My Life as an Asthma Mom

 What is the September Asthma epidemic? During the 3rd week of September, asthma hospitalizations spike. In fact, it's the highest time of the year for asthma hospitalizations. You may have thought it was in the middle of winter - during flu season. But it's the 3rd week of September.   What causes the September Asthma Epidemic? There are many causes: Back to school  - instead of spending time outdoors, kids are back inside Unventilated classrooms - rooms are usually small with many kids and bad ventilation.That makes it easy for germs to spread   Animal dander - kids with asthma can have asthma attacks when other students come to school with cat and dog dander on their clothing. This happened to my son in 2nd grade and he had to start allergy shots (we couldn't ask the classmates to get rid of their pets -  that would have gone over well. So we had to protect my son with allergy shots.) Fall allergies - ragweed and chenopods are in bloom. And outdoor mo...

  Now that the Olympics are over, my social media feed is full of pictures of little kids going back to school.  Awww. I remember those days!  My kids are all adults now, but I remember buying school supplies, shoes, and clothes. But the most important thing was making sure my kids with asthma were are safe at school.  1. Meet the teachers  Back in the day, I was always the first one in the classroom to talk to my kid's teachers. I would let her know that my kids have severe asthma and have been in the hospital many times. (By this point, all of the teachers knew me  - and my kids....) 😬 I would give the teacher my cell number and tell her to call me if my child was having an asthma attack. I always gave them a handout about the signs and symptoms of asthma. I offered to train the staff with a short training "What To Do if a Student Has an Asthma Attack", but they didn't have time 2. Check in with the school nurse  I was on a first name basis with the...