalizations), thanks to pneumonia. Hubby came down for his turn at the hospital, so I went home to pick up Son #1 and daughter Kitty. Son #1 needed his weekly allergy shots. Our plan was to get shots, grab a pizza, and head back down to the hospital to have dinner and watch a movie as a family. We ALWAYS wait 20 minutes after allergy shots. You are s...

Sometimes it can be really hard to keep track of all the medicines that I use. Luckily, I go to one pharmacy (and I have blogged before about how EVERYONE in the pharmacy knows me.....which isn't necessarily a GOOD thing! It's kind of like being on a first name basis with my car mechanic.....it means I am there WAY too often!!) Last week, I had to see my regular doctor, who prescribed an antibiotic to clear up an infection. When I went to the pharmacy, the pharmacist told me that there was a drug interaction - that my doctor didn't catch! I couldn't take the antibiotic with another medication that I was on. Scary stuff! It's helpful to get all of your medicines at the same pharmacy. The computer system they use will "flag" when there might be an interaction between two medications. If you are using different pharmacies, they won't have a complete list of all the medicines that you take. I am VERY grateful that the pharmacist cau...

My sister sent a story she read in the Washington Post titled "College student dies after severe allergic reaction to peanut butter." It was so sad, I could hardly finish reading the article. Sometimes things hit a little too close to home. Son #1 experienced a severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) several years ago. Son #2  has a tree nut allergy - not to be confused with a peanut allergy. (Peanuts are actually from the legume -or bean family - and they grown in the ground.) Tree nuts grow on....... well....trees! Son #2 is allergic to pecans, walnuts, almonds, etc. I am allergic to seafood. We all carry epi pens - EVERYWHERE!!!! Apparently, the college student, Chandler Swink, had visited an apartment where someone had made peanut butter cookies. Somehow, he came into contact with the cookies or some of the peanut residue. He started to feel symptoms of anaphylaxis and went out to his car to use his Epi Pen.  The National Institutes of Health list thes...