My Life as an Asthma Mom

  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...