I think Denver is good for my kid’s asthma.
Probably, I shouldn’t write that. Doctors will always tell you the same thing: don’t move somewhere to improve your child’s lung health. It won’t work.
Logically, I know that if my kid has persistent asthma, she’s going to have it anywhere, in any climate, at any altitude. And further, I recognize she could develop seasonal allergies to the plains grasses or some other new plant out here and that someday, the cold may start triggering her flares.
It’s hard to ignore the evidence, though:
So far, AG helped moved light boxes up and down 2 flights of stairs when we moved into the new house here. She’s played outside in the middle of a blizzard. She went sledding for over 3 hours the day after the blizzard. She even pulled her sled up an enormous hill during the end of that blizzard, while the snow was still blowing hard and her poor mother could barely breathe in the frigid, thin air. She’s hiked to the very top of the foothills next to my house. She’s run and played basketball and skated and exercised in all the other ways she used to in Florida, only here she’s done those things in 20-degree weather.
And not one flare. Not one cold-induced coughing fit.
While talking to Mr. Asthma Mom-In-Law the other night, I told him how I’d been half-afraid of moving to Colorado and finding everything wonderful except for AG’s health.
I’ve written before about questions from readers contemplating a move to the Denver area with asthma kids themselves – some even wish to move here because of their kids’ lungs. While I don’t think moving to a specific place just for health reasons is a good idea, (after all, if your kid doesn’t improve, then where will you be?) I do see the value of moving away from an unhealthy area, or a region with particularly bad air quality.
And your kid doesn’t have the same triggers and symptoms as my kid, of course, since no two asthma cases are alike. So this place could make your child flare worse at the same time that it appears to make mine flare less.
Despite knowing all this and despite recognizing how irresponsible it would be of me, I’ll admit there’s still a small voice in my head that wants to tell you, Move to Denver. You won’t regret it.
I don’t think I would do well there. Altitude. I think everything else there would be great for my lungs. I’m really, really glad that it’s working for little AG though! Wonderful news!
You and me both!
So happy you love your new home! You totally make me want to move to Denver!
WE love it here too!! We are trying to get our family to move- careers are getting in everyone’s way. We have way more visitor’s here, as there is so much to do here, than ever in Memphis.
Hi. I am considering a move because the two things that really set off my asthma are dust and smoke. We live in a very dusty and windy area, so I have frequent flare-ups, almost always when there is smoke (field burning) and or dust (moderate to high, dry dusty winds). I cannot help but think that moving away from such conditions would be likely to help my asthma, but moving is such a big deal at any age, and I am retired. Also, having asthma makes it more difficult to take on such a project. On the bright side, the asthma has turned to emphysema now, so I am concerned that by staying here I might be putting my life at risk.