My Life as an Asthma Mom

I just saw a post from TikTok school nurse who discovered that fingertip oxygen monitors (pulse ox) aren't accurate on dark skin.  I know school nurse aren't experts in all areas, and my kid's school nurses were always frantic treating  concussions, diabetes, broken bones, stomach flu, pink eye, lice, etc. So it's no wonder this nurse didn't hear about the problem with wrong readings on oxygen monitors.   Pandemic discovery in 2020    The finding about the problem with finger tip oxygen monitors was discovered during the pandemic in spring of 2020.   Doctors in a Detroit hospital in Ann Arbor noticed that their patients with dark skin seemed to have higher oxygen levels that didn't match the patient's symptoms.  And that the oxygen level (pulse ox) didn't match the oxygen level during a blood draw from the artery (this is different from when they draw blood from a vein.)  An arterial blood gas (ABG) draws blood from an artery to check ox...

  With a family of 5 (4 with asthma) we often had a hard time affording our asthma inhalers.  We couldn't afford the copay for my son's pricey asthma biologic and I didn't know what to do. Somehow I found NeedyMeds.   This is NOT a sponsored post, I'm just sharing a resource I found with others who are also struggling to pay for prescriptions.  The NeedyMeds website changes often and is a one stop shop to find:  Coupons, rebates, or co-pay help for medicine  Affordable medical clinics, dental clinics, behavioral health clinics, or substance use disorder clinics  Education about your disease     The website was hard for me to figure out, so I'm sharing what I learned  Finding help paying for prescriptions    This is the main page for NeedyMeds   Then I click on "Savings" on the top bar which takes me to "Search Drugs"      You can search by Brand Name Drug - or Generic Drug    For ...

  As a mom to three adult kids with asthma, the one piece of advice I would give other moms is to trust your gut.  If you think something is wrong with your child, something probably is.  I know my child better than any doctor does. They are brilliant when it comes to their medical knowledge about asthma, but my child may not fit a text book explanation.  Two kids in the hospital at the same time  There were numerous times I would take one of my kids to the pediatrician because they were sick and their cough sounded TERRIBLE! If you have kids with asthma, you know what I'm talking about.  One time, Middle Son was very sick. He was taking his daily, controller (anti-inflammatory) inhaler twice a day, was taking oral steroids, and he was still getting worse.  I had taken him to the pediatrician to listen to my son's lungs. Pediatrician said it was "just a virus" and we had to let it take it's course.  I knew something else was going on. I had a hunc...

  Have you heard of "Asthma Peak Week"?  Asthma Peak Week happens the 3rd week of September every year.   What is Asthma Peak Week? There are more asthma flares, ER visits, and children hospitalized with asthma during the 3rd week of September than any other time of year.  Weird, right?  You might think the worst time of year for asthma flares and asthma hospital visits is  in the winter, during flu season. But - its right after school starts.    Doctors and hospitals noticed this trend happening the 3rd week of every year, and it's so common that researchers have studied it and it's well documented.    They dubbed it Asthma Peak Week.    So Why is the 3rd Week of September Asthma Peak Week? Many kids go back to school in September (or August in some states).  There are many things that seem to converge at the same time kids go back to school.  Environmental triggers such as: weather changes  fall pollen (ra...

  I got up one morning, and a window had been left open. The moment I sat near the window, I started a sneeze fest. I couldn't stop sneezing. They just came rapid fire like the videos you see online of a cat or dog sneezing  I almost fell off the chair I was sneezing so hard. My family started laughing and then I realized.......ragweed. Yep, it's ragweed season.  Allergies follow a seasonal pattern Spring allergies caused by tree pollen  (yes, trees have pollen).  Summer allergies are caused by grass pollen. (Tree pollen and grass pollen can overlap). Fall allergies are caused by ragweed pollen , but you can also have allergies to molds.  You may not see any ragweed plants around, but did you know that ragweed can travel hundreds of miles? It's been found 400 miles out in the ocean - and also 2 miles up in space! Not kidding.  Just because there aren't ragweed plants nearby doesn't mean you're safe.  How to manage ragweed season  You can u...

  Here we go again - my friends are posting pics of their kids first day back of school.   My kids are grown up now, but I remember buying back to school clothes, shoes, and school supplies.  But when you have kids with a chronic medical disease, the there is a lot more to do to prepare for school. I needed to make sure my kids with asthma were safe.   1. Meet my kid's teachers  When my kids were little, I was always the first parent in the classroom to talk to their teacher during back to school night. It was vital that my kid's teachers know their medical background (having severe asthma and multiple hospitalizations.)   I volunteered with the PTA, and with three kids with asthma, the teachers knew us, knew about severe asthma, ER trips, hospital admissions, being discharged on oxygen, and missing school.   I would give each teacher my cell number and tell them to call me if my child was having an asthma attack. I alwa...