What I know 21,595 days later !

[rafester]

First I don't remember being diagnosed, I just remember I've had this breathing problem my whole life. One thing I know now is take Asthma very seriously. I learned the hard I've almost died a couple times because I waited to long to see a doctor for instance ended up with pneumonia due to a lung infection. Don't push your limits. I now know the feeling when inhalers aren't going to do the job and I've usually been in a bad place for it, like camping or just away some where. Now if I've been having trouble I have my nebulizer nearby. And home breathing treatments are much cheaper than the ER. I also now know there's no cure but a good maintenance plan helps.

[campisa Asthma Captain]

It is a good to know what your asthma triggers are. You can get an asthma trigger tracker the next time you see your health professional. Knowing your triggers can help you better control your asthmatic episodes. For the most part, we are now heading into the highest asthma episode season. Pollen, trees are triggers for a lot of people. Maybe stay away from the park in early Spring and if you do go or have trees nearby, make sure to wash or wipe your head before going to sleep (pollen sticks to our hair and clothes). Wash your hands often too.

If you have allergies, go have them check. Be careful if somebody has a cold, as a virus in your body can trigger an asthma episode. The triggers that affect asthmatics the most are:smoke, (stay away from second-hand smoke of any kind), pet dander (keep your pet out of your bedroom and bed), chemicals in cleaning products (Clorox, fabouloso, etc.. perfumes, nail polish, anything that has a strong smell can be a trigger), dust, mold, dust mites (usually found in your mattress and pillow-get a mattress & pillow cover), exercise (you may need to take meds before you exercise- ask your doctor how much), weather & strong emotions just for starters. Get an allergy test to figure out what you are allergic to and then do your best to reduce/remove these triggers from your space.