I haven’t had any weight gain on the Prednisone and I have lost weight the past few months but I have had puffy fingers and toes and my blood pressure has been a bit high a couple of times so hoping ditching the Prednisone fixes that all up.

So here is what Advair is all about :

The post My Personal Review of Advair — So far anyway appeared first on Asthma-News.com.

Some of it is being lazy.   People seem to skip this chore.  Even when my husband was in the military and the filters were literally free, people still didn’t do it. Every house we moved into had a disgusting one that looked like it had been there for years.

You as an asthmatic cannot afford to be lazy like that.    A high quality filter will remove a lot from the air in your house to help you keep you healthy.  You may also want to consider vent cleaning as it can remove things from the ventilation system that don’t make it to the filter.   We had ours done when we moved into this house and it was literally amazing the crap that came out from huge piles of dog hair and human hair to toys to coins to glitter to just plain filth.    You can vacuum them yourself but the pros use a high power compressor and that is what brings all the crap out so for the best result (remember don’t be cheap with your health) use a Pro.

The post Using a high quality Furnace filter for your asthma appeared first on Asthma-News.com.

For some people, it can be humidity.  While there is an old wives tale that we should all live in the desert if we have asthma, that isn’t really true.  Super dry air can be a trigger for a lot of asthmatics but so can humidity.   And humidity can breed mold which is an allergen and trigger for lots of people with allergy related asthma.   And dry places have issues too as Las Vegas is super dry but it also has lots of health issues such as “Vegas throat”.  There are also lots of allergens in the desert when it does rain.   And some places, like Las Vegas have embraced smoking culture and second hand smoke is bad for you and it is a major known trigger for asthmatics.

What can you do as an asthmatic?   KEEP A DIARY.

Having a bad asthma day?   Write down where you were, what you did, what you ate, what the temperature was, what the season was, the date, the weather.  Was it humid?  Was it raining? Had it been raining that week and everything was now just wet.   This can help you and your asthma team narrow down your triggers and plan for them.  You cannot control the weather obviously but you can control some things.  You can adapt your asthma plan to deal with seasonal things like allergies and humidity.  You can choose to not go certain places (like places where there will be a lot of smokers).   I go to a swap meet every other month and it is outdoors and I really like it but it has a section where all the dealers smoke and I just don’t go over there.  Do they have great things I might want to buy – who knows.  Maybe.  But it isn’t worth a possible day of asthma cough and inhaler side effects to find out.  I get muscle cramps if I use my inhaler more than a couple of times in a day and smoking is something that will cause me coughing and shortness of breath so I just avoid any situation I can control where there will be smokers.

Mold is also a major trigger of mine and I am almost like a human mold detector.  The Wal-Mart near my home used to be a major trigger so I avoided going there.  No idea what it was but I would need a cough drop after about 10 minutes and then a drink and then a puff of inhaler.  WHY DO THAT TO MYSELF?   Now I avoided that store for a few years and I did go in there a few months ago and they seemed to have fixed whatever was causing that.  My guess would be leaky roof or problem with the air system but it is now gone.   That said, there are several stores that cause this for me.  Not lots and not all.  But some.  I can smell mold in the Walgreens near my house and it does.  The Target near my house is fine, but the next one down the road is horrible.  I can’t smell mold but everything clogs up if I go in there.   My point here is that you CANNOT CONTROL mold in nature.  But you can control it when it is caused by humans.  Don’t shop in stores where you don’t feel well or seem to have issues.  There are tons of alternatives so if a store makes you have some allergy or asthma reaction — SKIP IT and go to the next one.  Your health is way more important that whatever you think you need at that store.

If some of your triggers are in your home, you have more options. 

1 – Check your furnace/AC and have it cleaned.

2 – Have your vents cleaned especially if you just bought a home (I had mine done when I bought my house and the crap that came out of there from the previous owner were amazing, gross but amazing)

3 – Consider using a spray or device to kill dust mites.  ( I use the spray below and I am sure you could make your own but you can actually feel the air being cleaner when you spray it and it is all natural)

4 – Use a high quality furnace filter (this is not a place to save a couple of bucks) and CHANGE IT OFTEN.

5 – Consider an air cleaner.   It can be extremely helpful.

6 – Keep pets out of your bedroom.

7 – Handle roofing issues and leaks and bathroom repairs and basement issues promptly.  These can all cause mold

So in summary………..

KEEP A DIARY when you have a reaction to the weather or something you think may be weather or allergen related.

AVOID PLACES YOU CAN CONTROL and fix the things you can fix.

Talk to your asthma specialist or medical professional to see what else you can do about weather and environmental triggers for your asthma.

