You are currently browsing the tag archive for the 'asthma triggers' tag.
Actually, I don’t know the answer, but I can speculate. Does anybody else feel like when they are really, really tired for any reason that they get more asthma symptoms? I do. When I was younger, my mom would always hate to let me go on sleepovers because the next day would invariably be rough. She noticed this pattern way before I did 
I don’t know that being tired actually causes asthma symptoms, maybe it’s just that my body and mind are less strong and can’t cope with the asthma that’s always there anyway? There’s really nothing about fatigue that should be an asthma trigger in and of itself. I don’t know, but it always feels like more work to breathe when I’m tired.
Anyway, all this to say that I myself am very very tired. A funeral followed by a few very late family party nights, followed by late nights trying to catch up in school and studying my butt off during the day means that I’m nearly burnt-out. I finally got the message yesterday when I tried to go running but couldn’t keep going, came home, crashed and fell asleep on my bed in my running clothes. I slept for 2 and a half hours. Asthma-wise, I’ve been “feeling it” much more this week. Although, this morning my mind, body and lungs feel refreshed. 
I guess I just needed a long nap!
So, I’m interested. Do you struggle with your asthma as much as I do when you are fatigued? What are your hypotheses on this phenomenon?
We are getting a new roommate today!! We could not be more excited.
To celebrate our slob roomie moving out, we are having a cleaning party. Like MAJOR cleaning. We even emptied all our kitchen drawers to wipe them dowm. Everything looks great. Only thing is, I feel worse now than I did right after my run… now THAT is saying something. It is worth it and necessary though!
The new roommate has a Wii. Hurrah!
Many many thanks to Kerri, who designed and created this header for me. I never would have been able to do something like that myself :p. It suits me perfectly, don’t you think?? I specifically asked to have a runner on there, because for the past month, and hopefully for many months (years) to come, running and my breathing have become sort of one integrated factor. I do one so that I can do the other, you know? Run to hopefully breathe better. Breathe better so that I can go running! Expect to hear a lot more about it
Yesterday, I probably had one of my best runs yet. I decided that I would extend my route by a few kilometers. I’ve been building up to 5 km, and I’d estimate yesterday I did about 7 km. I took it at a very slow and controlled pace, of course, and I was able to get into that “zone” fairly quickly. In the zone, I don’t even think, I just breathe. What made the run extra special is that the SUN was shining, something we have not seen in weeks. The fall colours are at their peak so the side of the river where I run is just on fire. I happened to run past a football game, everything just felt SO Thanksgiving-y. Glorious!!
When I got home, I decided it was time to bite the bullet and do some serious cleaning. I dust my room frequently, but this time I decided to go over every square inch of the place. I moved all my furniture and dusted away and i was surprised at the number of dust bunnies I found. Of course this little activity produced an audible wheeze and inspired some pretty violent coughing fits which weren’t so nice but it really had do be done. I think I clean more than any university student I know, I must have a touch of the Monica Gellar in me.
I didn’t get such a great sleep last night because I was pretty breathless. I guess I could have predicted that one, with the extended run AND the mega cleaning. It’s funny how I’ll often pay for things I’ve done during the day at nighttime. Well, funny and weird and annoying. The asthma beast is like most other monsters, it prefers the dark!
I’ve almost digested my breakfast and my lungs have loosened up considerably so…. it’s time to go running again! I’m trying to decide if I’ll do the long route again or try a different route altogether. We shall see!
My roommate has some sort of agreement with the landlord that he paints to subsidize his rent or something. What I didn’t know is that he is painting OUR APPARTMENT, TODAY. Thanks, I’m gone to the library. Also, this said roommate also inexplicably sprayed himself with Axe last night and then went to bed (?) I opened the door to my study cave only to be hit with this wall of disgustingness which wasted no time in tightening up my airways in a big way. So, I had to tame that beast before I could go to bed, meaning I got to bed pretty late.
But, in less complaining news, the microbio exam is done!! I was kind of nervous but when I was handed my exam I was like “oh yeah, I’m a science student, midterms are what I *do*” And I just did it and it was no problem. So in that regard, I think I have re-found my groove.
After class I will go back to my place just long enough to get changed into my running stuff and go for an easy jog. Happy Tuesday!
PS, my other roomie (the girl) and I still get along really well. The living situation is still all good, despite these 2 recent blips.
Gah – will this stifling humidity be the end of my good streak? If this morning is any indication, then yes. I think we’re in for a few more days of this stuff.
In the mountains, when it rains, the rain is light and cold. Miserable, yes, but it lets me breathe. Here, thanks to ye mighty Great Lakes, it’s so darned humid all the time. The air doesn’t glide into your lungs, it sits in them and you’ve gotta heave if you want to get it to move in or out. Blaaaaa, sorry about another rant. I know you already know how I feel about this blasted eastern humidity.
My aunt is taking me out for Ethiopian food tonight. I have dutifully remembered not to let anyone at my table order coffee, lest I have this happen again. Still, yummy!!
I am pretty diligent in checking the weather site seeing as my lungs are so finicky. Not that it helps, because the site changes its mind pretty much every hour. EC didn’t decide on rain for today until this morning, but my lungs knew it was coming before I sat down to my computer.
I just polished off a mighty flare. I’m medicated and feel good to go but I promise I’ll do something about it if it comes back tonight.
