Humidity and Asthma (again!)
Oh my word! Have I just been given another wake up call regarding my asthma. The last few months I have had a fairly asthma "free" time. In other words, it hasn't been in the forefront of my mind while I have been busy with my business. We are coming into full blown summer now in SA, so the weather is getting hotter.
Today started like any other, shaking off the after effects of the antihistamine that keeps my nights fairly comfortable. Off to the gym in the middle of load shedding, our daily challenge, where the battery and inverter keeps the lights and fans on but not the air con.
As usual I had a couple of puffs of my rescue inhaler before hand and a swig (about 2 t-spoons) of a mucolytic cough syrup I keep in in my gym bag in case my airways start to fill with mucus and off and started the class, which I finished but not without some discomfort.
Sat and had a coffee with my gym friends inside the mall, hoping that my breathing would ease and I got over the tiredness and feeling a little dizzy. It helped to a point, and then it was time to go outside to the car and drive home. I got home thinking I was over the worst, but felt chesty and short of breath throughout the day.
It finally dawned on me to check the humidity and it is 81%!! Good grief! No wonder it's been such a bad asthma day! So, the moral of my story is to remember to consider the weather and be prepared before it comes back to bite you on the butt!
Hi
, and thanks for sharing your recent 'story' managing this disease (asthma), and the changing weather. We appreciate you lending your own special brand of support and encouragement as part of this recent experience with a high level of humidity. You are definitely not alone! Others in the community have shared similar sentiments when it comes to asthma and changes in weather specifically the heat and humidity of summertime, as it is where you are in SA (South Africa or South America? -both in the southern hemisphere for summer.)
I thought these two articles, which speak to this very topic (summer/asthma), might help to underscore your very story:
First, this one, which focuses on humidity: https://asthma.net/living/humidity-trigger. And next, this one, which concentrates on heat: https://asthma.net/living/heat-trigger-attacks.
I do hope you (and the community), finds this information to be helpful in a practical way.
All the best,
Leon L (author/moderator asthma.net)
