My Life as an Asthma Mom

I just opened the bill for a simple surgery and was shocked to see that it was almost $6,000! Woah! Luckily, it was the end of my insurance year, so I had already met my deductible and out of pocket limit. So I won't have to pay a copay on that bill. That also tells me that I have spent a LOT of money on medical care over the last year. If you are in the same boat, what can you do?   We use manufacturer's coupons for our inhalers. Son #2 and daughter Kitty and I are all on long term controller (maintenance) inhalers. Even thought insurance pays for most, we still have a $75 copay each month (for each of us.)   Luckily, I have a really good pharmacy that knows us well (since we visit them so often.....) and they will search for manufacturer's coupons for us. So, instead of paying a $75 copay for my inhaler each month, I pay $25. In fact, when I renew my prescription each year, they search for a new coupon to apply to my copay. And they do that ...

For anyone with an upcoming surgery, there are a few things to watch for (from my experience). You should have a detailed visit with your surgeon about your medical history (and family history.) Followed up by the Surgery Nurse who will usually called the week of surgery and repeat all of the same questions (so the hospital also has your medical history). They usually ask if you have a family history (or personal history) of diabetes, kidney disease, heart problems, asthma, bad reactions to anesthesia, allergies to latex , etc.  For asthma, they usually want to know: What medications do you take? Do you take a controller medicine? Or just a rescue inhaler? Is your asthma under control? It's helpful to keep a list of medications on your phone, so it you can easily tell them the names and doses of all of the medicine you take. Surgery Nurse will usually ask you to bring your inhaler to the hospital too. So, now that they had all of their information about...

  Summer has flown by and I realized that Independence Day is just around the corner. That means wearing anything I can find that is red, white or blue. Then going to the annual parade, and watching fireworks. Normally, we just watch aerial fireworks from a nearby city celebration. We found a great spot overlooking the valley, and we can see the fireworks perfectly.  But since we are a few miles away, we don't have to worry about the smoke.  This year, we moved into a new neighborhood. The new neighbors were telling us about an annual  4th of July tradition. They hold a neighborhood BBQ, parade for the kiddos, and end the night with a "Cul de sac of Fire." Hhhmm. I was okay until they mentioned fireworks. They make me VERY worried. Smoke from fireworks landed Son #2 in ICU when he was 8 years old, and it was one VERY scary time for us.  So, I am very worried about fireworks and smoke. Not only do I worry about Son #2, but I also have 2 other ...

There comes a time when you realize that you taught your kids well and they actually LISTENED to what you said! As a Mom with asthma, who has 3 adult children with asthma, our life is always changing. We all have different asthma triggers, and we try to avoid our triggers as much as we can. In fact, when Daughter Kitty was young, she loved horses. So, she started riding lessons. But, she kept having a LOT of problems with her allergies while she was riding. Those allergies would trigger an asthma attack. The arena where she took lessons was a long drive from our house. So, she would take her allergy and asthma medicine, but then still have problems while she was riding. She would change her shirt to try to get most of the dirt and horse dander off before we drove home. But she would still be sneezing, wheezing, and coughing. So, we ended those lessons. Now she is older, and two of her high school buddies also love horses and work at a barn. Which is fabulous...

What is "stock albuterol?"  Well, that means schools can "stock" (or store) an albuterol inhaler in school - in case someone has an emergency.  Shouldn't everyone have their own inhaler? Well, in a perfect world, yes. Inhalers are small and can be easily lost, left at home, or even expire before they are empty. I have heard many stories of families that can't afford an inhaler, so 3 or 4 kids are sharing one inhaler at school. Or sometimes mom takes the inhaler to work, and if the school nurse calls her, she will take the inhaler to the school for her child to use. They family shares 1 inhaler between mom or dad's office and the school. I don't know about any of you, but I had moments of panic when I couldn't find my inhaler - even though I KNEW it was in my purse. This is why there are stock inhalers in schools. 11 states allow schools to stock albuterol inhalers. Is your state one of the lucky states? You can check the graph...

School is out for summer in most states, and that means emptying out the backpack your kids have been carrying around all year (how long has THAT been in there?)   As you empty out their backpacks, make sure you check for their asthma inhaler.   Some kids will have an inhaler at home and another one at school. Sometimes you can forget about the inhaler at school.    Older kids usually carry their inhalers in their backpacks, but the younger kids might have theirs stored in the teacher's desk.   By the way, did you know it's legal in every state in American for kids to carry their inhaler with them at school? American Lung Association says:   "Although all 50 states and the District of Columbia have passed a law allowing students to carry and use inhalers at school, some kids are still being denied access to these lifesaving medications during the school day. "   When my kids were little, I would fill out a pe...

Well, as though this year wasn't bad enough, I am sick with bronchitis (again) - 4th time since November. What's going on? Well, I've been traveling - and airplanes and airports are some of the germiest places you can be. For anyone who regularly reads my blog, you know that I am a germaphobe. However, my husband (who likes to come along on my work trips if I'm going to a cool city) isn't a germaphobe. I can easily go through a whole package of antibacterial hand wipes during a 4 day trip. That nasty tray on the airplane? It's getting wiped down before I have my pretzels and Coke! Think it's not that dirty? CNN has a slide show called "Journeys with Germs" What are the dirtiest things on the airplane?"  You might be surprised!   Think of everything else you touch - door knobs, elevator buttons, the TV remote in the hotel.  I use the antibacterial wipes like a mad woman. And follow it up with hand sanitizer. T...