My Asthma Journey

Growing up I didn't have asthma. I only struggled with the croup and bronchitis but I never needed an inhaler. But I did have horrible allergies and moderate eczema. That all changed when I was 17. I got very sick from a sinus infection in just a matter of days. I had a fever of 102 and I was wheezing so heavily I couldn't even talk. My phlegm was green and tasted foul coming up. Years of secondhand smoke from my grandparents, a family history of asthma and allergies had built up in my body until my lungs couldn't take anymore.

After that I was prescribed my first rescue inhaler and for a few months I was okay. But after I got sick again, this time with bronchitis, I wound up in the ER. My allergist put me on Singulair to help me breathe and for awhile I was okay again. Then 2020 hit. Right around the same time COVID hit my area, my asthma took a turn for the worse. I went from being able to walk my dog with no issues to carrying a rescue inhaler in my pocket to handle a 30 minute stroll with the dog. I decided to ask my provider about a nebulizer and my mom taught me how to use it. After that I got my first steroid inhaler. Now I can pass my breathing tests and only need my steroid inhaler part of the year.

Mom would end up diagnosed with a type of asthma similar to mine and we share my allergist often going to appointments together. Over the past 14 years I have learned how to listen to my body and manage. It's been two years since I've needed to use my nebulizer. There's hope for all of us. -K