Consider some changes in your home to eliminate or reduce triggers.

The post Asthma and the Weather — Yes, it is a real thing appeared first on Asthma-News.com.

Anyway, there are times with my asthma where I feel like I am not doing great and it ramps my anxiety up to the roof and putting the pulse oximeter on calms me right down.  Oh look I am still at 96 or 95 or 97 (these are my usual numbers, I usually don’t go much above that except once in a while and I never really go below 95) so it knocks the mental challenge of asthma right off.  The worry and the unknown.  Well, now I know.

My brother had asthma growing up and I am sure it was very stressful on my parents to not know if he was doing ok.  For 20 bucks, you can buy one of these little gadgets and know immediately if you or your child or whoever is at least getting enough oxygen.  They still might be having an attack so don’t use it to assume that is not happening but stress can make attacks worse and having people around you all freaked out doesn’t help.  My husband being all freaked out and asking me right in my face when I can barely talk seems to not calm me down.  But sitting upright and doing some controlled breathing and wearing a pulse oximeter helps me get my mind focused.    Then at least I am not fighting an asthma attack and anxiety at the same time.

It also helps to know if you do get sick or have an issue and the number changes.  What are your normal numbers?  It is good to know your benchmarks.

The post Piece of Mind from a Pulse Oximeter — who knew!! appeared first on Asthma-News.com.

Well, this is obviously a question for your doctor but if you haven’t asked your doctor or they haven’t suggested one, you should for sure ask. For me and for a lot of people, this is a BIG YES YOU SHOULD.

Spacers help you to use your asthma inhaler properly.  That is the simple answer.   The longer answer is that using an inhaler isn’t easy.  It seems easy, we all get used to using it and think we have it down but it isn’t easy.   It is hard.  You have to time your breathing and aim correctly and maintain the correct head posture.  And on top of that you might be wheezing or be feeling the anxiety that comes with knowing you need some help with your breathing.

A spacer puts all of that in the right place and eliminates a lot of that timing.  Studies have also shown that spacers get more medicine from the dose into your lungs (where you want the medicine) than using just an inhaler.   Yes, sometimes you will have to just hit the inhaler but a spacer is something that should be part of the conversation for everyone, especially when you are a caregiver for someone with asthma.  The elderly and children may have a harder time using just an inhaler and getting an effective dose.  They may end up spraying the crap out of their tongue and being turned off by the inhaler.  So try a conversation with your doctor or asthma specialist to discuss adding a spacer.

Here is a link to a great article from the NIH on spacers.   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6004521/

Here is a spacer similar to the one I use but get the suggestion from your doctor.  I like this one because it has a cap so it keeps the part where I put my mouth nice and clean.   You can also get a case and keep both your inhaler and spacer together which is a great idea for travel (an extra inhaler is also a great idea for travel since people tend to lose them and show up at the pharmacy in a panic)   Remember World War Z when he has to go to the skanky dude who has taken over the pharmacy during the end of the world just to get albuterol.  Don’t be him and get a spare inhaler for your trip.

And if you think you need a case – BE SURE TO MEASURE the length of your spacer.   Some spacers barely fit in the cases and most need the mask removed.  I don’t use a mask with my spacer, I use the mouthpiece but for people who like the mask, it might be a pain to move it on and off just to fit it into the case.   Here is a nice case for travel but it is a bit large but I use mine on trips not daily commutes so I want something that can hold some things and keep them dry.  I once had my suitcase left on a tarmac in Montreal for what must have been hours because all of my clothes in it were quite wet so I really wouldn’t want my medications or pills or any other medical things to get messed up so a nice waterproof case is nice.

The post Should you be using a spacer with your asthma inhaler appeared first on Asthma-News.com.

So as I work on getting better, I am starting the Asthma News as I have found that while a lot of information is out there, it is actually hard to find some of the research and information.  At least it has been for me.  I have ran so many things through search engines the last couple of months as I have had some weird side effects (toe cramps for example from the albuterol) and I have been trying to add some exercises and stretches to get stronger and better.  These things don’t seem to be easy to find answers to so I have made the Asthma News to hopefully provide some of these answers all in one place.  We will see where it goes as it will be a work in progress as I research my own recovery and my path forward as a now middle aged woman who has asthma.

Hope you will find some information that helps you in your journey as asthma is TOUGH!!!     Please remember to consult your doctor before you add anything or make any changes.  Some of the changes they will be very happy about and some may not be right for you — so be sure to take notes and ask your doctor — it is that simple.

The post Welcome to the Asthma News appeared first on Asthma-News.com.