Lung infections
Throughout my life, I've had several lung infections and as a kid, I had bronchitis a couple of times. In my early 20s, I had walking pneumonia, in my late 20s I had whooping cough. I had been vaccinated but didn't know I needed a booster shot so yes I got whooping cough which is not something I would wish on even my worst enemy.
There was one time when I was about 4 that I woke up and couldn't breathe, scared my mom so much that she slept at the foot of my bed the rest of that night I was fine when I went to bed and I was fine when I woke up the next morning so mom and I recently thought perhaps it was my first asthma attack.
Visting the doctor and late diagnosis
I didn't see the doctor for it, but mom called my doctor and he had her bundle me in a blanket and take me outside. The idea being that perhaps the cool air would help settle my lungs which it did and since I was fine in the morning nothing more came of it (this would have been around 1976 so things were different then).
I was diagnosed with asthma 2 years ago, and it was confirmed with a pulmonary function test last summer (2019). Last fall I had a sinus infection that made its way to my lungs which is something I have faced throughout my entire life but nobody really knew I had asthma until summer 2019.
Early diagnosis and quality of life
Early diagnosis would have likely helped my quality of life throughout the years even though lung infections are tough to avoid. I believe the rest of my life would have been easier when it came to breathing in general. For track and field, I might not have been given a failing grade because I could never run beyond doing a 50 or 100 meter sprint. Anything more than 100 meters and I couldn't make it to the finish line so I failed physical education anytime distance running was required.
If you or someone you know is struggling to keep up with their peers when running or walking and feel like you just don't have enough air to keep going but are otherwise healthy talk to your doctor. Seeking treatment early will help improve your quality of life and perhaps make it possible for you to run that mile you want to run but can't.
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