My Life as an Asthma Mom

  It's that time of year again when I feel like a snotty little 2 year old.    I have a constant runny nose, I'm congested, sneezing, have itchy eyes, and I have a box of tissues at the ready.  I'm also coughing - a LOT.  I have been using more of my albuterol inhaler than I normally do. Even though I haven't missed any doses of my daily, anti inflammatory inhaler doses. Hello tree pollen! Many people don't realize that trees have pollen. If your allergies are acting up this time of year, it's not from spring flowers - it's probably from tree pollen.  Do you have a yellow dust covering your car? You can thank tree pollen for that.  How are allergies and asthma related? Most of people with asthma have allergic asthma - which means our body over reacts to common every day things, and that can trigger an asthma attack.  Common asthma triggers (allergens and irritants) are:   Acid reflux Air pollution Change in weather (cold to hot, or dry t...

  People are sometimes surprised to find out that strong emotions can trigger an asthma attack Those include: Fear  Anger  Crying  Excitement  Laughter Yelling  Stress  Crying triggering an asthma attack?   Have you been unlucky enough to get a phone call that a family member has passed away?   Before you say, "That's not how it works!" Listen up.   Most people picture a uniformed police officer slowly walking to the door of a house and taking a deep breathe before he knocks on the door to deliver the new     That’s not always how it works Over the years, I have had two random phone calls letting me know that one of my family members has passed away. The first time, it was from a neighbor in the town I grew up in. He saw the police cars and wanted to tell me himself, rather than have the officer    The second time, it was the state Medical Examiner’s office asking for help identifying my family member’s body. ...

                                                        https://www.ellaroberta.org/ I was listening to a podcast on vacation a few years ago and heard the story about Ella Roberta Adoo Kissi Debrah The WHO just spotlighted her story on their newsletter and that reminded me of Ella's story Did you know that Ella is the only person in the world to have cause of death listed as air pollution?  Ella was 7 when she was diagnosed with asthma She died at 9 years old  Yes, 9  Ella lived in South East London and had over 30 hospital admissions in two years time She died in 2012 Her death certificate listed "acute respiratory failure" Lack of asthma education Doctors had run numerous tests on Ella and told mom ...

 This was what my son looked like 25 years ago when we received a surprise asthma diagnosis in the hospital. Except he should also have an oxygen mask on too.  As I learned more about asthma, I realized that it wasn't normal to cough and be short of breath all the time. Well, huh. I was also diagnosed with asthma, as was my young daughter and older son. I would like a refund on my genetics please.  What I Wish I Had 25 Years Ago Trust Your Instinct  You are the expert on your body. You know when something isn't right for you, your children, or another family member you care for. I had read a magazine article about asthma, and was sure my son had it. But the pediatrician said no. A few weeks later, my son was hospitalized and THEN I found out he had asthma.  If your doctor won't listen to you, find one that will. Asthma Education would have been helpful.  25 years ago, computers weren't common, and smart phones didn't exist. I couldn't sit at my son's bedsi...

If you want to learn about asthma, you want to learn from the best and brightest in their profession, right?  An Asthma Educator Specialist is a someone who specializes in teaching patients and their families about asthma.  They stay updated on the latest research and guidelines by attending annual asthma conferences, and only share evidence based information with families (rather than folk remedies).  I'm talking about you essential oils and homeopathic drops... An Asthma Educator Specialist was originally called a Certified Asthma Educator (AE-C) and was credentialed through the National Asthma Education Credentialing Board. I took and passed the exam from them back in 2016. This credential is now offered through the National Board for Respiratory Care and the name has changed to "Asthma Educator Specialist." https://www.nbrc.org/ What's the big deal about an Asthma Educator Specialist?  As I mentioned earlier, people will share ideas about folk remedies that they...