My Life as an Asthma Mom

  I was diagnosed with asthma in my 30's, and I thought, "Well, that explains a few things...." My young son was hospitalized with "breathing problems" - and THEN he was diagnosed with asthma. I had suspected my son had asthma after reading an article in a parenting magazine, but the pediatrician said my son did not have asthma, it was "just a virus". It was not.  It was asthma.   When I was learning about asthma after my son's diagnosis, I thought that the signs and symptoms of asthma sounded very familiar. In fact, I had them my whole life, but thought it was normal! Hint: it's not. Common asthma symptoms are: chest tightness  shortness of breath coughing  difficulty breathing  wheezing**  **It's important to know that there are people with asthma who do NOT wheeze (like me).  I have cough variant asthma , and don't wheeze. I have to mention that to the doctor at Urgent Care when I'm sick. Don't listen for wheezing, because y...

Like many of you, I visited family graves during Memorial Day.  As we visited the graves of my dad and other family members who fought in World War II, I shared memories with my family.  My great uncle served in World War II (and suffered lasting consequences which took his life). He was buried near his wife and their four infants.  They had lost all four babies back in the late 1930's and early 1940's due to the HR factor.  Cleveland Clinic says: Rh incompatibility happens when a woman who's RH-negative is pregnant with a baby who is RH-positive. The woman's immune system reacts to this difference and makes antibodies. The antibodies then attack the baby's red blood cells (because the woman's body thinks the RH positive blood cells are an invader It's important to know your blood type BEFORE you become pregnant. If not treated, babies can have hemolytic anemia, liver failure, jaundice or heart failure, which can result in a stillbirth.   Now they hav...

    Have you been coughing so hard from an asthma attack that you threw up? Or almost threw up? That happened to me yesterday.   I have NO idea what caused it, but tree and grass pollen are out, so I don't know if that made my lungs cranky.  I was coughing so hard that I had tears running down my face. And I could barely keep my hands still to fill up my medicine cup and turn on the nebulizer for a breathing treatment.   When I cough that hard, it is impossible for me to use an inhaler. I literally cannot inhale deep enough to use an inhaler.   I need to just sit there on the couch while I breath in the mist from my nebulizer.   Paroxysmal cough   What is paroxysmal cough?   Cleveland Clinic says:  "Paroxysmal cough is an uncontrollable coughing fit. It’s often violent and keeps you from getting a breath. You might gag, vomit or even pass out."  I panicked last night when I had a paroxysmal cough. I ...

  I store tissues like a squirrel stores nuts.  I have tissues EVERYWHERE and buy tissues in bulk (not kidding). I have a box in the living room, a box in my bedroom, a box in my office - plus travel side packs of tissues in my car, purse, and in every jacket I own.  This time of year is awful. In my area, the tree pollen is in the RED (or high) category . The trees have been blooming for months, because we have had a very mild and unseasonably warm winter.  And now, just for fun, grass pollen is in the  YELLOW (medium) category.    So now there are two major sources of pollen blooming at the same time.  Do I sound and feel like a snotty little two year old? Yes. Are my allergies impacting my asthma? Also yes.  How do allergies (hay fever) make asthma worse? Many of the people with allergies also have asthma . Lucky us! They go together like peanut butter and jelly. Like macaroni and cheese.  Many of the things that cause hay fever sympt...

      Do you or a loved one struggle with hoarding?  Hoarding can range from mild to severe. Sometimes, it may not affect your life, but other times it can make it hard to function in your house or apartment.  What is hoarding?  Mayo Clinic defines hoarding as having a hard time throwing things away because you think you need to save them. You might be upset with the thought of getting rid of things. And you might slowly save a huge number of items and not notice how big the piles are getting.  How did those piles get so big?!  Hoarding can make it hard to use your house if you only have a small pathway to get from room to room, and piles are taking over your stove, sink, countertops, bed, etc.  Symptoms of hoarding are:  Having a hard time organizing  Avoiding or delaying decisions, and trying to be perfect Feeling a need to save items and getting upset by the thought of getting rid of them  Buying and keeping too many things ...

  Do you feel like you have a chronically stuffy nose?  No matter how often I blow my nose, use an antihistamine, or use my corticosteroid nose spray, nothing helps.   I have been feeling like a stuffy little 2 year old toddler for a while, and set an appointment with my allergist.  I had heard about nasal polyps, and wondered if I had polyps in my nose that were making it hard to breathe. I noticed: I breathe through my mouth  My nose is always stuffed up I was snoring at night (so my husband says...)  What are nasal polyps?   Nasal polyps are painless growths in the sinuses or inside the nose. They aren't cancer, just harmless growths. But, they can block the nose and make it hard to breath.   You can use medicine to shrink the polyps or you may need surgery to remove them.  What did my allergist say?  As part of the exam, she looked in my nose with her nasal endoscope and said, "Oh wow! You have HUGE turbinates! Do you have...