Asthma, on the Personal Side
I am hoping that people will share with me their self-help for Asthma as I tell you what has worked over the years for me. When I was first diagnosed as an adult, I had nothing but a long list of things not to do and not to eat from the doctor. He told me not to eat foods that I had eaten up until that point and I didn't see any reason to stop. A few of them I found out fast why not to eat them anymore. I think the one I hated giving up the most was peaches. I used to eat sliced peaches with whipped cream all the time growing up and suddenly it caused all sorts of problems I never want again. The list of foods limited my diet very much and me because it seemed to lose a lot of weight with no warning.
Then there was the list of don't go and walk where there is a lot of fuel oil or gas fumes. This was a fun problem. I lived a block and a half from a railroad yard where 125 trains went through on a regular basis. The doctor gave me two options: Move or Move anyway! Easy for him to say he made more money than I did. I worked around chemicals in a motel which didn't help my breathing either but when that is all you have done; you do it. It rained a few days later and lucky for me I ended up at the doctor's office and he told me that was part of the Asthma.
After some research with Vitamin companies that they had an Asthma vitamin formula. It was an ephedra formula that I loved and it helped me. I didn't have to use my inhaler as much. I was pleased with that. I would buy a six month supply and always made sure I had it on order before I ran out. Then we had the problem with ephedra which was also in diet pills. People were overusing it so ephedra was taken off the market in the USA. Well, my life went back to more inhaler and less exercise. I have nothing but respect for people who can do exercise but my 7 miles a day walks went out the window as I couldn't go even a fourth of the way before it was no air and use the inhaler. I found at this time that caffeine does wonders for the breathing as well. I love Dr. Pepper so it made it easy for me. I couldn't drink anything but green tea and herbal tea according to the doctor. You would think all the caffeine would cause problems but it made my ADHD react to the caffeine so I slept better.
After I married my husband, who was a former Registered Nurse, we found that high caffeine did help the Asthma but was now making my blood pressure go up and then we found out that the inhaler caused high blood pressure as well but the blood pressure pill wasn't supposed to be used if you were Asthmatic. I have been fighting with both of the conditions now for about 5 years and the doctor has not found a blood pressure medication that doesn't have side effects of Asthma and I need the inhalers because of Asthma which causes the blood pressure to go up. I am caught right now between a rock and a hard place. I would welcome any information to deal with the two.
On the 4th of February, I ended up in the ER. I couldn't breathe and I had used my inhaler. My husband would say I would have told him I was fine, but after three hours and a couple more hits on my inhaler nothing worked I told him to the hospital we go. I spent 3 hours in the ER and had a nebulizer treatment and x-rays and an EKG but was sent home after my breathing was back to normal. Didn't tell me what had caused it. I figure it was the stress of the new job I had started that day. Needless to say, scared my employer as I had always been able to get the attacks to stop with my inhaler but to no avail. My husband keeps a close watch on me and tells me to use both my rescue inhaler and my maintenance inhaler twice daily. I have a horrible habit that if my lungs aren't acting up don't use the inhaler I guess my asthma has a different idea about that now.
