Asthma
This is going to be a long thirty days. I'm already at a loss as to what to write about.
I have a question for you, flist. Could any of you point me towards some resources for asthmatics? My asthma has gotten progressively worse during the last year, and I don't really know what to do about it. When I was diagnosed (seven years ago), my doctor pretty much just wrote me a prescription for Singulair and albuterol and sent me on my way. I don't know anything about what to do when I get short of breath, how long I should wait before using my inhaler (I used to wait until I was light-headed and feeling like I was about to suffocate--according to my campus doctor, that's too long), or what's worth seeing a doctor over (my pediatrician said I should have gone to the emergency room once when I had bad chest pains with the flu--but my asthma always gives me chest pains). No one told me anything, and now my attacks are getting worse and more frequent and I'm a little worried/annoyed. I know there ought to be breathing exercises or little tricks to do when I'm just feeling short of breath, but I haven't been able to find anything, and what I do know I've had to learn all on my own.
Any yes, I do plan to bring this up to a doctor, but what I'm mostly looking for are information on triggers, tips on breathing, etc. Most of the websites I've looked at have really basic information, and I know there must be little tips and tricks that other asthmatics have learned out there somewhere.
Rachel didn't know I have asthma. I'm a little surprised. I guess I've never used my inhaler in front of her, but I just assumed it had come up before. Guess not. I think a lot of people forget or just don't know because I try to keep it quiet. I'm always afraid that people will get overly concerned if they know I'm having an attack, when I know it's unwarranted because my attacks aren't that bad.
Except that backfires when I do have a bad attack. My family knows it's not that big of a deal, so when I had a four-hour-long attack this summer that the inhaler didn't affect, dad made some sarcastic comment about me not being sick (in retrospect, he might not have known I was having an attack, but it pissed me off at the time), and my entire family left me alone in the house. I was clutching my cell phone so that if I felt like I was going to pass out I could page someone and get help before I died. I was incredibly pissed that the one time I was really sick, no one seemed to care. And I still don't know if I should have gone to the hospital or not. Luckily it went away, but I don't know where the cutoff is for asking for medical help.
Well, that was a cheerful entry. This came to mind because I had a minor attack this morning that I just couldn't seem to shake even though it's warmer today than it has been in the last two weeks (cold air is my major trigger). It's bugging me that it's starting to get worse now, after all this time. I can't find a reason for it.
I have a question for you, flist. Could any of you point me towards some resources for asthmatics? My asthma has gotten progressively worse during the last year, and I don't really know what to do about it. When I was diagnosed (seven years ago), my doctor pretty much just wrote me a prescription for Singulair and albuterol and sent me on my way. I don't know anything about what to do when I get short of breath, how long I should wait before using my inhaler (I used to wait until I was light-headed and feeling like I was about to suffocate--according to my campus doctor, that's too long), or what's worth seeing a doctor over (my pediatrician said I should have gone to the emergency room once when I had bad chest pains with the flu--but my asthma always gives me chest pains). No one told me anything, and now my attacks are getting worse and more frequent and I'm a little worried/annoyed. I know there ought to be breathing exercises or little tricks to do when I'm just feeling short of breath, but I haven't been able to find anything, and what I do know I've had to learn all on my own.
Any yes, I do plan to bring this up to a doctor, but what I'm mostly looking for are information on triggers, tips on breathing, etc. Most of the websites I've looked at have really basic information, and I know there must be little tips and tricks that other asthmatics have learned out there somewhere.
Rachel didn't know I have asthma. I'm a little surprised. I guess I've never used my inhaler in front of her, but I just assumed it had come up before. Guess not. I think a lot of people forget or just don't know because I try to keep it quiet. I'm always afraid that people will get overly concerned if they know I'm having an attack, when I know it's unwarranted because my attacks aren't that bad.
Except that backfires when I do have a bad attack. My family knows it's not that big of a deal, so when I had a four-hour-long attack this summer that the inhaler didn't affect, dad made some sarcastic comment about me not being sick (in retrospect, he might not have known I was having an attack, but it pissed me off at the time), and my entire family left me alone in the house. I was clutching my cell phone so that if I felt like I was going to pass out I could page someone and get help before I died. I was incredibly pissed that the one time I was really sick, no one seemed to care. And I still don't know if I should have gone to the hospital or not. Luckily it went away, but I don't know where the cutoff is for asking for medical help.
Well, that was a cheerful entry. This came to mind because I had a minor attack this morning that I just couldn't seem to shake even though it's warmer today than it has been in the last two weeks (cold air is my major trigger). It's bugging me that it's starting to get worse now, after all this time. I can't find a reason for it.