My Story - Take Asthma Seriously!!!
I was 36 and 7 months pregnant with my last child. It was March and I had just dropped off my oldest son for baseball practice. Walking back to my car, I couldn't catch my breath. It continued to get worse. My husband took me to the emergency room and they told me I had asthma. They told me it was probably pregnancy-induced and after I had my baby it would probably go away.
It didn't. I struggled for a year; using rescue inhalers like they were going out of style until I got to the point where they were ineffective. On my 38th birthday, during my baby's first birthday party, I could barely breathe by the end of the night. My husband rushed me to the emergency room and by the time we got there, I was collapsed in the front seat. I ended up on a ventilator for 6 days. My total stay in the hospital was 2 weeks. My family didn't think I would survive.
Obviously I did, but I became pretty educated about asthma after that. Asthma is not the worst thing to live with, but it should definitely be taken seriously! I never realized that a person could die from an asthma attack. My asthma is very well controlled now and has been for years. But I know the signs of a flare up and I always take immediate action.
- what a frightening occurrence you've had. It's definitely a plus that your husband acted quickly to get you to the emergency room, and it's a testament to the importance of seeking prompt medical attention during a severe asthma attack, such as yours. I imagine this experience flung you right into the thick of it, educating yourself on signs, symptoms, treatments, and asthma plans fairly quickly. It's crucial to recognize that asthma attacks can be life-threatening in some cases. I am so very glad to hear you are currently well controlled and managing reasonably well. We really appreciate you sharing this experience with us in the community and hope to see you posting again. Warmly - Happy Holidays! Rebecca (community moderator) 
Hi again,
, and thanks for sharing your 'story' here with the community. I recall you and I have conversed here already (for ease of reference, here is a link to that conversation: https://asthma.net/living/people-forget#comment-516436.) - It is good to see you providing your own brand of support and encouragement for our community members, based on your own very harrowing episode.
As a career respiratory therapist, I have long known that asthma can actually lead to someone's demise. That is why, as you've said, it is extremely important to take the disease seriously. We always say that asthma is reversible and controllable and, it is! However, any episode, if not addressed early and treated effectively, can rapidly deteriorate into a significant medical emergency. Your situation (from when you were 36), is an excellent example of that and, once again, we appreciate you sharing it here!
I am glad to hear that you view your own disease as being well-controlled now and, that you have been living this way for many years. I expect this will continue for you over your lifetime, just as many of us within the community understand the same outlook.
I will look forward to continued conversations with you moving forward. We are glad to have you as a member of our online community.
Warm regards,
Leon L (author/moderator asthma.net)
