Sometimes, You Just Have to Laugh

Living with asthma is no walk in the park. There is not a single day that asthma does not impact me in some way, shape, or form. As with everything in life though, there are some moments that make everything seem a little less daunting. People say laughter is the best medicine - though I might have to say controller meds take the cake! - so I thought I would share some of my funnier asthma stories.

Swim practice

Though asthma attacks are never a joking matter, one of my more serious ones actually makes me laugh every time I think about it. By this point in my asthma journey, I was no stranger to asthma attacks at swim practice (or ambulance rides for that matter - the previous year I actually had my favorite EMTs!)

A 600m breaststroke for time did me in on this occasion, and my coach and I handled it very calmly. Since chlorine was one of my biggest triggers, somehow we managed to get me seated on a rolling chair, and my coach and I were off to the end of the pool for some fresh air. My oxygen saturation had dropped pretty low, so he decided to go to our athletic trainer to see if she had any oxygen.

Major red flag for her, and as soon as she comes to see me she declares she is calling 911. Emergency services put us on hold, prompting her to ask, "Is that even legal?" I vaguely remember cracking a little smile. Police officers are the first to show up, then comes the fire department. In our swim program, there was a famed athlete who was an NCAA champion, Olympic trials finalist, and of course an alum of my high school. Did I also mention he is now a firefighter? Lo and behold, Mr. NCAA champ shows up as one of my first responders. I was mortified but looking back now I find it quite hilarious.

Just when you think this asthma attack could not get any wilder, our club team was having try-outs that night. In comes all the little swimmers, whose first impression of the swim program was a girl being carted out on a stretcher...in a swimsuit (also not for the first time). I love telling this story because it just gets more and more ridiculous as it goes on. My swimming career was pretty much over after that, so I guess I really did go out with a bang!

Lost sputum sample

Sputum samples are kind of the bane of my existence. I always have a hard time actually getting a sample because I find it so ridiculous to actually be doing such a thing. My first sputum sample I vividly remember the nurse and I laughing nonstop over my inability to cough up a "lougee" as she called it. Since I get cough shy, I moved to the bathroom, and sitting on the floor was texting my friends about how crazy this all felt. Here I was, sitting on the bathroom floor in the hospital, texting and Googling, "how to collect a sputum sample?"

Though this story was one to remember, a more ridiculous rendition of the same diagnostic test was when my doctor gave me a cup to collect some sputum at home. I was so proud of myself for my successful collection...and then I lost the cup. I looked high and low for my sample with no success. Still to this day I wonder where it could be, and I genuinely hope it got tossed rather than misplaced. Talk about stuff growing!

Dust bunnies

Over the years, I have done treatments all over the place. I could make a whole article about all the wild locations I've had to plug in and nebulize, but I think this one takes the cake. Taking AP exams this past spring, I didn't get a lot of time to take my medication during breaks. My bra inhaler came in handy for the majority of my tests, but on the rare occasion I did get an opportunity to use my nebulized medication, I had quite the set-up. Nebulizers aren't the quietest devices, so I placed myself in a stairwell, plugged into a broken outlet while sitting on a weight plate that was literally keeping me from getting trapped there. The dust bunnies and I were well-acquainted by the end of my neb.

Looking back, I just have to laugh at some of my asthma stories

When asthma wears me out, I try to bring my mind back to some of these ridiculous stories I have to tell because of my experiences. Life always seems to find a way to make things just a little bit more bearable.