I just don’t understand why I can’t even handle a bit of rain anymore, this is getting ridiculous!
On a more humourous note, has anybody ever seen “Mean Girls”? I’m totally like Karen in this movie, except I forecast rain by what is IN my ribcage!!
I guess I’m fairly opinionated on this topic. It’s hard not to be when it’s your breathing that gets affected. Across Canada, the way that smoking is valued by the public (or, conversely, devalued) varies a great deal. Where I’m from -out west -people rarely smoke on restaurant patios or at outdoor concerts. In my city it’s outlawed in all indoor buildings, I hate to admit I don’t know the bylaw over here. In other words, it never gave me problems, especially since I didn’t happen to interact with anyone who smoked.
I recently took a trip to Quebec city. Smoking is still very much part of the culture there and it is still regarded as normal to smoke outdoors in crowded areas. I went to several outdoor concerts, and the first time it surprised me even though I had been there several times (funny how you forget certain things). I had to move around every time someone lit up because second-hand smoke really triggers my asthma (well whose asthma doesn’t it trigger?)
Where I am now, and I’ll tell you that it’s somewhere between Quebec and the far west geographically, I’d say that the level of public smoking is somewhere between the two cities. It still happens alot, much more than I’d like, but it’s not as much as a thing as in Quebec city. On campus, I frequently encounter people smoking at building entrances.
I wish people wouldn’t smoke, I really do. It’s not good for anybody. I still have to respect that it is a choice people make. There have been rigorous efforts to propagate educational campaigns regarding the adverse effects, but that is all we can do.
Despite it being a free country, I still feel that smoking in public areas should not be a thing. I don’t think it should be allowed. Peoples’ homes, backyards, and cars are a different story. But this air that we are all sharing? I NEED it to be clean, not to be all dramatic and stuff. If we were to discuss ethics, I would back myself up from a utilitarian point of view (you know, the greatest good to the greatest number of people). Because surely I stand to gain a lot more from breathing clean air than a smoker does from being able to smoke in public.
I’ve got 2 anecdotes to demonstrate how much trouble second-hand smoke can cause for an asthmatic.
1. As a child having spent the evening in the emergency room, I was finally allowed to leave into the cold December night. Stabilized but still rocky, I stepped out of the hospital only to encounter staff smoking at the exit. This undid much of the work that was done in the ER and I stepped right back inside for a few more nebs.
2. I was on a school trip in France. I was already pretty rough, I was suffering from a cold and was caught off-guard by the French spring season. Walking to the restaurant for dinner, the smoking on the crowded main street sent me over the edge into a coughing fit that would not stop. My teacher and I took a cab to the ER, it was definitely a bad one.
For some reason, I feel horrible complaining about this. I guess I’m just worried about offending people. I also don’t intend to sound whiny. But, it really does negatively affect me and I know it does countless others as well. As always, I invite and encourage discussion : )
Well as promised this appartmnet will fit my lung needs. The hardwood flooring is the nicest part. Today I did a few things in my own room to make it even better.
First, the previous tenant put these stickies in the window that melted in the sun and attracted a LOT of dust. They also looked hideous. After using some elbow grease I was able to get it all off. The paper towel was black with dust after I was finished wiping the windows down, you’d think this girl had never heard of windex
I also went on a dusting spree. At home my mom dusts my room because she’s nice and she knows that the act of dusting makes me wheezy. Anyway, I mercilessly went over every corner so that there would be no dust bunnies to be found. Of course, this is something I will be doing regularly.
I also have a strong urge to attack the bathroom to get after any lurking moulds, which I suspect there may be. I think my roomies would think I was crazy if I did that though. I probably still will.
I’m a bit sneezy after my cleaning binge, maybe I’ll go get some air.
I’ve heard people with chronic health issues say things like “I hate my disease, but given the chance, I don’t know if I’d get rid of it”. So, OK, I get where you’re coming from. I know that hardships help you grow, and make you appreciate life so much more. And I know that living with something like that for a long time can start to define you and become a part of your personality. Yes, yes and yes.
My take on the hypothetical “if you could take it all away…” situation is that my asthma is not the end of the world and I certainly can cope but if my fairy godmother came along, I would say YES! I’m thinking of all the possibilities here. I could get a good night’s sleep every night, I could wake up and feel like an actual human being in the mornings, I could dance and run without having an excuse not to, I wouldn’t have to take (and pay for) so many meds, I could go anywhere without having to run the list of potential triggers through my head. And most of all, there would be none of this life-threatening asthma episode stuff, no more scaring myself and everyone around me. Doesn’t all that seem like a good enough reason?
Of course, I can also appreciate the parts of having asthma that have been good for me. Number 1 is that if I hadn’t known what it’s like, I would never have learned to appreciate being able to run like the wind. Now, when I’m healthy, I’m extra-happy, and my smile shows it. I try to remember everything else about my health that is good, like having full mobility, no muscle or joint pain, no stomach issues, no headaches or neuro problems. Hey, I’m a healthy girl.
The other thing that’s been good, and which I really do appreciate is that I have a pretty good angle on what it’s like to be a patient and that will help me very much in my career. I’ve met a lot of doctors and I know which ones are able to communicate effectively and compassionately and I’m starting to model myself after these people.
So yes, every cloud has a silver lining! But I could still really do without the asthma attacks.
My 2 cents for the day, a little peek into my crazy brain. I’m away for the weekend, have a good one!
