Asthma and Life

My asthma worsens each month near my period. Thirty to forty percent of women with asthma who menstruate experience exacerbation of their asthma symptoms in relation to the menstrual cycle.

Jasmine was doing well when she was invited to sleep over at her friend Katelynn’s home. Jasmine’s mother didn’t know that Kate-lynn had a dog and a cat.

Unfortunately, many standard leases require that three-quarters of the floor in every room be carpeted to reduce sound in adjacent apartments, and daily vacuuming is a big task for the housewife with small children. Which is only to say that taking charge of one’s asthma is not an easy matter. Dust mite is a common indoor year-round allergen; allergy to dust mite has been associated with allergic rhinitis and asthma in children, as well as in adults.

Mindy is a toddler with mild persistent asthma. She had never been hospitalized or treated in the emergency room.

The risk of exposure to triggers is another important consideration at day care or school. You may have done everything necessary to remove asthma triggers from your home, but your child spends six or more hours each day in school or day care.

Influenza is a serious respiratory disease caused by the influenza virus. Influenza viruses are classified as types A, B, or C.

I’ve already indicated that, in my experience, with my own asthma and my daughters, doctors are slow to pick up on asthma symptoms if the patient does not really complain about them. But don’t let anyone talk you out of your symptoms or suggest that they are “all in your head”! Even an educated adult can have a confused reaction to the “sense of suffocation that comes with breathlessness, as did one young friend of mine who mistakenly attributed her feeling of panic in the dirty, particle-laden air of a New York City subway to psychological causes. She was starting a new job and, understandably, felt somewhat tense and nervous, but her breathing problems seemed “out-of-line” to her, inconsistent with her usual sensible self.

Pack one and a half times what you think you’ll need for the number of days you’ll be away in case you are delayed, the trip is extended, or you have to use more medicine than usual because your child experiences an asthma flare. All medicines should travel in appropriate containers. Keep them in the containers they came in from the pharmacy.

Kia’s asthma was diagnosed when she was a year old, only a few months after she started attending a day care program. Her parents gave copies of her asthma management plan to the day care director and Kia’s teacher.