Who knows about asthma

[StreetScooby 5]

My 40 year old wife has recently come down with this. Not sure why it's taken this long to develop asthma? Any thoughts? What can we do about it, without relying on doctors too much? Can you die from asthma?

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[Lindsey 0]

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My 40 year old wife has recently come down with this. Not sure why it's taken this long to develop asthma? Any thoughts? What can we do about it, without relying on doctors too much? Can you die from asthma?

Yes, you can die from asthma, quickly. Unfortunately, controlling asthma sometimes means seeing a doctor. Often allergies contribute heavily to a person's symptoms, though, and if you can control the allergies, asthma is much more manageable....maybe even without a doctor's input (except here, of course....lol). If she has allergies to household allergens, then things like pillow and mattress covers, no pets in the house....that kind of stuff....can get it under control.

linz

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[guppie01 0]

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Can you die from asthma?

http://www.umm.edu/patiented/articles/how_serious_asthma_000004_4.htm

I was diagnosed last year with allergy induced asthma (after an ER visit in anaphylactic shock) at 35.

I would highly suggest she is treated by a Dr. Once you find out what the triggers are it is relatively easy to control/minimize the attacks.

Dogs are my biggest trigger - and there have been several instances where I go into an attack with 10 seconds of exposure. If I didn't have my inhalers it would have meant another trip to the ER.

g

"Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?"
Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU
OMG, is she okay?

[mailin 0]

My grandmother got asthma at age 46.

She never had any trouble after 50 though... it was very odd.

I have asthma and take a pulmicort inhaler every day. *knock on wood* haven't had any trouble in years (minus the night before I found out I was pregnant, I blame that on hormones)

Seeing a doctor is a given though... my mothers grandfather thought he didn't need doctors for his asthma and died at the kitchen table while his daughter (my grandmother) ran down the street to the get the doctor.


Jen

Arianna Frances

[StreetScooby 5]

Thanks for the input. Questions:

1) Are there always "triggers"?
2) How does the doctor figure out the triggers?
3) Can you have a bad asthma attack in your sleep?

We are all engines of karma

[JENNR8R 0]

My son was able to control his asthma without inhalers by using a homeopathic "asthma tincture" that was prescribed by a homeopathic medical doctor. The allopathic treatments just caused him to need more prescriptions to treat the side effects that the previous prescriptions caused.

It's a very serious condition. Thankfully, he grew out of it.

What do you call a beautiful, sunny day that comes after two cloudy, rainy
ones? -- Monday.

[rehmwa 2]

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What can we do about it, without relying on doctors too much?

I believe that asthma is one of the top killers of those in their 20's and 30's.

Have her see an allergist right away. Actually, pediatric allergists are very common and have a lot of experience.

Don't CHOOSE to risk her life just in order to not "rely on doctors".

I take Advair and did take the allergy shots for 3 years - changed my life for the better - a great deal better. (I'm not a fan of doctors or any kind of medications typically either, but this was amazingly productive).

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[StreetScooby 5]

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and did take the allergy shots for 3 years

How did they diagnose your allergies?

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[rehmwa 2]

1) Are there always "triggers"? - doesn't have to be, but usually. But even a change in humidity or temperature could trigger one (coming inside out of the cold)

2) How does the doctor figure out the triggers? an allergy screening (they made a grid on my back and 'scratched' each area with a different concentrated essence - plant, horse, bush, dander, cat, dog, etc - something like 40 things. Then look at the skin reaction to determine which are severe and which aren't.)

3) Can you have a bad asthma attack in your sleep - your body is resistive to some attacks due to cortisone production. As your day continues, cortisone production goes down. By evening, she's be most vulnerable. I've had terrible attacks that woke me up from a deep sleep. (But not in the last 5 years, and my lung damage is significantly repaired)

don't let it go to the point where her lungs self damage

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[frynsky 0]

I had asthma real bad as a child. The dr will check her for allergies, this in my case meant they gave me like a hundred very tiny injections on my back, they wait a while and then see which ones have swollen, this tells them what u are allergic to. But this was 30+ years ago, they may well have another procedure now. Btw, I had it so bad I went and lived on the Gulf Coast for a year and that pretty much solved it. An ocean or mountain climate is great for it, cus there are very few airborne "triggers."

[Lindsey 0]

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Thanks for the input. Questions:

1) Are there always "triggers"?
2) How does the doctor figure out the triggers?
3) Can you have a bad asthma attack in your sleep?

