Asthma

[adriennecasey]

I had asthma when I was a child. I reacted to exercise (in the days when they wouldn't let asthmatic kids exercise at all) and some foods. In my teens it went away. I was fine until my early 30s, when it came back while I was under a whole lot of stress. After being told at Kaiser that I was going to have to accept being an invalid, I went to another Dr. who fixed me. Just told me to stop taking all the other meds, gave me a shot, and voila, no more asthma

I had some other allergy issues, mostly very bad hay fever, but no asthma until the last few years. I now get asthma whenever I get a cold, and have to use asthma inhalers, including a steriod, routinely. When I start having more serious problems breathing, I get shots, drugs, inhalers, but the only way to get real relief is to travel back to San Diego, my home town, and see my old allergist who has got to be 80 years old or so by now. Even with his help, my lungs are partially hyper-inflated, and my lung capacity on exhalation is reduced. I'm scared. Where do I go when he's no longer in practice. He can't go on forever. I'm now 69 years old. Anyone out there have a similar history? Is there somewhere to go for help? I know I have allergies, but tests don't show much, and I think I'm past the point of benefiting from desensitization.

[Davy9]

It sounds like you have a fairly good understanding about your asthma. I make an analogy about asthma which you may find useful. Think of an asthma attack as if you fell into a swimming pool by accident. You don't want that to happen again so to avoid it you stay as far away from the edge of the pool as you can.

So, in asthma, you always want to do everything possible to make your lung function optimal. Even when your breathing is easy you continue your vigilance. You keep your medications up. You avoid infected people, You get your flu shots. If you go into cold weather wear a snood to warm the air you breath. Avoid all fumes and irritants: Nail polish, hair salons, perfumes, smoke of any origin.... Avoid the allergens, animals, dust mites, food allergies and so forth.

You may start to feel like a bubble person but you know the consequences. The longer you can go without an attack the less likely you will suffer a bad one (in my experience). Stay as far away from the edge of that pool as you can. Todays medications are better with fewer side effects. Find a good local doctor. It may be an allergist or a pulmonologist. Set up your routine, understand your asthma and stay away from the edge of the pool.

This is probably isn't new information for you but it is pretty much the best you can do.

[adriennecasey]

Thanks for the input. I know you're right. I guess I'm scared because I don't know what's in store. Having figured I could deal with my asthma as something that cropped up every several years, I now see it becoming a constant, with constant medication required. I also have had some negative experiences with allergists who don't seem to understand asthma as well as you'd expect them to. Maybe a pulmonary specialist is a better bet for me at this stage.