My Life as an Asthma Mom

                                                        https://www.ellaroberta.org/ I was listening to a podcast on vacation a few years ago and heard the story about Ella Roberta Adoo Kissi Debrah The WHO just spotlighted her story on their newsletter and that reminded me of Ella's story Did you know that Ella is the only person in the world to have cause of death listed as air pollution?  Ella was 7 when she was diagnosed with asthma She died at 9 years old  Yes, 9  Ella lived in South East London and had over 30 hospital admissions in two years time She died in 2012 Her death certificate listed "acute respiratory failure" Lack of asthma education Doctors had run numerous tests on Ella and told mom ...

 This was what my son looked like 25 years ago when we received a surprise asthma diagnosis in the hospital. Except he should also have an oxygen mask on too.  As I learned more about asthma, I realized that it wasn't normal to cough and be short of breath all the time. Well, huh. I was also diagnosed with asthma, as was my young daughter and older son. I would like a refund on my genetics please.  What I Wish I Had 25 Years Ago Trust Your Instinct  You are the expert on your body. You know when something isn't right for you, your children, or another family member you care for. I had read a magazine article about asthma, and was sure my son had it. But the pediatrician said no. A few weeks later, my son was hospitalized and THEN I found out he had asthma.  If your doctor won't listen to you, find one that will. Asthma Education would have been helpful.  25 years ago, computers weren't common, and smart phones didn't exist. I couldn't sit at my son's bedsi...

If you want to learn about asthma, you want to learn from the best and brightest in their profession, right?  An Asthma Educator Specialist is a someone who specializes in teaching patients and their families about asthma.  They stay updated on the latest research and guidelines by attending annual asthma conferences, and only share evidence based information with families (rather than folk remedies).  I'm talking about you essential oils and homeopathic drops... An Asthma Educator Specialist was originally called a Certified Asthma Educator (AE-C) and was credentialed through the National Asthma Education Credentialing Board. I took and passed the exam from them back in 2016. This credential is now offered through the National Board for Respiratory Care and the name has changed to "Asthma Educator Specialist." https://www.nbrc.org/ What's the big deal about an Asthma Educator Specialist?  As I mentioned earlier, people will share ideas about folk remedies that they...