Hello

[Mshinton34]

I had a bad asthma flare up three weeks ago where I ended up being hospitalized for 2 days. It was scary because I was having chest pain, shortness of breath, could not talk and was shaking uncontrollably, my face turned pale n I almost passed out. I try to avoid stress as much as possible and I am graduating in August with my paralegal degree. I’m looking forward to pin my field. I am in Orlando Florida.

[d2read]

Hi, Mshinton,

Was this your first attack severe enough to have to be hospitalized?

Asthma can be frightening just because it strikes at our very core - our ability to do anything is dependent on our ability to breathe well. But when it’s bad enough that you need hospitalization, that’s scary on a whole new level.

Was there anything in particular that scared you about this episode other than the actual asthma? I used to also worry that it would negatively affect my ability to get or keep a job (or in a couple of cases I had to pull out of applying for jobs I really wanted because the office had triggers (old, mold/damp/dust office space in an historic building).

As you recover and return to school, you may be scared of a repeat. All you can do is redouble your effort with your doctor to learn what your trigger was and prevent it from happening again.

I live alone and have a history of the worst attacks and lack of response (status asthmaticus). I’ve learned to tell the signs that it’s getting harder to talk and get help earlier by going to the ER (not being able to talk is a sign of low oxygenation-do you have a pulse-oxymeter at home?). My doctor has taught me to take my O2 over several minutes (holding your hand still so it gets an accurate reading). In my case, if it drops below 88 consistently, I call for help.

I’ve found that the more I know, that I can do/control, the less frightened I get.

Don’t let asthma detour your plans or your dreams! You may need some accommodations, but you don’t need to remain home, waiting for the next attack. Follow your AAP, learn everything you can, try new things in case they work better for you, but remember asthma is just one fact of your life, like having brown eyes, or freckles.

Good luck on completing your course and your new career!

Debbie