It’s impossible, I think, to overstate the impact that asthma cough fests can have on your (read: my) emotional state. Friends and family that never see the worst of a child’s respiratory problems, that can’t join in at 2:00 in the morning for breathing treatments during the rough times, that never hear the hacking that [...]

Filed under: Asthma Glossaries, H1N1 (Swine Flu), My Asthma Girl & Me, Reader Response, The Sickroom, Tips & Tricks | 20 people talking »

Usually I lead with asthma and health links, but today let’s acknowledge a historic moment first:
Barack Obama Enters the Record Books as First African-American Presidential Candidate of a Major Party
Watching history unfold like this is a remarkable thing, no matter who you’re voting for.
Physical and Sexual Abuse Increases Asthma Risk in Kids
While the link between [...]

Filed under: Air Quality, Asthma Glossaries, Asthma Triggers, News & Research, School and Sports | 1 person talking »

All right, here’s the final installment of the glossary, basically the leftovers from the earlier sections. As always, you can read the whole Glossary in the tab above or check out individual subjects.
Asthma action plan – an individual step-by-step written plan for preventing and treating asthma flares. Asthma action plans use the patient’s peak flow [...]

Filed under: Asthma Glossaries | 2 people talking »

Next-to-last installment of the asthma glossary. As always, see the tab above for the whole thing.
Allergist – specialist in the allergy and asthma fields. Allergists conduct allergy tests, administer sensitivity shots, and prescribe medications for allergies and asthma. While allergists have extensive training in asthma, they are not lung specialists the way pulmonologists are. For [...]

Filed under: Asthma Glossaries | 2 people talking »

Dry powder inhaler (DPI) – a small, handheld plastic container that contains asthma relief medications in powder form. Unlike metered dose inhalers, which require users to push down on the device to release medicine, DPIs use a breath-activated delivery. When a patient takes a deep enough breath on the DPI, it releases the right dose. [...]

Filed under: Asthma Glossaries, Lung Drugs | 2 people talking »

Well, it is pollen season and my area’s at its peak, so here’s the allergy segment of my Asthma Glossary.
Allergen – substance causing an allergic reaction. An allergen is an antigen that, in non-allergic people, doesn’t invoke the immune response.
Allergy – excessive immune response to an antigen, or foreign substance, not normally harmful to the [...]

Filed under: Asthma Glossaries | Talk to me »

What’s a bronchodilator, anyway?
How can antihistamines help asthma symptoms?
Here’s another addition to the Asthma Mom Glossary, definitions for all the asthma and asthma-related meds I can think of. Did I leave one out? Just let me know.

Antibiotic – destroys or stops the growth of bacteria that causes an infection. Antibiotics will not heal viral illnesses [...]

Filed under: Asthma Glossaries, Lung Drugs | 2 people talking »

Bronchospasm – smooth muscle contractions/tightening around the bronchioles (airways), narrowing them and restricting airflow. Bronchospasms are part of an asthma flare.
Cyanosis – blue-tinted skin, starting around the mouth and resulting from lack of oxygen in the blood. Usually starts to occur when oxygen saturation in the blood drops below 90% but may not be noticeable [...]

Filed under: Asthma Glossaries | 4 people talking »

Unless you’re new to this blog, you know my basic asthma story:
1. Terrified girl has unplanned pregnancy at 22, becomes mother at 23.
2. Girl’s baby starts flaring at 10 months.
3. Baby misdiagnosed for next 14 months but diagnosed with asthma at age two.
4. Baby flares severely for several years.
5. Baby-turned-little-girl finally [...]

Filed under: Asthma Glossaries, My Asthma Girl & Me | 4 people talking »