My Life as an Asthma Mom

It's that time of year again - flu season. It can start now and last through spring.   Anytime I am around someone who is sneezing or coughing, I back away.........I don't want to catch it! Any cold or flu is always worse when you have asthma.  CDC estimates that 226,000 people are hospitalized every year thanks to influenza (the flu.)  3,000 - 49,000 people DIE every year from complications of the flu. Yikes! Complications can be pneumonia, bronchitis, sinus infections and ear infections. When my kids were little, they were hospitalized 12 times for asthma - and almost all of those were because they started with a cold or flu and ended up with pneumonia. It's scary stuff to watch your child struggling to breathe.  I also have asthma and have had pneumonia numerous times, so I know what it feels like. For me, it feels like I was hit by a truck. I get a fever and chills and my body hurts all over, and I am so weak that I can't eat or drin...

Image from FARE (Food Allergy and Research & Education) Teal Pumpkin Project™ "The TEAL PUMPKIN PROJECT and the Teal Pumpkin Image are trademarks of Food Allergy Research & Education (FARE)." I blogged about the Teal Pumpkin project last year. It was a new idea to let kids with food allergies be able to Trick or Treat on Halloween! How? If there is a teal pumpkin on the front porch, or a Teal Pumpkin sign on the lawn (or front of the house), that lets parents know that are non-food treats at that home. The kids could score some really cool stuff - like bubbles, glow sticks, small toys, stickers, etc. So, they can still Trick or Treat, but instead of worrying about food allergies, they can get some really cool stuff!  If you have a child with food allergies, you know how hard it is to always have to check food labels. If there is a candy bar with tree nuts (Almond Joy) in a big bowl of candy, can my son eat any of the candy in the bowl...

I saw a story on abc NEWS about Kyle Schwartz, who is an elementary teacher at Doull Elementary school in Denver. She wanted to get to know her students better, so she had an assignment for them. They had to finish the sentence,  "I wish my teacher knew ____________" She was surprised at the what the kids wrote. Things such as:   "I wish my teacher knew that I don't have any pencils at home to do my homework" "I wish my teacher knew that my reading log is not signed because my mom is not around a lot." She started a hash tag #IWISHMYTEACHERKNEW  If you watch the video in the link above, make sure you have some tissues handy, it tugs at your heart strings! Her idea went viral, there were so many people who LOVED what she was doing! Others have copied her idea.  It made me think - what do I want people to know about asthma? Everyone with asthma has a different story to tell. So, tell me yours! My sentence has a little...

Do you have itchy, watery eyes? Some people think the only time they have allergies is in the spring when the flowers are blooming. WRONG! Many people can also have fall allergies. My kids are complaining about itchy, watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing and a throat that won't stop itching. Hellllllooooooo Ragweed!  Fox 59 in Indianapolis had a story on the news this week about fall allergies. They said one ragweed plant can produce up to 1 billion grains of pollen each year. Yuck!!  Mold is also common in the fall. You know how your kids love to rake leaves into a pile and jump in? Better be careful - the leaves are full of mold.  The Fox 59 story has several helpful things you can do: "The first and most critical step to controlling allergies is to avoid triggers. Avoiding ragweed is similar to avoiding Spring pollen. Minimize time outdoors, keep windows shut during the day, and check ragweed pollen counts. Avoiding mold is a little d...

Many of you who read my blog know that I am VERY nervous when it comes to forest fires. Son #2 ended up in ICU and almost died several years ago when we had a fire here. The whole valley filled with smoke (and smoke and asthma are NOT a good mix!) I just read a story called "Pulmonary Crisis: Wildfires Have the West Wheezing" It's so scary to read about what is happening to people with asthma in California. Did you know they  had to close schools in Central California?! (I know that's every kid's dream - that school is closed - but I'm not sure if that means they are stuck in their house of if they can take off to the beach.) The article says, "Record drought in the Western US that has contributed to an explosive wildfire season is sending droves of wheezing, coughing patients to physicians and asthma clinics." No wonder people with asthma are having a hard time! In the article, they list all of the pollutants in the smoke (it...

Some of you may have already read about the new study that showed that feeding babies peanut products early may prevent an allergy to peanuts later in life. Hmmm.  The American Academy of Pediatrics said:  "The medically supervised study tracked 640 babies with severe eczema, egg allergy or both. Half ate a peanut product at least three times a week for five years. Half avoided peanut products. Infants who were fed peanut products were at a much lower risk of having a peanut allergy at the end of the study. “The high-risk infants in this study were tested to be sure they were not already allergic to peanut,” said Scott Sicherer, M.D., FAAP, an AAP expert in pediatric allergy and immunology. “At age 5 years, only 3% of the infants randomized to eat peanut had peanut allergy compared to 17% among those avoiding it.” In the article, they remind...

I can't keep up with technology. Good thing I have two adult sons and one teenager who can help me with my new things (did you know you can use your thumbprint to access your iphone instead of trying to type in a 4 digit code every time?! Thanks to daughter Kitty for showing me that and setting up my phone. I LOVE IT!!!!) Did you also know that in some states, if your child has Medicaid, they can see a doctor virtually from school? You don't have to leave work and your child doesn't have to leave school. I just read an article about a school district in Texas. Here's how they explain the program: "They say adults shouldn’t have to take time off work and kids shouldn’t have to miss school to get routine health care, like when a child has an ear infection or skin rash, because modern technology allows a remote doctor to get high-quality, instantaneous information about patients. An electronic stethoscope allows the doctor to hear a child’s h...