This post was sponsored by the American Lung Association. All opinions are my own.
Do you worry if your asthma is controlled? There have been times I’ve panicked when a coughing fit has started. I have had asthma attacks that have really scared me.
My asthma is mostly allergen induced and sometimes exercise induced. My son also has asthma, but he has it more often in the winter which often leads to asthmatic bronchitis.
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Do you have Severe Asthma?
There are more than 25 million people who live with asthma. While most can live healthy and active lives, up to 10% of people living with asthma have severe symptoms even when they avoid triggers and are on high doses of asthma medications.
Severe asthma can be very dangerous with the potential for illness and depression. It can often be the cause of missed work and school days.
Control is the Key
Even if you have severe asthma, you and your doctor can control it. There are ways to help even the most severe of asthma cases.
My son used to spend a week or two out of school every single winter with asthmatic bronchitis. Now his allergist has helped us control it during those winter months when it was always the worst.
It’s not perfect, but it has greatly controlled his breathing issues. He is able to play varsity tennis at school without struggling to breathe. And, this winter he only missed a couple of days of school instead of almost two weeks like he has almost every school year for 4-5 years.
When I would have an asthma attack, I would wonder if I would just stop breathing. I can’t tell you how many times I was in the doctor’s office for a breathing treatment. Sometimes no matter what I did, it would lead to a case of bronchitis or pneumonia that would last for weeks.
Thankfully, my allergist and I have gotten it under control. I have become much better at avoiding the triggers along with medications that do help me control it. It’s been over a year since I had an asthma attack related to allergens.
Take Control of Your Asthma
Do you think your asthma is well controlled? It’s so important to keep on top of it. The American Lung Association has made it easy to take control of your asthma with these three easy steps to get you started:
- Take the My Asthma Control Assessment – It’s a quick little quiz that gives you a score based on symptoms related to your asthma in the last four weeks.
- Download the Asthma Control Summary to take to your doctor.
- Get Questions to Ask Your Doctor.
You don’t have to struggle to breath. There are ways to help even the most severe asthma cases. Start today and get your asthma under control.
17 comments
Great information to make sure we are always prepared. Having to deal with an asthma attack is scary!
Asthma is such a scary thing! I have seen first-hand how terrible it is. In fact, my neighbor has to be on life-long steroids because of it.
I have asthma and have many triggers that make it hard to manage at times. Today at the gym someone had perfume on and I had trouble breathing. Once I moved away from the person it got better
I don’t have asthma, but I can only imagine how scary it can be. I do know some people who do have it though. It is hard to see what they go through on a daily basis.
We have a number of friends who have asthma. I will forward this onto them.
After many years of dealing with my asthma and always using my rescue inhaler, I am happy to say that my asthma is under control. Asthma is no fun. It’s important to make sure you are on top of it because an asthma attack is never fun.
Knock on wood, I don’t have asthma and neither do my children. It would be a scary experience not being able to breathe.
I am sorry for those that suffer from asthma. It’s not an easy thing to deal with. Thanks for these tips!
My husband has had bad asthma since he was a kid. We have to be super intentional about making sure we always have an inhaler with us. When we travel, we make sure we have multiple types of inhalers with us as we never know what we’ll encounter.
It’s not easy to have Asthma, and there are a lot of precautions to take. It is also interesting how it varies
That’s so good that your son was able to get his controlled. Thank goodness for a good allergist!
I do not have asthma. Though I had a friend as a kid and when she would have an attack it was so scary!
This is really helpful! Controlling asthma is really important.
My sister used to have asthma attacks when younger. I know a few people who has it and I am sure this will be a great help for them.
I always thought mine was under control but apparently avoiding activities is not control.
A friend of mine was just learning techniques to help him reduce the amount of pumps he takes with his inhaler. Honestly, I didn’t know it was something that could be controlled.
It took awhile and trying different stuff but it is now! Thank you for this!