My Life as an Asthma Mom

    Vocal Cord Dysfunction (VCD) is one of those conditions that can be confused with asthma. Sometimes, when the severe asthma is not controlled on medication, they look at VCD. #2 Son was evaluated for this - and once we were back at the hospital.    He LOVED having a probe stuck up his nose as they watched his vocal chords during speech patterns. Nasal endoscopies are a great way to start the week! Ugh. His vocal folds turned out to be normal, so he just has severe and uncontrolled asthma.    But for some people vocal cord dysfunction is an answer as to why they have symptoms symptoms of asthma, yet not responding to normal asthma medications.    Some people may be taking asthma medication when in reality, it is a problem with their vocal cords.   What is vocal cord dysfunction? It's when your vocal cords close when they are supposed to open. This can cause problems breathing and can be mistaken for asthma.     Symptoms of are: ...

(photo from www.xolair.com ) I'm surprised about how many people have never heard of Xolair . Of course, it's a small percentage of the people with asthma that actually need it.......   Since only 5-10% of people with asthma have severe asthma, many people are unaware of Xolair. Asthma Doc described it this way:  Xolair is an "IgE inhibitor". There are different immunoglobulins in the body, but "E" is associated with allergic responses. There are little 'mast cell' (they look like little prickly balls) in the body that are filled with histamine granules.    When an allergic reaction starts, those mast cells break open and the histamine is released, which starts the allergic response.    We all know what that looks like, swelling, sneezing, coughing, etc. Rather than treating an allergic reaction (with anithistamines), Xolair is supposed to stop that allergic reaction from taking place - way down at the cellular level. With #2 Son's severe asthma,...

    We went to the Old West Festival with the kids this weekend.  Son #1 and daughter Kitty had fun competing in a log sawing competition, followed by carving 'petroglyphs' at the Native American Village.    Surrounding the park were several activities that looked fun, but Kitty rolled her eyes  (apparently she is getting too cool to participate in kiddie activities).    She didn't want to "hunt for the Sheriff", put her in the jail, pan for gold, or participate in the watermelon eating contest. When we saw the "needle in a haystack hunt", we had to turn around and walked the other way. Just walking near the piles of hay with kids clawing through them was enough to make us start sneezing and wheezing.  Then Kitty spied the miniature ponies from across the park. She dragged us over there, but oh, what a shame, the line was too long! What a disappointment! 😉   We also told her that it looked like it was just the little kids who we...

    If there's one thing I've learned over the past 10 years, it's to know asthma terminology.    It helps when I am at the ER to be able to say, "He's he asthma, his peak flow is usually 350 -but right now it's 200." Knowing your kid's peak flow gives them a concrete number, rather than just saying "he's having a hard time breathing". We're also lucky enough to be able to use a friend's oxygen saturation monitor. So I can also say, "their oxygen level is reading at 89 on my sat monitor" (you should be be closer to 100).    They usually admit my kids to the hospital if their oxygen level is at 89 or lower. I tell them not to bother looking for retraction , because my son suffers from air trapping and experiences the 'barrel chest'. Retraction is when they are trying so hard to breath that they use all their accessory muscles, usually sucking in the skin surrounding the chest when they breath.    You can usually...

    It's been really dry lately, I think we've had a trace of rain all month. (Of course just enough to dirty hubby's just-washed-truck) Call me crazy, but when you can "see" the air your breathing - or cut it with a knife - that's not good.   The high pollution levels have made my chest feel tight. And I have a friend who's wheezing can be heard across the room!    Our local news stations list red, yellow, and green air quality days.   It's basic enough. Green is good air quality, yellow means caution - especially for those of us with asthma. And red means the air pollution is dangerous for everyone who lives here.    So we adjust our schedule and avoid being outside in the heat of the day. I exercise in the morning or late evening, when the ozone levels aren't as high. We've also found LOTS of things to do indoors.    In fact, we've seen a lot of movies lately. But hey, it's summer and the kids are out of school. I need to minimize an...

I thought this cartoon was hilarious, it's from my daily calendar. I know how this lady feels, I almost passed out when I went to get Kitty's prescription refilled last week. I had switched to a warehouse pharmacy, hoping they would be less expensive. They weren't. When the pharmacy tech rang up Kitty's prescription, she said "that will be $92". I said "no, no, no, that's not right. It's always $32." I was sure they had made a mistake. She helpfully asked if I had a new deductible or if the new insurance year was just starting for us. DOH! (insert Homer Simpson inflection.) Yes, it was technically a new insurance year (never mind that it's July). Like most normal people, my new year starts in January-silly me. So, it was $96 for a one month supply. Now, all 3 of the kids take multiple medications for allergies and asthma, I haven't needed any other refills yet. I'm cringing thinking of the thought of another $96 refill....

           I needed to add a little to last weeks' Flash Back Friday.    Writing about #2's ICU admission took awhile, but wait! There's more! When Son #2 was in ICU in pediatrics, it was my hubby's turn to stay at the hospital and I was at home with #1 son and Kitty. We had a bad night when someone tried to break into the house. Kitty was crying, so I got up to check on her during the night and heard a distinctive slam of the front screen door.    Our clergy leader had warned all of the neighbors of several attempted house break-ins and to be aware. So my heart was racing as I grabbed Kitty out of her crib and ran across the house to check on Son #1 son - who was sound asleep.    I heard some rustling in the lilac bushes by his window, so I called 911. I was crying so hard the dispatcher could hardly understand me, but I did manage to get out that one son was at the hospital, and I was home alone with the other two kids. When ...