Living

Aside from asthma, I have struggled with severe migraines since I was a teenager. They are debilitating to the point that I sometimes have to be admitted to the hospital...

If I only knew what I was getting myself into when I had my first child 32 years ago... I tried to prepare to be a good parent. I read...

Living life as an asthma patient is a way of life. It is all I have ever known. I was diagnosed at around 2 years old. Good management and care...

For the past few years, my lungs have been in a place that many doctors consider to be medically mysterious. I had tried every single asthma medication on the market...

Over the last few weeks, the east coast of the United States has been dealing with wildfire smoke blowing down from Canada. The air quality index has been high (the...

The first weekend in June I went to Pride Winnipeg for the first time, and my first time at a pride festival! It was shaping up to be our hottest...

I was recently in a waiting room for a respirology follow-up appointment for my severe asthma and I came across a wonderful patient experience moment. I have been fortunate to...

Growing up, I fit the mold of a quintessential American child. I was healthy, thin, and athletic. I was a competitive swimmer, gymnast, and did ballet. My health was fairly...

I developed asthma when I was about 16 years old, following a few rounds of severe sinus infections. What started as occasional shortness of breath evolved into more severe asthma...

I was watching the Today Show and stopped in my tracks when a story came on about medical gaslighting. Maria Shriver was reporting on the problem that, when women complain...

Severe asthma attacks are the worst. If you have not had one, I hope you never do. If you have ever had one, I am sure you know exactly what I...

Getting other opinions is nothing new for me in my pulmonary journey. I wrote an article about my experiences with second, third, fourth, and millionth opinions a while back. For...

I was excited to be visiting a different city for a work conference. The last time I visited, my asthma was significantly less well controlled and I may have even...

I did not develop asthma until I was in my late teens. I was kind of diagnosed as an afterthought. I had been dealing with multiple chest infections and slowly...

Editor's Note: This is the second article in a 2 part series. Read the first article here. In my early days of asthma in Winter 2008, I no longer had...

I am on a Zoom call and am looking at myself on video. Who is that person with the Chipmunk Cheeks?! What is wrong with my face? I could not...

I went through allergy shots when I was a kid. If I remember right, I was 10 years old when I was first tested for allergies. I remember hearing the...

For many years, I could only gaze upon doctors who used technology to communicate with their patients between visits with envy. While I can only communicate with 3 of my...

Keeping track of your medical records is essential for your health, especially when you or your child has asthma. With organized medical records, you can track changes and find patterns...

A few months ago I wrote an article about asthma burnout - tiring of the day-in and day-out of caring for this chronic disease. I have many other chronic illnesses...