The Asthma Plan

When my allergist first suggested that I had asthma, I was confused. Allergies? Sinus issues? Those were becoming old hat. Asthma is uncharted territory. It has not been smooth sailing since the diagnosis, but I'm learning navigate and now I have a plan.

At my last appointment with allergist, I brought up my future with asthma. At the time of the appointment, I was taking a full dose (2 puffs) twice daily of a Qvar inhaler. A few months earlier I had a bad reaction to an inhaler with albuterol and my primary physician came to the conclusion that Qvar (it doesn't have albuterol) twice daily was appropriate for the near future.

After a month of this of this regimen, I do feel like a new person. Though the thought of inhaling this level of steroids daily indefinitely concerns me, which was what I told my allergist. His line of treatment falls closer aligned to what I value in a doctor. Medication shouldn't be a crutch. I want to treat the problem, not continuously mask the symptoms. Hence, the asthma plan.

Until the end of January, I continued the Qvar, but with a dosage reduction of one puff only at night. This month I will use a rescue inhaler as needed. The definition of a rescue inhaler versus the preventive kind like Qvar, is that they contain albuterol. An ingredient I am very apprehensive about due to my sensitivity. The rescue inhaler my allergist prescribed contains a form of albuterol designed to be more pure and less side effects. I feel relieved to have a plan and am excited for the outcome.

The Big A

In January of last year, I began to feel a pain in my chest like I never had before. My lungs constantly hurt. I went to the doctor and took an X-ray. Everything was normal. The pain would come and go. I was also dealing with a lot of stress at the time, so I chalked it up to that. That seemed to be the simplest explanation. I am embarrassed to admit. Last year was not my healthiest year. Colds were quite frequent and my allergy symptoms were all over the place. Yet when the other symptoms would subside, the ever present chest pain never really did.

I am grateful to an allergy shot gone awry in September. I had a terrible reaction that landed me back in the allergist office the morning after my shot. In my discussion with the allergist, the chest pain came up and so did a possible diagnosis I was not expecting, asthma. I received an inhaler on the spot and was told to see how it goes.

Upon my further research on asthma, the symptoms I had been experiencing for the bulk of the year finally made sense. I felt relief, and then the fear set in. Asthma is scary stuff. Like I did with my allergies, I am game to learn how to manage it.