10 Reasons Good Allergy and Asthma Plans Can Go Bad

When you have allergies or asthma, you have many responsibilities. You may need to take multiple medications to control your signs and symptoms. For asthma, you may need to take frequent peak flow readings to monitor how well your lungs are working. And you must be prepared for quick action at the first sign of an asthma attack.

To take control of your treatment, improve your lung function and avoid the emergency room, your doctor may recommend creating written plans:

• A daily self-management plan for treating and monitoring your asthma
• An action plan that tells you what to do if your asthma gets worse

But there can be problems even with the best of plans, including misplaced pens, timing trouble, allergy denial, and problems with techniques.

The following advice comes from the Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics(AANMA) and appears in a guest column in their publication Allergy & Asthma Today. It is written by Martha White, M.D., Director of Research at the Institute of Asthma and Allergy in Wheaton, MD and Medical Editor of The MA Report.

“Even the best orchestrated allergy and asthma treatment plans can crumble under the weight of seemingly minor mishaps. How do good plans go bad?"

1. Thin Air. When faced with a wheezy baby, it may be tempting to put the nebulizer face mask aside and just aim the medicated mist toward the baby’s face. The problem is, the medicine ‘blows by’ the baby’s face but little reaches his lungs. Use a face mask with a tight seal to the baby’s face to ensure the medication reaches inflamed airways. AANMA’s Baby Breaths video shows how it’s done. (Call 800-878-4403.)

2. Misplaced Pens. You can’t use an EpiPen if you don’t have it with you, right? But how many of us have left ours in the car (bad idea--it gets too hot) or at home? Most insect stings or run-ins with food allergy don’t happen at home. Remembering to carry your EpiPen can save your life, or that of a loved one.

3. Medicine by the Mouthful. Unless you’re really good at using an inhaler--and most of us aren’t--you’ll get much better results with a holding chamber. A holding chamber traps and suspends the medicated mist long enough to inhale it slowly. More medicine reaches your airways instead of your mouth, throat and stomach!

4. Misguided Nasal Spray. Allergic reactions occur along the outer wall of theinside of the nose, so that’s where you should aim your nasal spray. Pointing it toward the septum (in the middle of the nose) could produce irritation and bleeding.

5. Problems with Technique. Young children sometimes have difficulty with the concept of inhaling medications, so they’ll initially blow into an inhaler. Watch your child’s technique. A child who can’t get the hang of one device may benefit from coaching or a different device that matches his abilities.

6. Timing Trouble. If you take a deep breath before putting the inhaler in your mouth, there’s no room in your lungs for the medicine. The proper technique is to exhale first, then activate the inhaler while inhaling slowly and deeply.

7. Blame Game. Some patients stop taking a medication because they don’t feel it working. For example, inhaled corticosteroids work quietly to treat airway inflammation and prevent asthma symptoms. Medicines that treat coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath provide more obvious signs that they are working. If you want to change your treatment plan, call your physician or nurse educator first.

8. Allergy Denial. Parents may feel pressure to bring home a pet. But even if you or your child has a ‘mild’ allergy to cats or dogs, bringing one into the family could cause major problems (and send your child to the emergencyroom).

9. Giving Up on Shots. Allergy shots are the closest thing to a ‘cure’ for people with allergies. Schedules vary, but it usually takes my patients 7 months to get to the top (i.e., maintenance) dose. With continued allergy shots the allergies gradually become less severe over a period of 3 to 5 years. If you give up after only a few months, you won’t see these long-term benefits.

10. Missed Allergy Shots. If you’re late getting your allergy shots (1 week or more), the dose may need to be reduced. Since allergy shots don’t have much effect until you’re at or close to the maintenance dose, missing your shots could extend your build-up phase and delay benefits.”

Click here for more good information on the AANMA web site.

Back to Allergy Contents

Back to Asthma Contents

Back to Home Page