I can't wait for the day when my 7 year old daughter outgrows her asthma. It breaks my heart when my little girl is wheezing and having a difficult time breathing.
I give my daughter 2 allergy medications a day and her albuterol inhaler as needed. She goes through phases where she doesn't need the inhaler and then there are times when she uses it daily.
I have had a horrible time trying to figure out the causes for her asthma. Some things that trigger it today might not trigger it later and vise versa. She can play with her Grandma's dog but not my sister's dog. She can play hard at recess today and might have to cut it short tomorrow.
If any of you can relate to this then you understand what it's like to live with asthma. I put together some helpful tips that I use when dealing with this nightmare.
1. Learn what triggers the asthma. Our doctor did blood work and found that my daughter was allergic to many things including pork and animals.
2. Find a good doctor! It's so important to have a doctor that will work with you on a medication plan and answer ALL of your questions.
3. Be informed. Know the medications you give your child. Know how much and when to give. Some medications can cause a rapid heart beat, dizziness, and increased blood pressure if not used correctly.
4. Talk to your child. Let them know what they can and can't do with their medication. Talk to them about asthma and the plan you want to follow with them. They really will listen and we need to give them some credit. My daughter listens more than I think she does. :)
5. Breath. Having a great doctor and a good plan will help your child. If the plan isn't working, talk to your doctor and work on a new one.
Here are some other things that I do around the house to help as well:
*I vacuum and dust daily. I ask my daughter to wait about 15 minutes before she goes in the room that was just done. It allows everything to settle before she can breath in any allergens.
*I put an air purifier in her bedroom. I did get a great deal at amazon.com and I even got free shipping. I keep it on all the time and it's not very loud either.
*I wash her bedding once a week. I read that dust mites can settle on the bedding and those nasty mites can really set off her asthma.
*I spray the furniture, carpeting, and bedding with febreze allergen. This really does seem to help.
*We raised the head of her bed because I read that the airway inflammation can increase while we sleep.
*If my daughter does play with pets I do ask her to wash her hands when she is done.
Keep your head up! I don't think I need to put my daughter in a bubble, but I do know I need to help her as well. My doctor said that most children outgrow asthma. I look forward to that day, but in the meantime I will do my best to deal with it.
Here are some sites that I like:
http://www.ehealthmd.com/http://www.medicinenet.com/http://www.aaaai.org/
