Your Daily Asthma Checklist

The following was originally published as a slideshow on healthcentral.com/asthma on April 8, 2015.

Your Daily Asthma Checklist

Asthma can be managed, allowing you to live a normal life, as long as you take the proper steps and maintain compliance. Here is a checklist to guide you through your day to help maintain asthma control.

1.  Take Your Asthma Controller Medicine.  They reduce airway inflammation and keep your airways open so your breathing stays normal. They also make it easier to treat and control asthma attacks when they do occur. Most are long acting, meaning you only need to take them once or twice a day. A good tip is to take them just prior to brushing your teeth in the moring and at night.

2.  Keep Rescue Medicine Nearby. Rescue medicine opens airways to quickly end an asthma attack. Its fast-acting medicine helps you catch your breath. Nebulizers and inhalers work great for home. Inhalers are small and compact, and ideal for when you’re on-the-go. They conveniently fit into pockets and purses, making them easy to take with you.

3.  Avoid and Control Asthma Triggers.  Asthma triggers are things that may cause your asthma to flare up. Triggers, such as animal dander and cigarette smoke, can easily be avoided. Triggers in the air, such as pollen and high humidity, may be difficult to avoid. However, these may be controlled by using air purifiers and air conditioners.

4.  Use Your Peak Flow Meter. A Peak Flow Meter is a small, hand-held device that measures how much air you can push out of your lungs in one exhalation. Your peak flow numbers can indicate your asthma is getting worse even before you feel symptoms. Swift action may help you stave off an impending asthma attack.

5.  Be Vigilant Early On. Early warning signs appear before an asthma attack starts. Examples include sneezing, coughing, and feeling tired. These are usually unique for each person. When you observe them, take swift action to prevent an asthma attack.

6.  Keep An Asthma Diary.  Record your daily peak flow readings and any asthma signs and symptoms. Keep track of anything new you might have been exposed to, such as an animal. Physicians can use your diary to help recognize potential asthma triggers and patterns, and can adjust medicines accordingly.

7.  Refer to your Asthma Action Plan. An Asthma Action Plan is a plan you create with your doctor to help decide what actions to take when you observe your early warning signs, or your peak flow numbers are trending downward. It should be in a very convenient location, such as on your refrigerator. Others can use it to help you if you are unable to help yourself.

8.  Exercise Daily.  Most asthma experts recommend asthmatics get some form of exercise, even if you have severe asthma. This is important because it helps to keep your heart and lungs strong. It may help prevent asthma, and may also make asthma attacks less severe. Of course, there are other benefits to exercise, such as boosting your energy and improving your mood.

Learning your asthma signs and symptoms

The following was originally published as a slideshow on healthcentral.com on February 19, 2015.

Learning your asthma signs and symptoms

One positive thing about asthma is your body lets you know how things are going inside through symptoms and signs. A symptom is something only you can feel. A sign is something others may observe. Here are nine of the most common symptoms and signs of asthma.

1.  Itchy Chin or Throat:  This is a symptom that may appear before you have an asthma attack, but it may also be present during the attack. While many asthmatics observe this, scientists do not understand why it occurs. 

2.  Allergy Symptoms. Allergies are an abnormal response to substances that are harmless to most people, such as dust mites, pollen, and mold. Once you observe a stuffy and runny nose, itchy and watery eyes, sneezing and coughing, you know it’s time to remove yourself from whatever it is you have exposed yourself to.

3.  Cold Symptoms.  One of the most common causes of asthma are viral infections. Inside your lungs they may trigger the asthma response. So once you feel the symptoms — itchy or sore throat, stuffy and runny nose, coughing and sneezing, fatigue — action may be necessary to prevent asthma, such as calling your physician.

4.  Chest Tightness or Pain.  As the disease gains a grip on your lungs, this forces you to use youraccessory muscles to breathe. Accessory muscles are not normally used for breathing in healthy lungs. So, sort of like how your muscles ache after a hard workout, your accessory muscles may ache once you are using them to breathe. 

5.  Coughing.  A part of the asthma response is your body creating excessive amounts of secretions. As these build up, your body will create a cough to remove the sputum. Usually asthma sputum is white; although, if you have a cold caused by a virus, it may be light yellow. If you have bacteria in your lungs it may be dark yellow, green, or brown. 

6.  Shortness of Breath. Despite contrary belief, difficulty breathing is not always the first symptom you feel. Still, it is the tell-tale symptom of asthma. It’s caused by air passages that are narrowed when the muscles wrap around them to spasm and squeeze the airways. Excessive mucus production may also block airways. 

7.  Hunched Shoulders and Difficulty Speaking. In order to make more room for air in your lungs, a natural mechanism causes you to raise your shoulders as high as you can. As your asthma attack becomes more severe, this may require you to lean on things to breathe. Speaking may be difficult, so you speak in short, choppy sentences. When you observe these symptoms your asthma attack is severe and it’s time to take immediate action. 

8.  Paradoxical Breathing. Normal breathing results in little chest movement. Normally your stomach goes out on inspiration and in on expiration. You don’t have to think much about it, it just happens. During an asthma attack, a natural tendency is to suck in your stomach to push up your diaphragm to force air into your lungs. This is a symptom and sign of a severe asthma attack and immediate action is needed.

Be Vigilant. The simplest way to prevent and treat asthma is by paying close attention to what your body is saying. Your physician may help you understand your signs and symptoms and what to do when you observe them.