My Life as an Asthma Mom

  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...

Did you know that you can have an asthma attack from burned food? Someone (who is not me...) cooked dinner and burned the food. Happens to us all, right?  I was in another room and could smell the burned food, and then I saw my air purifier kick to high gear and the red light came on.  Then my cough started, and I was coughing so hard I started gagging.  My family quickly assembled my nebulizer and brought it to me so I could have a breathing treatment.  I coughed so hard, I lost my voice.  My husband said it was the best part of the night! 🙄😆 He thinks he's funny... Who wouldn't want to listen to me babbling all night long?!  Asthma triggers - irritants  If you have allergies and asthma, you may have an asthma attack from things you are allergic to - pollen, dogs or cats, dust, etc.  But did you know that irritants can also cause an asthma attack? Crazy, right?  Some irritants are: Air pollution  Tobacco/vape smoke Strong scented cle...

My asthma has been out of control for a while.   I set an appointment with my doctor because I knew I needed my asthma meds adjusted.  This spring, we had high pollen levels.The tree pollen and grass pollen were at high levels at the same time, so I was miserable.  Despite using daily controller inhalers twice a day (and using a spacer so I would make sure inhaled all of the medicine), I was still coughing every day.   How to know if your asthma is out of control  There's an easy way to tell if your asthma is uncontrolled. It's called "The Rules of Two®" . If: You need your reliever/rescue/albuterol inhaler more than 2 x a week You wake up during the night with asthma symptoms more than 2 x a month  You need to refill your albuterol inhaler more than 2 x per year  As a certified asthma educator (AE-C), I knew the Rules of Two® because I have taught people about it for years. And - I knew my asthma was out of control because I needed my inhale...

Do you or a loved one have food allergies? Have they had a severe allergic reaction to a food? You may know about anaphylaxis, but have you heard of "rebound anaphylaxis?" It's also called a "biphasic reaction."  I have heard of it, but didn't think it would happen to me or my adult son.   Anaphylaxis   I have food allergies, as does my Middle Son.   My last post was about my son having anaphylaxis from careless cross contact at a restaurant. (Yes, we reported it to the local health department so a food inspector could pay a visit to the restaurant).  I was so relieved my son recognized the symptoms of anaphylaxis, self injected, and had a roommate rush him to the E.R.  Fast forward 2 weeks, and I received another late night call that my son was having anaphylaxis and was being rushed to the E.R. - again. He was puzzled about what caused this reaction, but wondered if it was a piece of bread he borrowed from a roommate. It was a different brand th...

  I had to laugh when a young mom said, "It must be nice that your kids are adults, because they don't need you anymore." Oh, that sweet, innocent young thing. I told her that once you're a parent, you're a parent for the rest of you life. You don't stop being a parent when your kids turn 18.   Late night phone call   Case in point: I received a late night call from Middle Son, who could barely speak and said that he was having anaphylaxis - and his roommate was driving him to the hospital.  My muscle memory kicked in, and I threw on comfy clothes for a long night/early morning in the ER. I also grabbed my phone charger, allergy free snacks, and a drink.  This isn't my first rodeo.  My kids have been in the ER countless times due to asthma (made worse by RSV, pneumonia, and wildfire smoke). Of course, they would always get worse in the middle of the night. So I knew what to pack for a sudden late night hospital visit.  After a quick chec...