My Life as an Asthma Mom

It's holiday party time - and as someone that is allergic to seafood - I am constantly checking my food at holiday parties. Shrimp in BBQ baked beans???? Yep.....I have had that happen!  Son #2 is allergic to tree nuts, which are in a LOT of bakery products and ice creams. So he has an even harder time avoiding his allergen than I do.  Last month, I attended a national allergy and asthma conference where one of the doctors showed a VERY funny video about food allergies. How can that be funny? Well.....if you have ever had a time when a doctor thought you had NO idea what you were talking about (because HE'S the doctor, not you......) you may get a chuckle out of watching the video.  It was create by Dr. Julie Brown and it shows a mom trying to tell the ER doctor that her son is having anaphylaxis - but the doc isn't listening. Does that sound familiar?  I have had pretty good luck over the years with doctors saying that "they listen to...

Well, it’s that’s time of year again. My friends on Facebook are posting lovely pictures of their family at the Christmas tree lots, picking out the perfect tree. It’s post card perfect. Well, we are……heading to our store room to haul out our carefully packaged Christmas tree. Sigh. No fresh smelling pine trees, no pesky needles to sweep up. Just an artificial Christmas tree. Hubby and I and all 3 kids have allergies – to everything. Trees, grass, flowers, bushes, cats, dogs, horses – basically anything that is alive. And that includes Christmas trees. It’s not that we haven’t tried to treat our allergies. Not only do we all take allergy medicine (or allergy nose spray) every day, but the kids have all had 5 year’s worth of allergy shots. Allergy shots are supposed to desensitize your body and make your allergies better...but just our luck - they didn't work well on the kids.  Their allergies aren’t as bad as they used to be, but they still sne...

What a weird world we live in!  Many of you have probably heard about "thunderstorm asthma" that hit Melbourne, Australia last week and left so many people unable to breathe.   What is thunderstorm asthma? The Age, an Australian news source, explained it this way: "In Melbourne, this phenomenon occurs when moisture-charged winds immediately before a storm whip up rye grass pollen from the pastures north and west of town, sweeping them into the city. Rye grass is the pollen that causes most cases of hay fever in Melbourne." For those of you with allergies and asthma, you probably know what it's like to have hay fever cause an asthma attack.    Ragweed, grass, flowers or trees are in bloom - you inhale the pollen and instantly you start sneezing and your chest tightens. Then the cough starts and you frantically paw through your purse to get your inhaler. (That's what I do anyway.......)   On Good Morning America...

And.....the fun begins of trying to avoid food allergies with holiday parties. Son #2 is allergic to tree nuts, and I am allergic to seafood . So we are always on the lookout for cross contamination as restaurants, family parties and work parties. As careful as we try to be, we both had an accidental exposure last month, which makes me really nervous. Because the next allergic reaction to either of us will be anaphylaxis.  This week, a family member gave us a loaf of delicious looking pumpkin bread, and when Hubby cut a slice -  I saw walnuts. I quickly turned to Son #2 and said, "Don't touch it!!!"  Then I wrapped it up tightly, moved it to the back of the counter and sanitized the counter top. Sigh. Here we go again.... We have told family members several times about our food allergies, but it just goes in one ear and out the other. I'm not sure why - maybe because they don't have to deal with it, so they forget. For us, it is life t...

I just attended a national allergy and asthma conference for doctors. As a Certified Asthma Educator (AE-C), I was hoping to learn as much as I could about new research, treatment plans. I want to make sure I am up to date when I help families understand more about asthma. Since I work in Public Health, I felt like an outsider there. But it was interesting to see things from the doctor's point of view.  Did you know that (gasp!) they aren't perfect?! (Seriously.....who IS perfect? No one!) Did you know that they lose sleep worrying about patients? They worry: Is there a different diagnosis?  Did they miss something on a medical test?  Is their patient going to be okay?  Could they have done more? The list of what they worry about can go on and on. Not only are they doctors, but they are also parents and have their own families to worry about. The EMR (electronic medical record) that they are required to use takes a LOT of time. It...

Quick post before I run off to the Halloween party for work. This morning, I grabbed a shirt from the shelf in my closet - a cute little thing that spelled "Happy Halloween" in orange and white sequins. That was all the dressing up I was going to do today.... However, I haven't worn the shirt since last year. So, I threw it in the dryer on the "steam refresh" cycle, pulled on a skirt and thought I would be okay.  Wrong. As soon as I arrived at my office, I started sneezing.....then coughing....then realized not only did I need to quickly use my inhaler, but I would have to drive back home and change my clothes! So, here I am back at the office.  If you (or your kids) have asthma and allergies and are triggered by dust, PLEASE clean your costume carefully before you wear it tonight. You just might have time to get it washed and dried before it's time to trick or treat.   I can hardly type this blog entry because my hands...

