A Scary Feeling- Asthma and Environmental Allergies

This morning I woke up from a terribly scary dream, to realize that part of it was a bit real.  In my dream, the building was on fire and it was hard to breath around the smoke.  When I woke up, I could feel the tightness in my chest, and realized that part did indeed feel real.

Over the past few months, since I have been back in Italy from my summer holiday to the States, I haven't had many environmental allergies or asthma.  Over the past two weeks however, I have felt a tightness in my chest from a cough and the quick change to cool weather.  This was a feeling I hadn't experienced in a while, and took me by surprise.  Feeling this way is uncomfortable for someone who doesn't have allergies or asthma, but for someone who does, it accentuates that feeling that much more!

Right now as I sit here typing, drinking hot tea in a cool apartment, I feel the tightness and I find it a bit frightening.  I am telling you this, because it is important as a parent, that you understand how vital you are to them.  Parents are the best comfort your children have when they feel this way.  I am sure it is even scarier for them because they don't know how to express the way they are feeling.  At least as an adult, I know the things I can do to try to help myself.  For parents who share this blog with their children, it is important that your children know that they are not the only ones who feel this way.  It is a scary and frustrating feeling, and although you may not understand how they feel, you can understand that they are scared and need you.

I don't often worry or feel concerned about my allergies or asthma, but whenever I feel like this, that worry does exist.  To help myself worry less, these are the strategies I use:

1.) I take deep breaths and tell myself to relax and stay calm (if I cry or escalate in any way, I will only feel worse and have an even more difficult time).

2.) If necessary, I take my rescue inhaler (I use ProAir).

3.) I keep track of my breathing by measuring with my Peak Flow Meter to see how off my breathing really is, or if I am more nervous, when my breathing may actually be in a safe range.

4.) I drink hot tea and run a hot shower to breath in the steam.

5.) I find something to do, read, or watch that will relax me, so I am not solely focused on the tightness.


I have had a few instances where my rescue inhaler did not help as much as it should, and I had to go to the hospital.  Fortunately,  that has been very few instances (and usually when I have been sick, extremely stressed out, or around pets).  If your child's tightness is that severe, a hospital is certainly the most important place to be!

Of course, with these experiences, it always tends to be situational...

Checking in with your child and making sure they know that you are there is extremely important.  Teaching them also what to do, is a skill they will need to take with them as they grow up and live on their own someday (like me).

One other point I want to make, is the importance as a parent, of not showing your own worry or panic in front of your child.  Although you as a parent are certainly entitled to feel panicked, it is something that will only worry your child more and make them feel even worse and more scared themselves.  You as a parent need to make sure to feel in-control and in-charge of the situation.  That way you will put both your child and yourself more at ease.  

I am lucky that I can't remember my parents ever showing serious worry in front of me throughout my growing up.  However, I did have other adults who showed their worry, and made me feel that much worse, and much more frightened.  That is why I know the feeling, and know how much worse it feels as a child!    

Although I am now on my own, and my parents are not here in Italy with me to comfort me in-person, I do know that they are only a skype call away, and my Italian family (not by blood, but by love and care) is only one floor below, and that is a comfort I am fortunate to have!

Another Day Trip, Another Experience

I spent the day in Austria on Sunday. As awesome as it is to say that I can spend the day there, it is also just as difficult to deal with another countries language and food differences. Of course, as always, I packed myself a mini-picnic of snacks. I did not anticipate eating anything there, since I didn't have a way to print out a copy of my German chef card (and the decision to go was made about an hour before leaving). I made sure my meds were in my bag, then headed out to meet my friends in the car to drive to Austria.

The drive only took us two hours out of our dirty, air-polluted city, and into some fresh Austrian air! There was a considerable difference when we opened our doors and breathed in fresh, breathable, healthy lung, smoke free air. It was amazing!

The air in my Italian city has been really bothering my environmental allergies and asthma lately. I am an avid runner, and when I go out for my run in the city, I can feel my lungs just trying to find fresh air to breathe. It is terrible!


Something that really stood out to me, was that I didn't see anyone smoking! Where I live, it is more difficult to find a person that isn't smoking, than that is!

Even as we walked by cafes, I didn't have to pass through any clouds of smoke!

When my friends were finally hungry, we found a restaurant for dinner. All I ordered was a drink, but I didn't mind because I had been snacking all day!

Even with a spontaneous day trip outside the country that I live, I can still figure out ways to make my allergies work, and not stop me from doing what I want!

Asthma Frustration

It started today when I was outside with the kids at recess. I could see the pollen floating in the air, and felt my lungs tighten while my breathing became mildly constricted. "Ugh..." I thought as I waited impatiently for recess to end.

When I was first diagnosed with asthma, it was only sports induced. It happened my freshman year of high school. I was, and still am a runner. I started having difficulty catching my breath though at cross country practices. That is when I got my first inhaler. Unfortunately, my asthma has only progressed from there.

I am trying to get the flu shot in Italy. Everything takes much longer here! Having asthma scares me. In more recent years, I have had some scary experiences with my asthma, and the thought of getting sick is frightening. Asthma is such an out of control feeling. My albeterol inhaler helps, but I still have scary moments where I feel very uncomfortable and very afraid of the lack of control I have. I take the lowest dose of advair twice a day, Flonase, and Singulair. (I have lots of environmental allergies too.)

Two years ago I came home from grad school to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family for the long weekend. We had our Thanksgiving dinner at our house, and during it I kept feeling more and more restricted. My dad end up having to rush me to the ER when my albeterol inhaler did nothing for me! It really scared me! I had never had that happen before. I was really stressed out at the time and I hadn't spent time at home most of the fall, so I had't been in our house or around our dog, which didn't help! After that they put me on Prednizone for a week, I felt better.

I have a student in my class who has asthma and every time she is having trouble my heart goes out to her because I know that feeling. She has an inhaler, but we have had to call her mom before because she has left it at home. The other day she was playing outside too, and had trouble, took her inhaler, and still didn't feel better. I felt so bad for her! It is such a scary feeling!

There also seems to be a lot of dust where I live in Italy. I am in a brand new apartment, yet the dust accumulates so quickly! I have heard other teachers I work with say the same thing about their apartments! Everyone smokes cigarettes here too! I hate it! Smoking is so gross! It makes me sad to see all these 11 and 12 year old kids already starting to smoke cigarettes. It is such a cultural thing here, that no one seems to be bothered! It is unbelievable to me with all that we know about cigarettes, that it is still such a significant part of the culture here! Yuck!

Hopefully this week I will find the flu shot! Wish me luck!