moving countries with severe asthma (Australia, Europe, etc)
Hi all --
I found this resource by googling "asthma community forum". I wonder if anyone here has experience with moving countries with severe asthma, and how easy it was to find care with the pre-existing condition and how the new climate affected the asthma. I apologize for the lengthy message below, I just wanted to share my story.
I've developed my asthma following a viral infection while living in the Bay Area. I've been on Xolair since it was FDA-approved (~2007), and did not have issues getting it in the USA since I was lucky to work for the UC system at the time. After moving to the UK, it was an initial struggle to get back on Xolair, b.c the UK system wanted me to have hospital stays and year worth of prednisone to show that I was worthy the treatment (the US history did not count much).
I am now looking to move again for professional reasons, as I do not want my asthma to dictate my life. Australia is on my list, but the statistics on asthma death rates shows that it's as bad/good as the US and the UK (the UK, the US, and AU turned to be worse than any european country). I realize that the asthma death rates may not be the best predictor, but it's the only parameter I've got.
https://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/asthma/by-country/
I think the warmer climate is generally better, but I am not sure about Australian fires (Sydney is the area I am considering). I currently have trigger control of the air in which I live and sleep (charcoal and HEPA filtration, 50% humidification, 100CFM, with participle counters etc). I have a self-built pressurized tent in which I sleep. Still, not sure if my rigs will be overwhelmed with 10 days of bush fires (and it is likely to get worse in the next 20-30 years).
Hi there! Welcome to the community. I hope we can be a helpful resource for you. It seems you have great freedom of movement, which is an asset! I am not an expert, but I can tell you that each person is unique in their experience of asthma and individual triggers. Some do better with moist environments or cooler ones, etc. It's also important to note that your experience of asthma and your triggers can change over the course of your lifetime. So it's very possible that you could move to a place that is ideal for you today, that may be less ideal down the road either because your body changes or the environment around you does. I know one of our advocates,
, has written on the issue of relocating. Here is one article of hers: https://asthma.net/living/moving-to-new-climate
I have also tagged her here in hopes she will chime in when she has some time. I would also encourage you to visit our Facebook page (type in Asthma.net in the Facebook search box). Our Facebook can be a bit busier and is visited by people from a variety of different places.
I wish you all the best in your decisionmaking -- we are here to support whatever you choose to do, and I hope you'll stick around to keep us updated. 😀 -Melissa, asthma.net team
