My Life as an Asthma Mom

So, Independence Day is this weekend. I can't seem to sing The Star Spangled Banner without getting a lump in my throat, and tears in my eyes (it must be from allergies, right?!) The one thing that really worries me about celebrating the 4th of July is fireworks. Once again, it seems like asthma has to get in the way of having fun. Grrrr. Our city celebration was last month, but we were gone that night and missed watching those fireworks.  So, Hubby will want to light off fireworks in the street in front of our house. The only problem is that all the other families on our street will also be lighting fireworks - and the street gets REALLY smokey! In fact, a long time ago when Son #2 was young, he ended up in the hospital (in ICU) thanks to smoke from a forest fire and from fireworks. The one thing you never want to see is one of your kids in the hospital for asthma - especially when they put the heart monitor on them, then we know we are in BIG trouble!!  The...

Do you ever have people tell you that you will outgrow your asthma? I do!!! I have people say, "My brother had a room mate in college whose sister had a best friend that played on a softball team with another girl who outgrew her asthma. So you will too!!!" (It's always some variation of a long story like that......) I'm sure they mean well, but it gets REALLY annoying. I have to tell them, "Well......I'm almost 50 years old - and I haven't outgrown my asthma!"  I just read an article on WebMD called "Can Kids Outgrow Asthma?" The article says that if a child has asthma like symptoms that disappear around age 5 or 6, it isn't asthma. The article says it's a temporary condition that doesn't turn into a lung condition. The article goes on to say: "Most kids who have symptoms like wheezing and shortness of breath beyond that age are considered to have asthma, and they may always have it....

I was watching a video the other day on Facebook, and it showed  a police officer who had pulled over a car. The officer had returned to his police cruiser to write a ticket. When the officer went back to the car, the driver had stopped breathing and had turned blue. The dash cam was still turned on in his car, and it shows the officer trying to get the person to respond. He then pulls the person out and starts CPR. A passing motorist (an emergency room nurse) stops to help. The nurse asks the officer what happened. The officer doesn't know, and the nurse asks if the driver has a medical alert bracelet. Then it hit me - I should be wearing a medic alert bracelet (or necklace, or some type of jewelry) to show that I have asthma! They also have medical alert jewelry for food allergies (I am allergic to seafood and carry an EpiPen).  When Son #2 was younger, I always made him wear a medic alert bracelet. You know - the kind that you can get at the pharmacy. He wa...

This is what life looks like around my house.........LOTS of piles of tissues and LOTS of allergy medicine. With so many options (allergy nose spray, long acting allergy medicine, short term allergy medicine, ) how do you know what is safe to take and when? Can you take different combinations of the allergy medicine - depending on how miserable you are? And can you take over the counter allergy medicine with asthma medicine? With the prescription medicines, the pharmacist can safely tell us what we can and can't take together. There have been several times when we were at the pharmacy and the pharmacist has caught a drug interaction. He talked to me about it, then called the doctor's office to have them change the prescription. I love that guy! He keeps us safe! But what about the over the counter medicine? And how can you check to see if there is a drug interaction if the pharmacy is closed?   Daughter Kitty and I were trying to check and see if there were an...

Did you know that stress can cause an asthma attack?! WebMD has a page that talks about how stress can cause an asthma attack. They say: Stress and asthma: What's the connection? "Stress can affect the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal , musculoskeletal, immune, and central nervous systems. Asthma is no exception. Stress can create strong physiological reactions that lead to airway constriction and changes in the immune system, which can worsen asthma symptoms. The mechanism between asthma and anxiety is many-fold. Uncontrolled emotions can work the nerves and cause constriction of muscles, like the smooth muscles of the airways in the lungs . They tighten up and constrict, which can worsen wheezing, coughing , and chest tightness in people with asthma. Although stress and anxiety start in your mind, asthma is a physical disease of the lungs. It is important to note that asthma is not a psychosomatic disease. It's not in your head. Stress can...

It's hard to know if some medications are working, because you may not feel any different.  However, you STILL have to take them unless your doctor tells you to stop. Some of those medicines that work (even though you can't tell) are:   Blood pressure lowering medications Cholesterol lowering medications Asthma controller (or maintenance medications)   So, why should you keep taking your asthma maintenance medicine, even if you aren't feeling any different? With asthma, you can get swelling in your lungs (which you can't see or feel.) Mayo Clinic explains it this way: " Inhaled corticosteroids: These anti-inflammatory drugs are the most effective and commonly used long-term control medications for asthma. They reduce swelling and tightening in your airways. You may need to use these medications for several days to weeks before they reach their maximum benefit. "   (They are referring to corticosteroids such as): ...

School is out and now it's time for summer camp. But - do you ever feel nervous about sending your kids with asthma to camp? What if their allergies flare up? What if they have an asthma attack? I pack their medicine - but are they going to remember to take it? There is a great resource - American Lung Association has asthma camps in most states. What makes their camps different is that they have allergy and asthma specialists, registered nurses and  respiratory therapists at the camp 24 hours a day. So - no matter what happens, they can take care of your little camper! They also make sure the kids take their asthma medicine on schedule and can make special arrangements for kids with dietary needs.  They provide asthma education AND a lot of fun!  To get an idea of what they are like, check out this asthma camp in California, SCAMP camp .  (Southern California Asthma Management Program) They also have a Youtube video that shows the camp! You ca...