Ah, the constant battle of trying to find the right medication - and one I can afford! Like many people with asthma, I also have allergies - including food allergies. So, I carry an epinephrine auto injector.  And since I had an accidental exposure to seafood last month, my body made new antibodies and I'm afraid my next exposure to seafood will mean a very severe allergic reaction (anaphylaxis.) To be safe, I take epinephrine EVERYWHERE I go. In fact, my epinephrine has been to Disneyland, Chicago, Houston, San Antonio, Washington DC and Paris. (The Washington DC security checks at the Senate and House buildings are REALLY strict - so after they put my purse through the x-ray machine, the officer was really suspicious! I had to pull out my epinephrine and explain what it was and why I had to carry it.)  Anyway, I'm sure most of you have heard about the controversy about Mylan raising the price on their Epi Pens. Since I needed a new epinephrin...

    And.....the fun begins! Trying to find candy without tree nuts for Halloween. Son #2 has a tree nut allergy and had an accidental exposure last month. Not good. There are many different types of chocolate candy that don't have tree nuts (Milky Way, Milk Duds, Hershey's chocolate bars, Whoppers, etc.) But many times, the snack size candy bars are in the same bag with candy bars that DO have nuts. Or they're made in the same factory (which means they can be cross contaminated.) What are some other candy options? The Bay Area Allergy Advisory Board has a Peanut and Tree Nut Free Candy List Since son #2 is in college, he is WAY too old to Trick or Treat for Halloween, but I want to have some candy available when he comes home for Sunday dinners. I have to bribe him with something, right?!  What about the kids who have multiple food allergies and so they can't trick or treat? Where's the fun in that?! They need to enjoy Halloween too! Enter Food ...

Since all 3 of my kids inherited my asthma (sorry guys!) we have had LOTS of late nights/doctor visits/ER visits and hospitalizations. One of my last posts was about Kids in the Hospital I promised I would share the story about Kitty being in the hospital on her birthday.....so here goes.  Son #2 and Kitty both had pneumonia (again).  I mean - what else is there to do in winter?! Son #2 was admitted to the hospital the day before Kitty was and she was SO MAD that she had to be in the hospital again.  Sorry kid.  But there she was, the day before her 7th birthday. After were settled in her room and had her oxygen on, IV hooked up, and had met all of the nurses, I  realized I would have to cancel Kitty's birthday party for the next day.   We had a wonderful "Child Life Specialist" (CLS) in the hospital. She helps the kids play games, gives them donated blankets and stuffed animals, and generally tries to make the hospital a le...

Fun with what?   Vocal Chord Dysfunction (VCD)!  Did you know VCD is commonly mistaken for asthma? And just to confuse you a little more, there are people that can have asthma and VCD. American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) list the following symptoms of VCD: Symptoms & Diagnosis Symptoms Symptoms of VCD can include: •    Difficulty breathing •    Coughing •    Wheezing •    Throat tightness •    Hoarse voice •    Voice changes Several months ago, Asthma Doc suspected VCD in daughter Kitty. (She also has asthma.) Sometimes, her throat feels "tight" (instead of her lungs feeling "tight".) Asthma Doc said the best treatment is speech therapy, but he couldn't find a speech therapist locally who specializes in VCD. I found one through our local hospital system and set an appointment. This week was her first appointment. Spe...

It's funny the things that kids can remember.  When my kids were little, they were hospitalized 12 times for asthma. Even though daughter Kitty is in high school now, she told me she can still remember the last time she was hospitalized at age 7. She said she was SO MAD that she had to be in the hospital AGAIN! Kitty and Son #2 both had pneumonia (as is our usual winter activity...) and were both VERY sick. We had already: bumped up their maintenance inhalers ( long term controller meds )  started breathing treatments every 4-6 hours with the nebulizer  started oral steroids (Prednisone)  started antibiotics then had steroid shot (Decadron)   And they were still getting worse. Son #2 was the first to end up in the hospital. He was admitted one night around 3am (they always get worse during the night.....) Neighbor was at home while we were getting Son #2 admitted. and she was watching Kitty. When I returned from the hospital...

The short answer is YES! Your child can carry an inhaler at school.  Some parents say, "What about the drug-free zone at schools? I thought they can't have ANY medicine at school." Nope.  American Lung Association says: "All 50 states have laws in place that allow students with asthma to carry and self administer asthma quick relief inhalers and other lifesaving medicine. The laws vary by state and each school district may have its own policy and paperwork requirements. Contact your school nurse or school officials and ask about the self-carry/self-administration policy in your school district." We  have a state law that allows ANY student to carry and use their inhaler IF they have a form filled out at the beginning of the school year. Our form is a combination form. The front side is an Asthma Action Plan and the back side is the permission form that allows the kiddos to carry their inhaler. For those of you that have asthma, you...

We attended a local 9-11 anniversary memorial, and it was emotional. It was the 15th anniversary and most of the news programs talked about stories of those who had passed away. Stories about dads who had kissed their kids goodbye - not knowing that the kids would never see their dad again. There were stories about others who had died - moms, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, and friends. All who died too young. And then there were stories about first responders that helped that day and were later diagnosed with asthma. Hubby looked at me after watching the news story and said, "You should blog about that." Great minds think alike. It doesn't surprise me that people that helped in New York City developed asthma. There was such a think layer of dust. How could it NOT damage someone's lungs? There's a story from ABC news, called 9-11 First Responders Plagued by Health Problems From Toxic Dust   A clip from the story says: "It is ...