My Life as an Asthma Mom

  (Allergy & Asthma Network)  Did you know that the 3rd week in September is called the "September Asthma Peak"?   What does that mean? More kids end up in the hospital during this week than ANY other week of the year! Yikes! You might think there would be more kids in the ER or admitted to the hospital during cold and flu season in winter, but it's actually in September.    Why? There are several causes: School - Kids are back in school which means animal dander from other student's clothing, possible mold in schools, and stinky exhaust from idling school buses Fall allergies - I really, really, really hate ragweed! Germ factory - it's easy to get infections from the other students Stress and anxiety with a new school year - even worse this year with COVID... Not taking meds - kids may be out of the habit of using their controller inhalers    What can you do?    Albuterol - make sure they have a full albuterol inhaler in their back...

  Sometimes I really hate asthma!  My last article was about being in the ER due to wildfire smoke from California's Dixie fire.Our state is full of smoke, and the air quality level is "red" which means "unhealthy for all". I was being careful and staying indoors.I kept the AC on in the house, keep the windows closed, and used the recirculating air setting in my car.  But - I was in a work meeting and the building filled up with smoke. It smelled like a campfire!  My lungs just couldn't recover. Two days later, I was in the ER. Steroids in the hospital  For those of you who have had a severe asthma flare, you have probably had oral steroids in the hospital. They can be given as a liquid, in a shot form, or in an IV.) It is vital to get the inflammation down quickly in the lungs, and steroids help with that. But it's nasty stuff due to the side effects. After I was discharged, I had to have a week's worth of oral steroids (prednisone.) Those also have...

  One of the most important things I teach families in my asthma education workshops, is that if you ever think to yourself:  "I wonder if I should go to the hospital?" The answer is YES! Like many places this summer, our state is full of heavy, thick smoke from the California fire ( Dixie fire. ) We have had smoke in our state several times this last month. On Friday, our air quality was listed as the #1 Worse Air Quality in the World . Yes, the world.  That day, I was at a work meeting, and I thought I could smell smoke. I glanced out the door and saw that the valley was suddenly full of smoke. And that smoke was coming into the building. I quickly took two puffs of my inhaler, excused myself, and drove to my office. But, when I got to my office, I could smell smoke in there too.  I headed home because I knew it safe with a clean furnace filter and free standing air purifiers.  But the damage to my lungs was already done.  I didn't feel well and continued...

  Well, here goes another social media battle in my area.......should we ban personal fireworks? For the last year, I've had to watch social media friends fight about mask wearing and whether to get the COVID 19 vaccine.  Now people are fighting about fireworks. We are in a loooong drought (weather forecasters say it's the worst drought in the last 1200 years.) Yikes! Things are so dry that we have had record breaking fire seasons, year after year. Many of the states around us are also parched and have numerous fires burning, so we get their smoke along with our own forest fires. And those of you who have read my posts before know that Son #2 ended up in ICU during one 4th of July weekend - all thanks to smoke from neighborhood fireworks.  So, it's probably clear that I'm NOT a big fan of fireworks.   I'm just not a fan of breathing in all of that smoke containing heavy metals. And knowing that air quality often reaches toxic levels during the 4th of July weeken...

  https://www.aafa.org/ It's here! The annual Allergy & Asthma Awareness Month!  How many of you feel like friends and other family members just "don't get it" when it comes to allergies and asthma? Now is your chance to dazzle them with a few facts!  Did you know that : 10 people die from asthma every day in the U.S. Asthma is the most chronic disease among children Asthma is more common in boys than in girls  There are a LOT more facts on this page.  Allergy & Asthma Foundation of America (AAFA) has "31 Days of Action for Raising Asthma and Allergy Awareness in May 2021" I know...I am a bit late in posting this 😬  You can see what they have planned for each day. They have Healthy Home checklists, coloring books, watch parties, twitter chats, etc. Allergy & Asthma Day on Capitol Hill (AADCH) Allergy & Asthma Network sponsored an Allergy & Asthma Day on Capitol Hill. You can watch the video here , then contact your legislator about is...

  I love spring and the hope that comes with it! Today was a gorgeous day, so I decided to take a break from work and take a stroll around the block.  The temperature outside is just perfect, and the neighbors have lots of gorgeous flowers. So off I went. I wasn't far from the house when a neighbor stopped to chat. She pointed out the smoke coming from a nearby orchard. Oh great! I wasn't sure what was going on until I realized that the farmer was probably burning the branches from his orchard. I noticed most of the trees in the orchards around here have been pruned back so it's easier to reach the fruit.  I'm assuming the farmer is burning the extra branches. But - smoke is NOT a good thing for asthma!  In fact, I hadn't planned on experiencing an asthma trigger, so I didn't take my inhaler. Yikes! I mean, I'm just going around the block, right? I normally don't grab my purse.... I turned around and headed back home as fast as I could, and then made sur...

  I often talk to people who tell me they have had asthma FOREVER and so they know everything there is to know about asthma. Well, I don't think ANYONE knows all that there is to know about asthma.  And even if you have had asthma for a long time, asthma medications and treatment guidelines change. Look at the posters above.  The poster on the top is the 2020 version of "Respiratory Treatments" from Allergy & Asthma Network.  The poster on the bottom is also the "Respiratory Treatments" poster from Allergy & Asthma Network....... but it was made in 2014.  Look how much it has changed in 7 years!  Look how many more medications are on the market! Asthma is always changing. It's hard for the professionals to keep up with all of the changes. If your lungs are being cranky, and you are still doing what you have always done to treat your asthma, it may be time for a change.   Talk to your doctor and see if you are on the right treatment plan f...