My Life as an Asthma Mom

Last night, Hubby asked me "What the difference between a food intolerance and a food allergy?"  Well, one will make you pretty miserable, but the other can kill you.  To be fair, Hubby doesn't know everything about my field of expertise. Just like I don't know everything there is to know about his job. Food Intolerance A family member just realized they are lactose intolerant. The symptoms they were having  stomach cramps, gas, nausea, diarrhea and bloating. Healthline has a whole list of symptoms you could experience:  Diarrhea Bloating Rashes Headaches Nausea Fatigue Abdominal pain Runny nose Reflux Flushing of the skin Hmm, sounds kind of like some of the symptoms you can have during an allergic reaction (anaphylaxis.) If it's a food intolerance, doctors recommend an  elimination diet t o make your life so much more enjoyable. Food allergy   With a food allergy, your body reacts to a foo...

I am more than a bit nervous about my state's plan to "reopen"  after Stay at Home recommendations.  The Governor says it will be a "slow" reopening. Industry by industry. That's like the Disneyland employees that tell people NOT to run to the Indiana Jones ride when they open the gates - and do people listen?  To quote Kronk: People won't listen to this "slow and gradual" reopening either.  I still see groups of people hanging out at parks, etc. I think they have the old "It Won't Happen To Me" syndrome. And I'm shocked that people aren't wearing masks (or bandannas) when I go for a drive. I felt a little better as I was listening to a webinar from Allergy & Asthma Network  "Psychological Impact & Interventions for Patients and Providers During the COVID 19 Crisis." I know some people think we are overreacting in self-isolating our family. But - with multiple hospitalizati...

I was part of a virtual conference last week. A group of patients with asthma and a group of doctors were talking about what is important to look for in a new asthma medication.  It was a global group, and it was interesting to see how different patients interpret their asthma. What was important to me wasn't important to others.    The doctors also saw things very differently.    One thing we discussed was lung pain. Why is it that an important symptom for me?   Because when that happens, I know my lungs are in big trouble.   How Lung Pain Helps Me   Two years ago, I was eating lunch when I noticed my lungs felt like they were burning. I thought that was VERY strange because the only time my lungs burn is when I'm really sick with the flu/bronchitis/pneumonia. For me, the lung pain starts on Day 4 of an illness. No idea why - that's just what my body does.  The problem was - I wasn't sick. I didn't have a ...

Okay, found this online. My daughter loves Parks n Rec.  Anyone else struggling with allergies this time of year? If I step outside, my nose starts to run and I start to sneeze. Not usually a problem this time of year. Until COVID-19. Now people look at me like I am carrying the plague.  For people who know me, I'll just say "don't panic - it's just a high pollen count today." If I'm at the pharmacy or grocery store (only places I go these days), and sniff my nose or sneeze, people give me the Stare of Death and scurry off.  I should wear a shirt that says "It's Just Allergies!" There are lots of websites online that sell allergy t-shirts.  In fact, I should buy a 5 pack of t-shirts since the whole family has allergies.  We buy allergy pills, nose spray and tissues in bulk at the warehouse story. Seriously. I know it's important that we all keep taking our allergy medicine. If we don't, our asthm...

    Are y'all sick of self isolation? Luckily, all my kids are now adults. The two youngest are in college but they are hanging out at the house. They are NOT about to keep working in their service jobs.  Son #2 refuses to go to work (luckily his boss is understanding.)  And Kitty's chain of theaters shut down and fired all employees nationwide, so she is out of a job. I told both of them that we will support them financially until it's safe for them to be out in public. When they were younger, they were hospitalized 12 times (and this was just the normal complications of asthma. )  If any of my 3 kids with asthma get Coronavirus (COVID19), they'll be admitted to the hospital again. Come to think of it, so will I. I had a nasty case of influenza 2 years ago and came close to being admitted.  I hate asthma. What can we all doing to keep busy? The Hubby and I are working from home and luckily we each have our own offices.  ...

  For those worried about asthma and COVID 19 (Coronavirus), this is the most updated info from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) as of March 16th, 2020. I enlarged this so you can read it (hopefully), but the most important thing I read was: "COVID-19 can affect your respiratory tract (nose, throat, lungs), cause an asthma attack, and possibly lead to pneumonia an acute respiratory distress." Of the 12 hospitalizations for daughter Kitty and Son #2, almost all of them were due to pneumonia. I can't begin to describe how terrifying that was for our whole family. My kids would usually spend 3 days in the hospital, and then were discharged to come home on oxygen. They would be on oxygen for another week, and it was a long, slow recovery. They were usually weak and struggled to do anything other than watch videos or play video games. Those with asthma are ALWAYS hit harder with any respiratory disease (the cold, the flu, etc.) But now even hea...

It's March, and instead of thinking about March madness, we are worried about asthma supplies. My friends are all posting pictures of empty store shelves. People are panicked about running out of food and water (and toilet paper!)  I'm not sure if people realize that you can still turn on the tap and water will come out? This isn't a natural disaster like a tornado or hurricane - infrastructure will still work!  My worry is running out of asthma meds for the nebulizer.   With a family of 5, 4 of whom have asthma, we take precautions around sick people, avoid germs, and stock up on asthma meds ALL THE TIME! Welcome to our world! We are in that small percentage of people who get REALLY sick with respiratory infections. In fact, my kids have been in the hospital 12 times. Thanks asthma.  For the past 20 years, we have used alcohol wipes, hand sanitizer and hand wipes. We wash our hands so often that we run through a LOT of soap. We w...