Could showers, steam or humidity be a trigger?

[As30]

Hi there,

As I was only diagnosed this year I am still trying to work out my triggers. In the summer it was the heat and pollen that did it.

I am finally going back to work on Saturday after 2 months off for my asthma.

Now I know damp weather is a trigger as is very cold weather although this is helped with a scarf over face.

When I go in the bath or shower I have to have the door open as I get wheezy and SOB. What could this be I know steam 9s meant to be good for asthmatics. Could it be the steam? Or the hot air/humidity. I have the same problem at swimming pool both in the pool and in the changing rooms (if I haven't been in and kids have been for lessons) I didn't however have the same problem in an outdoor pool so don't think it's the chlorine that's a problem.

Thanks for reading

Vic

[hypercat54]

Hi I am only a mild asthmatic but can't stand steam or anything like that. My airways are very sensitive to changes in temperature like most of us with asthma. Going into a warm room from the cold can also set me off as does eating ice cream.

Other common triggers are dust mites, cigarette smoke, pets, cleaning products especially aersols, and paint fumes. Not everyone with asthma will have these.

It's best to avoid sudden temperature and humidity changes as much as possible. x

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador]

It's one of those widely believed 'facts' that steam is always good for lungs, but as hypercat.has said, this isn't always the case - triggers may be common but what helps or triggers one asthmatic can do just the opposite in another! (Eg stress does not trigger me - if anything my lungs react well to me being stressed, but stress is often talked about as though it were a universal asthma trigger).

I once had an argument with a GP who not only didn't think I was having an asthma attack (hospital disagreed) but got annoyed with me for saying that even if I just had a cold like she said, I couldn't inhale with steam and/or Vicks as both would set my asthma off even if it weren't already acting up! She clearly thought I was just being difficult and didn't know that steam can be an asthma trigger.

I am also very sensitive to weather and environment, including temperature changes and humidity. I have a similar issue with swimming pools and find that while cold air and cold water set me off, so do steamy environments even without chlorine- I struggle in a steamy shower and entirely avoid steam rooms. I also find changes in the weather can trigger me, and dropping atmospheric pressure - flying and thunderstorms not my favourite things now!

Hope this helps with identifying your triggers. It can be difficult but don't let anyone dismiss your observations. I haven't always been right but mostly I do know what sets me off, and I find even drs may not be aware and may try to claim xyz is not a trigger when I know it is - I went through a phase where for some reason they were convinced that infections were my only trigger which I knew was not true. Knowing what is definitely a trigger and learning to be confident/assertive about avoiding them where possible is helpful for minimising their effects as much as I can.

[emmasue]

Humidity does me in, especially if it is warm. I do better in cool, dry conditions. I was born in a place that had hot humid conditions in the summer and hot, dry heat in the winter (indoors, because it was frigid in the winter). So what do I do, I move to England. At least it has been a bit dryer lately.

[bookworm]

Hiya my triggers seem to be perfumes people like to spray so much on themselves you can smell it a mile off, coal fires sometimes, when a kitchen gets steamy. Like previous poster said I can't use aerosol sprays either mainly body sprays. The wind can sometimes play my asthma up.

[17Rose]

Yes steam and swimming pools huge triggers for me, plus humid weather, thunder, windy wet days. All the more normal allergies and if I'm already struggling then other people coming near me wearing perfume or aftershave or any cleaning products etc. Doctors are always telling me I should be better in the warm weather not the cold but feel better when weather is cold but going into a warm room after can trigger it. Funnily though, if I'm struggling but still determined to do some food shopping, the freezer aisle in a supermarket will trigger it. Oh the joys of asthma!!!

[Wheezycat]

Yes, we all vary. Steam is not a trigger for me, but at least while unwell I would avoid swimming pools due to chemicals. Cleaning products, aerosols, air fresheners, scented candles, anything that smokes, even the cooking smells when I roasted a chicken for Christmas. I ended up sitting with a mask on and it worked. Once cooking was finished it was OK. Toasting bread, and don’t start me on wood burners! I call them a bane! I don’t have severe problems with any of them, but if I hang around for a while I can feel the after effects for up to a week, and my pf can drop. Cold air, of course (I grew up in a cold climate, proper winter, not damp). However the hot summer we had worked wonders for me. Suddenly I could manage hot temperatures better than for years! And I loved it! So yes, we are all very different.

[As30]

Thank you all for your replies.

I think the problem is people assume that steam and other things shouldn't be triggers I've been told a steam room would do me the world of good 😂

I can't believe how many things are triggers. We've had to ban aerosol deodorants in the house as I react wuite badly to them, strong perfumes and fragrances.

It's nice to hear other experiences so I know it's ok to have my own personal triggers that might not be the same as others.

I've been writing things down as i come accross them for the GP, occ health etc.

[EmmaF91 Community Ambassador in reply to As30]

Yes to the people making assumption about what will help and not trigger! Spoke to a colleague of mine once whose grandson (2-3ish) has severe asthma... someone had mentioned salt caves being good for asthma to the mum. My immediate response to the idea was ‘don’t do it!’ - cold, damp caves are rarely good for those with really bad lungs, my colleague asked me where I was 2 weeks prior cause the mum took him causing him having a life-threatening attack and being in hospital for a week! No one had ever mentioned about possible bad reactions, and I’m the only other ‘severe’ asthmatic they knew! After that stress they either ignore ‘good for asthma’ advice from others or I end up chatting to ‘nan’ about the pros and cons of it 😅.

I have so many ‘variable’ triggers too, which people don’t seem to understand. When I’m well I get on oK with steam but if my lungs are twitchy I avoid at all costs! Same with some aerosol deodorant and certain foods. For example I have an intolerance to egg and when my asthmas bad it triggers it, but when I’m well a little egg is ok (in cake etc). When I talk to people they think I’m making a fuss over nothing cause I don’t have mayo but will then eat cake 😒... for me egg is a tiny trigger, a lot will set me off, but a little when I’m well is fine!

Everyone’s trigger list is different, just keep track of yours so you know what to avoid!

Good luck with it all x

[Lysistrata Administrator Community Ambassador in reply to EmmaF91]

Everyone always assumes I am allergic to cats and generally that I have allergies! Even allergic asthmatics don't respond to all allergens... Am glad I'm not allergic to cats though, bonus of being a weirdo.

If I can, I will politely educate people on asthma and how it is not the same as allergies and is not automatically an allergic disease. Also a trigger is not the same as an allergen - though I may sometimes say I am.allergic to eg sprays to make things easier if I don't think it's the time for an interesting discussion on the immune system lol.

My colleagues find it all very interesting given we work in a science/medical communication industry, and will ask me about biologic treatments etc. I once even asked one of them to look up the time that pred takes to have max effect so I could work out how long to wait to see if it helped lol.