Being an Asthma Mom

 

As I look back over the last 22 years (when our asthma journey began) all I can think is WOW.

How did I make it through all those years??

My introduction to being an asthma mom was having my then 5 year old admitted to the hospital....and then finding out he had asthma. What?!

Trying to learn the asthma lingo (what's a controller inhaler, reliever inhaler, spacer, nebulizer and a breathing treatment?!)

Trying to make my home allergy & asthma friendly. See ya carpet!

Trying to find the right doctor (Asthma Doc definitely managed their asthma differently than the pediatrician!)

Hovering to make sure my kids took their controller inhaler every morning and every night  

Calling dibs as room parent so I could see what was going on in my kid's classrooms. (Looking for class pets, stinky art projects, or anything else that could set off their asthma.)

Volunteering to go on field trips (yeah.....they're not going to the zoo or state fair without me. I KNOW my son or daughter will have an asthma attack while we're there.)

Staying calm and matter of fact while the kids got twice a week allergy shots (meh - it's Tuesday and it's shot day. Let's get ice cream when we're done!)

Always being on edge

Having stomach problems and migraines due to the constant stress

Was I over reacting? Well, considering that my kids were in the hospital 12 times (and 2 of those were ICU admissions).......that's a big NO.  

We knew every After Hours Pediatrician, Urgent Care office, and the quickest way to get to the ER. We also knew which pharmacy was open 24 hours

My goal was to get my kids to adulthood alive. 

And...they made it. 

We all still have our ups and downs with asthma. Contrary to popular belief, asthma doesn't "go away" as you age. 

We are wiser now about prevention (avoiding sick people, avoiding our known asthma triggers, and taking our controller inhalers to keep the swelling down in our lungs)

We also know to go back to the doctor if we feel like our treatment plan isn't working and we need a different inhaler/stronger dose, etc. 

This will be our life with a chronic disease like asthma

To my fellow asthma moms out there - how has your life been managing your child's asthma? 

Did you find any good ways to cope with the stress?