Coping with My Asthma
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Asthma Advice
I have suffered with asthma all my life and at times it has been a very hard condition to deal with. But I've found that as I have grown older, I have been able to control my asthma much better and live a normal life. Some Doctors say that you tend to grow out of asthma and I believe this is true, but I also believe that you learn to better copy because of experience.
For example I can recognise very early signs that I am having breathing problems so I can therefore deal with them straight away. I also learn what the triggers tend to be for my asthma as well, so I can try to avoid any potential triggers which may cause my asthma to show itself.
I have found that I have an allergy to dogs and cats which will indirectly affect my asthma because I tend to sneeze a lot and the added stress of this can cause my throat to tighten up.
Another personal trigger seems to be the changing seasons mainly between summer and autumn and also in winter when the cold temperatures can cause my chest and throat to tighten. Because of this I make sure I have extra medication on me during winter and when I'm playing sports outside in cold weather.
However overall I have learnt to control my asthma and don't let it get in the way of me doing things, I love playing sports and never want to give them up. Funnily enough though exercise doesn't seem to trigger my asthma symptoms, I can play football or tennis for several hours and not feel any effects. But then a certain smell or substance in the house like paint fumes can cause breathing problems.
The nature of asthma means it affects different people in different ways so it is all about learning about how your asthma affects you. By doing this you can learn how best to overcome the problem. Try to carry a little notebook around and if you suddenly develop breathing problems then make a note of your surroundings and anything that may have caused it. Eventually you may find a pattern of triggers that cause problems for your asthma. You can then work out the best way to avoid them.
Marisa Wright Level 5 Commenter 4 years ago
I note you say dogs and cats make you sneeze and that "indirectly" affects your asthma. It's quite likely it directly affects you - I find that sneezing is my FIRST reaction to a cat or dog, but if I stay around long enough, it develops into a wheeze as the dander penetrates deeper into my respiratory system.
Similarly, as a child I used to think – like you – that cold winter temperatures caught my throat. Now I realise it’s not the cold temperatures, but what we do in our houses when it’s cold. There are more cushions, rugs, blankets and curtains being flapped around in the winter, and we close up our houses so the dust doesn’t get blown away. The winter cold doesn’t bother me now I’m living in a house that’s kept dust-free!