Trying to Figure Out an Asthma Trigger

 

Have you had an asthma attack and aren't sure what triggered it?  

I had an asthma attack out shopping and I have no idea what triggered it. Sometimes, it's a mystery. 

Lately, I've had a few asthma attacks in my home office. 

I don't have an asthma attack every day at my desk, but often enough that I need to figure out what is making my lungs cranky. 

I feel like a detective that is trying to find clues and solve a mystery.  

Common asthma triggers

There are a LOT of asthma triggers - and they can change over time. A few of the most common are:

• Pet dander 
• Pests (mice and cockroaches)
• Pollen (tree pollen, grass pollen, weeds) 
• Strong scents (scented candles, essential oils, cleaners, perfumes, etc) 
• Smoke from cigarettes, vaping or marijuana) 
• Dust 
• Acid reflux 
• Cold, flu, or other infections 

There are many, many asthma triggers. You can see more from AAFA - Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. 

 

Suspect for my home office 

As I am trying to solve the mystery of my home office, I have zeroed in on dust. 

It's always been one of my worst asthma triggers.

I'm trying remember how long it's been since I removed everything from the top of my desk and dusted it. 

I think it's been too long.  

I dusted the top (with a duster that traps dust), and followed that with a low odor allergy and asthma friendly cleaner. 

Now it's time to vacuum all of the nooks and crannies around my desk. I have a corner shaped desk, and it's hard to get the vacuum to reach around all of the corners of my office. 

I'll also set a reminder in my phone to clean off my desk once a week. Since I'm writing this on Wednesday, I'll put a reminder in my phone that repeats on every Wednesday. 

Any other detectives out there? 

Have you had to be a detective to figure out an asthma trigger?

Did you figure it out? Or is it still a mystery?

Asthma lungs can be cranky and sometimes we can't figure out what triggered an asthma attack. It may help to review the list of asthma triggers from AAFA so you know what possible suspects triggered an asthma attack for you.  

Good luck fellow detectives!

Andrea