My Life as an Asthma Mom

  Let's face it, most moms are responsible for planning and making the holidays magical for our families  Cooking, shopping, decorating the tree and house, planning activities, arranging family photos and coordinating outfits, writing out holiday cards, etc.   Did you know that all of that stress can cause an asthma attack? Stress is a known asthma trigger.  So are strong emotions such as anger, fear, sadness, laughter, or excitement. And you may experience all of those emotions - sometimes in one day during the holidays!  Toxic workplaces can take a toll on your stress and emotions.  Traffic seems to be much worse during the holidays. I had several near accidents last week because people didn't use their blinkers. I will gladly let you in my lane, but I can't read your mind. If you want to pull over in front of me, put your blinker on! Family gatherings can be an adventure. Just because you are all related doesn't mean you will see eye to eye on ...

  We are a family of 5, and four of us have asthma. Sigh. My 3 kids are adults now, but when they were younger they were sick - All. The. Time. After a bad experience with our primary care doctor, we switched their asthma care to a specialist.  I then learned the importance of making sure my kids took their daily, controller inhalers every morning and every night. (Many doctors are now referring to the inhalers as "anti inflammatory' inhalers so patients understand how they work.)  You can see the bronchial tube on the right is more swollen than the bronchial tube on the left. When your bronchial tubes swell (because you were exposed to an asthma trigger), they will  make mucus to protect your bronchial tubes.  You can see how hard it would be to breathe through a bronchial tube that was swollen on the inside and full of mucus. And then (as if that wasn't bad enough already), the smooth muscles bands around the outside also shorten and squeeze.  So you have...

  Thanksgiving is over, and it's time for the holidays.    My friends are posting picture perfect Instagram pics of their family at the Christmas tree lots.  And we are pulling out our carefully packaged Christmas tree from the storeroom. Sigh. No pesky needles to sweep up and no fresh pine trees to cause allergies and an asthma attack.   We are a family of 5, and all 5 of us have allergies – to everything. Trees, grass, flowers, bushes, cats, dogs, horses – basically anything that is alive. And that includes Christmas trees. It’s not that we haven’t tried to treat our allergies. Not only do I buy allergy medicine and allergy nose spray in bulk at the warehouse store, but we have all completed allergy shots.      My youngest is in college and is actually repeated her allergy shots now.   In fact, she set the record for the allergy clinic for the most vials of serum needed for one patient! She gets 6 shots each time (3 in each...

  Most of us know the basics of managing asthma - taking your controller or reliever inhalers morning and night.  And using an albuterol inhaler or a nebulizer for a breathing treatment when you are sick or having an asthma attack.    But what about the invisible workload in managing a disease?    Making appointments  There is a new system at my doctor's office for being able to schedule an online appointment, but the system doesn't actually work. I made an appointment online, but as the time got closer, I didn't get a reminder or link to check in.  So I'm stuck on hold waiting to talk to a receptionist and schedule an appointment. Why is this a lot of work? Because all three of my kids and I had allergy shots twice a week to help desensitize our bodies to everything we are allergic to.  We all had such large and hot welts after injections that we couldn't increase the serum. So we  would be stuck at the same dose for weeks. Which me...

 Most know the basics signs and symptoms of asthma:  Coughing  Wheezing  Shortness of breathe Chest tightness But there are many diseases that can have the same symptoms, but "mimic" asthma. I'll list a few of the most common here, so buckle up!   Asthma mimickers  Alpha-1 - the full name   is Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Deficiency and it's a genetic disease that can damage the liver and/or lungs. This happens when your body lacks a protein in the blood alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) made by the liver.  This protein protects the lungs from swelling. But it can build up in the liver and cause liver disease. Bronchiectasis   -  this chronic lung disease causes the airways to swell, widened, and sometimes scar. The mucus that normally helps your body get rid of dust germs and other tiny particles you inhale is too thick - which means it's hard to clear out by coughing. That thick mucus can grow bacteria, which leads to more swelling and damage....