Out of Breath? Teens with Asthma Get the Word Out

Asthma in the Family
Ambrosia, 16
Colorado

Asthma plays a big role in my life, as well as my mom’s life. Right now my asthma isn’t affecting me, but it affects my mom all year long. She had an asthma attack right in front of me once without letting me know what was wrong. She really needs help with her asthma. She has a nebulizer* but every time she uses it she shakes a lot, and she can’t do anything about it because it’s just the medicine working. She smokes cigarettes too, so that doesn’t help her—that just makes it worse. It’s so sad to see your own mother cough all day long and suffer because she doesn’t have insurance to get an inhaler to help her out. All she does is deal with it.

How would you feel if you saw your mom go through an asthma attack right in front of you, and you couldn’t do anything about it? What if you had to just sit there and watch her go through that much pain knowing that it could happen to you any given day in your life?

*Nebulizer: a machine that changes liquid medicine into mist that can be inhaled by the patient; often used to ease symptoms for asthma and other severe respiratory attacks.

My Magic L
Brittney Owens, 15
Connecticut

Struggling to draw it in,
finding it gone,
as if someone had pushed all the air away,
just out of my reach.
I remember breathing, and how to do it,
but I can’t find the air to breathe.
Pressure is applied,
heavy and restricting on my chest.
This weight ensures that I cannot draw in a breath.
My head gets heavy and spins.
My stomach gets nauseous with fear,
forcing my mind to think, to form a plan
so that I can survive.

Staying still to extend my time,
running for help.
Searching for plastic in an “L” shape,
filled with a metal cylinder of
life-giving power.
Pushing down quickly, creating two soft hisses.
Saving myself,
breaking apart the invisible wall
that keeps the air from me.
Opening my lungs, sucking in air,
feeling the cool of the inhaler’s power
rush through my lungs.
My symptoms disappear;
the air is within my reach.

I draw it in.
I push it out.
I wait for the next attack,
but I am ready.
My knight in blue plastic,
my magic “L,”
will come to my aid
and save me again.

Simple Tips for Dealing with Asthma

While you can’t get rid of your asthma, there are some things you can do to lessen the impact it has on your life:

• Have a plan for dealing with attacks.
• Tell your friends and coworkers that you have asthma so they can also be prepared.
• Be as informed as possible about your condition.
• Take your medications regularly, at the right dosage, even if you think you are getting better.
• Find out what works for you. For example, if you aren’t comfortable with certain aerobic sports like basketball, try one with lots of downtime, like baseball, or one with controlled breathing, like swimming.
• Figure out what triggers your asthma and avoid those things. (See Troublesome Triggers on page___.)
• Pay attention. Remember how you feel before an attack so you know when one is coming on and you can take your medication before it’s too late.

What Does It Feel Like?

Any one of these symptoms may mean that you have asthma. Symptoms are clues that let you know that you might be at risk for an asthma attack. Don’t assume you have asthma just because you experience any of these—you need to see a doctor to be sure.

• Coughing, especially at night
• Difficulty breathing
• Chest feels tight or hurts
• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing
• Trouble sleeping
• Dark circles under the eyes
• Restlessness
• Decreased energy level
• Itchy, watery eyes
• Itchy, scratchy, or sore throat
• Runny nose
• Stuffy head
• Decreased appetite
• Tiredness
• Headaches

Troublesome Triggers

Usually asthma symptoms get started by certain triggers that bother your lungs. Triggers can range from viruses (such as colds) and allergies to gases and particles in the air. Given this range, you might find it hard to figure out what starts your asthma attacks. You may even think your attacks “just happen.” Common triggers include:

• Dust mites*
• Pets or animals
• Pollen
• Changes in temperature or weather
• Colds and infections
• Certain foods
• Exercise
• Strong odors such as perfumes, paint, and cleaning agents
• Emotions such as stress
• Air pollution such as smog and smoke

Dust mites: microscopic arachnids (a group that includes spiders) that lurk in dark corners and dusty places.

How to Duck and Dodge Your Symptoms

Asthma has no cure, but there are many options for controlling and treating symptoms. The first thing teens with asthma can do is to try to control the triggers in their environment. Here are some things to try:

• Clean the house at least once a week while wearing a mask.
• Avoid pets with fur or feathers.
• Encase the mattress, pillow, and box springs of your bed in dust-proof covers.
  Other ways to avoid asthma symptoms involve treatments and medications. Monitor your lung function using a peak flow meter*. If the meter indicates that a person’s breathing is down by 20 percent or more from the way she usually breathes, then an asthma attack could be on the way.
• Anti-inflammatory drugs are a common form of long-term treatment and can be taken through inhalers or swallowed as pills. They reduce mucus buildup and swelling.
• Bronchodilators increase the diameter of air passages in the lungs. Short-acting bronchodilators are inhaled and used to relieve symptoms during acute* asthma attacks. Long-acting bronchodilators are used to control symptoms in special circumstances such as during sleep or during pollen season.
• Immunotherapy involves injections of small doses of an allergen--the thing a person is allergic to--once or twice a week. The dosage is slowly increased so that the immune system can build up a tolerance to the allergen.

*Peak flow meter: a portable, hand-held device used to measure your ability to push air out of your lungs.
*Acute: sharp and severe

main 1 2