There is usually some sort of trigger, but some people just ALWAYS have symptoms. It's not always allergies, though. It could be cold air, or exercize, or little upper respiratory infections....lots of things. If you have allergies, you can see an allergist and be tested for allergies....or you can pay attention to when you have more allergy symptoms and go through a process of elimination. And yes, you can have a bad asthma attack in your sleep. Nighttime symptoms are common. In fact, I see lots and lots of people in the middle of the night in the ER because their symptoms got worse after they went to bed.

linz

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[rehmwa 2]

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hundred very tiny injections on my back, they wait a while and then see which ones have swollen,

no more injections any more, just dermal scratch with a plastic stick

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[StreetScooby 5]

Could it be house dust? How could you determine that?

We are all engines of karma

[mailin 0]

1) Are there always "triggers"?
Yes. They are typically allergy related. Mine are household allergies and cold.

2) How does the doctor figure out the triggers?

Allergy tests and breathing tests. I cover my face in the cold and take an alergy medication, works wonders.

3) Can you have a bad asthma attack in your sleep?

Yes. I stayed at a friends house in my teen years, used a pillow of hers thats must have had alot of dust/dust mites and had a horrific attack about 2 AM, woke me from my sleep. My husband had a highschool friend die in the middle of the night when she woke up in a bad attack.

Arianna Frances

[mailin 0]

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Could it be house dust? How could you determine that?

Thats my big trigger. An allergy test will tell for sure, they're pretty painless

Arianna Frances

[rehmwa 2]

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Could it be house dust? How could you determine that?

now it makes sense. You just want her to do more housework and make you sammiches all the time.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[StreetScooby 5]

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now it makes sense. You just want her to do more housework and make you sammiches all the time.

No.
I only need sammiches twice a day.

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[QuickDraw 0]

I got it at about 22 (smoking induced).

If it wasn't for the inhalers I wouldn't be able to smoke 20+ a day.

-- Hope you don't die. --

I'm fucking winning

[pincheck 0]

Ive had Asthma all my life but It disappeared when i was ten. Mostly forgotten about till it returned at 33 when i started having bad attacks again. the trigger the docs told me was "stress". The enviroment i grew up in when young , which was a gang ridden slum, till my parents moved us out but they never told me that. then the return was when my son was born and all the complications that went with it.

So far i have not had a attack and i am off my inhalers since i started skydiving go figure eh. Well it had probably a good bit to do with me stopping smoking at that time. but it will always be there, I just refuse to let it spoil my life.

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[karenmeal 0]

I would have her go see a doctor about controlling her asthma right away.

Personally, my triggers are stress, colds, the cold, exercise, allergies and.. that is probably it. I pretty much can never exercise in the cold.

A year ago due to some really stupid lifestyle decisions my asthma flared up horribly and it was really scary. I had to get put on a course of oral steroids twice in several months to get my system back to normal before a medicine like advair (taken twice daily to prevent attacks) would work for me. I had asthma attacks that woke me from my sleep several times and probably should have had my boyfriend take me to the hospital on one or two occasions.

My asthma has been very well controlled since then with advair taken twice daily and my rescue inhaler which I rarely use.. maybe several times per month and sometimes as a preventative measure before I go exercise. I also control my allergies very well with allegra and rhinocort (a nasal spray) taken daily.

She really needs to take her asthma seriously and perhaps start doing some self-monitoring on a peak flow monitor. (I think that is what it is called, it is basically a tube that you exhale into that indicates lung capacity or something.) She should consider getting a flu shot this year as asthma can complicate the flu.

Anyways.. take this seriously now, even if you don't like doctors. There are medicines out there that are very effective, and personally, I don't experience any side effects.

"Life is a temporary victory over the causes which induce death." - Sylvester Graham

[ladyskydiver 0]

I didn't develop asthma until I was 16. There are 2 types of asthma - the one that develops as a child and the "wonderful" adult onset.

Definitely see the doctor and do what they say. Asthma isn't something to play around with. (ok...since I'm currently not taking care of my asthma this is more of a do as I say not as I do statement. I can't afford the $120/month for meds related to my asthma since my insurance will not pay for it - pre-existing condition - although I still keep my rescue inhaler. )

As has been mentioned, yes, you can die from asthma. Being able to breath is "kinda" important.

As far as triggers, mine is stress and smoke. So, I try to keep stress to a minimum and stay out of places that allow smoking as much as possible. If I do end up going out to a bar, I use my rescue inhaler prior to going into it, periodically throughout the night, and then again right before I go to bed. And, I still have to deal with having a hard time breathing for a few days afterwards even with taking the meds.

Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.