My Life as an Asthma Mom

So, it was only a matter of time until one of my teenagers came down with a cold.  Colds are miserable enough, but with colds can come sinus infections. How do you know if you have a sinus infection? Well, it may feel like a cold, but Webmd explains it as: Some of the primary symptoms of acute sinusitis include: Facial pain/pressure Nasal stuffiness Nasal discharge Loss of smell Cough/congestion Additional symptoms may include: Fever Bad breath Fatigue Dental pain The Webmd page lists these symptoms for an acute infection (meaning it will only last for a short time.) It says if you have two or more of these symptoms, and also have a thick, yellow or green discharge - you may have a sinus infection.  When that happens to us, we call asthma doc to see what he says. There are different ways to treat sinus infections   Some doctors will suggest you use a decongestant, steam inhalation, nasal sprays or antibiotics. Your doctor will dec...

Yes, I am ALWAYS reading...anything and everything. The latest article I read was in Family Circle magazine's September issue. It's called "The September Epidemic." The website version is called "Everything You Need to Know About Asthma" In the article, Dr. Stanley Szefler, director of the Pediatric Asthma Research Program at the Aurora's Children's Hospital Colorado said that:  "More schoolkids are admitted to the hospital for asthma attacks in September than in any other month." Dr. Szefler says that it is known as the September Epidemic . There are a few reasons they mention:   It could be because kids head back to school and share germs with all the other kids in school.  It could also be because kids go on vacation during the summer, not just from school, but from using their maintenance medications. They are not in a school routine, so they forget about it. Or maybe Mom thinks she can keep an eye on the ki...

I am REALLY worried about a new virus that has hit 10 states already,  made over 1,000 kids sick so far and hospitalized numerous kids - including many in ICU (the intensive care unit.) My stomach has butterflies in after watching the story on ABC news called "Unidentified Respiratory Virus Likely To Hit Kids Across Country." I have asthma, as do all three of my teenagers. When they were younger, Son #2 and daughter Kitty were hospitalized 12 separate times for asthma - 2 of those were in ICU. So when I hear about a new virus that is affecting kids with asthma, I am VERY nervous. The story says that children under 5 are at the highest risk of being hospitalized, but even teenagers are ending up in ICU.  One teenager interviewed in this story, was a little sick one day (he had a runny nose and a cough) and the next day he was in ICU. That teenager turned blue on day 2, was rushed to the ICU and was given an emergency breathing tube (a ventilator.) Scary stuff...

I was watching some videos on Youtube from "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Show." He has a segment each week where he reads off tweets from the weekly hash tag. One segment was called Hashtags: Dadvice It's pretty funny to watch him read off the tweets. This episode had advice from dads to their sons.   This is what one tweet from @mikeruss39 said  "After the first time I got drunk my dad told me to be careful. 'Alcoholism doesn't just run in this family - it gallops.' "  I thought that would be the perfect thing for me to say about asthma in my family.  Asthma doesn't just run in our family - it gallops! My parents, siblings and I all have asthma. All three of my teenagers have asthma, as do many of my nieces and nephews.  The same can be said for Hubby's side of the family - grandparents, parents, siblings, nieces and nephews all have asthma.  So, when Hubby and I married, it was the perfect storm. Our k...

Summer is winding down and things are getting colder, so camping season is coming to an end. Son #2 has been on a LOT of camp outs this summer. As a mom, I worry - no matter how old your kids are, you never stop worrying. I reminded him to take his inhaler and to be sure and use it if he started coughing or was short of breath.  The problem with camp outs is that you are out in nature, so there are a LOT of trees, bushes, etc that can cause allergies to flare up - which can cause an asthma attack. The other problem is being around camp fires. Who doesn't like to roast marshmallows and make s'mores? (That reminds me of a scene from the movie Sandlot. "You're killin' me Smalls!!") Did you know that the smoke from the camp fire can cause an asthma attack? Son #2 let me know that he was VERY careful around the camp fire this summer. He made sure that he stayed away from the smoke. It seems like the smoke is always drifting - so you may have ...

Like most parents, I always worried when my kids went back to school. Not just about basic things, like will they make friends? What if they get bullied? Will they actually EAT school lunch?  I also worried about their asthma. Are there any asthma triggers in the classroom? (I think most schools are past the era of having a classroom pet...) Will they know when they are having problems with their asthma? Will they remember how to use their inhaler? Will they actually use it ? Or will I just get a phone call from the school to come get my child? American Lung Association has a program for students, called Open Airways. It's a free 6 week program that teaches elementary kids (ages 8-11) how to manage their asthma. It's not a lecture type class, it has some fun, interactive projects. During one class, we took a paper towel roll and filled it up with marshmallows to show the kids what happens to their bronchial tubes when they have asthma. (We were trying to explain...

  I've talked to two people today who told me they have family members who are REALLY struggling with their asthma. They said their family members are only using their rescue inhalers to treat their asthma symptoms. When that doesn't help, they are going to the emergency room. Hhmmm, Asthma Doc has told me time and time again that "all rescue inhalers do is buy you time." He says they are "just a bandaid approach." He told me if I am using my rescue inhaler too often, I need to be on a daily, maintenance medication. Maintenance medications help keep the swelling down in your lungs - so if you are exposed to one of your asthma triggers, you may not need to use your rescue inhaler as often or you may not end up in the emergency room.   How often is too often to use your rescue inhaler?     Webmd has a page called When Should I Use My Inhaler?  Here's a quote from their page: "A rescue inhaler is supposed to relieve sudden sympt...