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Things Auntie Hates About Having Asthma...
... aside from the whole, not being able to breathe thing, that is...
I hate that it limits me, sometimes. And it NEVER happens at a convenient moment. Never. So, there are many times I find myself having to postpone walks, or shopping, or any myriad of things I want to do, because I don't have the energy to do anything. Period.
I hate that the medications sometimes make me feel worse than the actual symptoms. I have a rescue inhaler that is basically aerolized albuterol, which is like... adrenaline. This is supposed to open up your airways and make it easier to breathe. And yeah, I guess it does do that. Only problem is, it also sometimes makes me faint. Literally. I use the inhaler and the next thing I know, I'm on the floor looking up at everybody. Yay, isn't that fun? No. And I shake. I shake like you wouldn't believe. Like, right now, my heart rate is 148, and I'm shaking so hard I can barely type. Notice that I am typing, though. Because I'm taking my time. So... I'm shaky, my heart is racing, and I can't lay down, because if I do, I can't breathe... it's a vicious little circle.
I hate that there are a lot of places I can't go. I love live music. And I live near the Live Music Capital of the World (according to the sign just outside of Austin). But I can't go. Why? Because, where there is live music, there is cigarette smoke, and where there is cigarette smoke, I can't go. Well... unless I WANT to end up in the emergency room. Which I don't, but the reason why will come up in a minute. I couldn't visit my in-laws because they are heavy chain smokers, and I would either end up sitting outside in the heat, or the cold, or sitting inside, heavily medicated, and STILL end up going to the emergency room. There's a couple of barbecue places in town I can't go, because their pits are in the building, and the smoke fills the restaurant, and while it smells great, I end up in bed for the rest of the day. Smoke of any kind is an Achille's Heel for me. So is mold, and ragweed pollen.
I hate that when I go to an emergency room for my asthma, I have a less than 20 percent chance of getting a doctor who knows anything about asthma, and that I might die because there are so many doctors who still think asthma is all in one's head. I had a doctor tell me I was just hyperventilating, and prescribed a tranquilizer to calm me down. I was most fortunate that MY doctor showed up, and after getting me treated PROPERLY, ripped him a new hole as she "explained" to him just what kind of idiot he was, and didn't he know that hyperventilation was a HALLMARK of an asthma attack? DUH!!
I hate that there are days that I can't play with my kids, or work in my garden, or bake cookies, because my asthma is acting up. Doesn't happen as often as it once did, but when it does, it knocks me flat.
I hate one has to walk such a very fine line when taking the medications that treat asthma, and that half the time, your doctor doesn't know how to take them properly. My rescue inhaler? I was using that for a year before I found out that I was supposed to use it once, wait five minutes for the medication to start opening my airways, then use it again, so the medication could go even deeper. When I was on Advair, I had to find out by doing research ON MY OWN to not use it on days when my chest was tight, because that would actually MAKE MY SYMPTOMS WORSE. Yay. When I asked my doctor about it later, he said, "Oh, that's right, I just got a handout on that last week." To be fair, though, when he does get new information about my meds, he calls me to discuss it right away.
I hate that most doctors reach for steroids to treat asthma right away, rather than trying something less... extreme, and that isn't really recognized as a valid treatment, except for really advanced cases.
I'm just feeling really grumbly today, because the Asthma Monster is giving me a hard time. And I can't do the things I want to with my kids. And I'm shaking so hard... *sigh*
You know, I keep ordering new lungs, and I keep getting letters back saying they're out of stock...
I hate that it limits me, sometimes. And it NEVER happens at a convenient moment. Never. So, there are many times I find myself having to postpone walks, or shopping, or any myriad of things I want to do, because I don't have the energy to do anything. Period.
I hate that the medications sometimes make me feel worse than the actual symptoms. I have a rescue inhaler that is basically aerolized albuterol, which is like... adrenaline. This is supposed to open up your airways and make it easier to breathe. And yeah, I guess it does do that. Only problem is, it also sometimes makes me faint. Literally. I use the inhaler and the next thing I know, I'm on the floor looking up at everybody. Yay, isn't that fun? No. And I shake. I shake like you wouldn't believe. Like, right now, my heart rate is 148, and I'm shaking so hard I can barely type. Notice that I am typing, though. Because I'm taking my time. So... I'm shaky, my heart is racing, and I can't lay down, because if I do, I can't breathe... it's a vicious little circle.
I hate that there are a lot of places I can't go. I love live music. And I live near the Live Music Capital of the World (according to the sign just outside of Austin). But I can't go. Why? Because, where there is live music, there is cigarette smoke, and where there is cigarette smoke, I can't go. Well... unless I WANT to end up in the emergency room. Which I don't, but the reason why will come up in a minute. I couldn't visit my in-laws because they are heavy chain smokers, and I would either end up sitting outside in the heat, or the cold, or sitting inside, heavily medicated, and STILL end up going to the emergency room. There's a couple of barbecue places in town I can't go, because their pits are in the building, and the smoke fills the restaurant, and while it smells great, I end up in bed for the rest of the day. Smoke of any kind is an Achille's Heel for me. So is mold, and ragweed pollen.
I hate that when I go to an emergency room for my asthma, I have a less than 20 percent chance of getting a doctor who knows anything about asthma, and that I might die because there are so many doctors who still think asthma is all in one's head. I had a doctor tell me I was just hyperventilating, and prescribed a tranquilizer to calm me down. I was most fortunate that MY doctor showed up, and after getting me treated PROPERLY, ripped him a new hole as she "explained" to him just what kind of idiot he was, and didn't he know that hyperventilation was a HALLMARK of an asthma attack? DUH!!
I hate that there are days that I can't play with my kids, or work in my garden, or bake cookies, because my asthma is acting up. Doesn't happen as often as it once did, but when it does, it knocks me flat.
I hate one has to walk such a very fine line when taking the medications that treat asthma, and that half the time, your doctor doesn't know how to take them properly. My rescue inhaler? I was using that for a year before I found out that I was supposed to use it once, wait five minutes for the medication to start opening my airways, then use it again, so the medication could go even deeper. When I was on Advair, I had to find out by doing research ON MY OWN to not use it on days when my chest was tight, because that would actually MAKE MY SYMPTOMS WORSE. Yay. When I asked my doctor about it later, he said, "Oh, that's right, I just got a handout on that last week." To be fair, though, when he does get new information about my meds, he calls me to discuss it right away.
I hate that most doctors reach for steroids to treat asthma right away, rather than trying something less... extreme, and that isn't really recognized as a valid treatment, except for really advanced cases.
I'm just feeling really grumbly today, because the Asthma Monster is giving me a hard time. And I can't do the things I want to with my kids. And I'm shaking so hard... *sigh*
You know, I keep ordering new lungs, and I keep getting letters back saying they're out of stock...