Allergy & Asthma Center

Everything I Needed to Know about Asthma I Learned by Kindergarten

The following is written by Debra Mendelsohn, an Allergy & Asthma Network Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) Outreach Service Coordinator (OSC) from Claremont, CA. She is also the mother of two young children with asthma.

Five years ago this month my husband and I were standing around a pediatrician's exam room listening with disbelief as a doctor was telling us our two-year-old daughter had asthma.

Six months later we learned her infant brother faced the same diagnosis. We were stunned, but resolved to learn all that we could about this disease to ensure that our children would lead normal, healthy lives.

As my daughter enters first grade, it seems that everything I needed to know about asthma I learned by kindergarten.

Life with asthma is not always fair, but it is always challenging.
Allergy testing and other medical procedures hurt Mommy as much if not more than her child, but lollipops can work wonders.
Encasing a crib or mattress with allergy-proof bedding really does make a difference!
Changing a disgusting used HEPA air filter makes you truly appreciate its usefulness.
Asthma doesn't mean you have to miss out on all the wonderment life has to offer, you just have a little more wonderment to deal with.
Keeping a chart on the refrigerator to record medicine doses helps you remember who gets what and when, especially when you have more than one child with asthma and you are a sleep-deprived zombie.
Taking five minutes to teach a babysitter how to call your pager or cell phone is time well spent.
Vertical blinds are easier to keep dust-free than horizontal blinds or drapes.
HEPA vacuum cleaners are worth every cent.
We can survive for eight hours in the car with two bouncing toddlers hyped up on asthma and allergy medicines thanks to the car TV-VCR combo.
Doctors aren't God. Doctors aren't perfect. But some, like our allergist, come pretty darn close!
Breathing is not something to be taken for granted.
I am my children's only advocate when it comes to medical treatment.
Surgical gloves make great puppets when you're stuck in a hospital emergency room for three hours with a cranky two-year-old.
Caring for sick kids is hard; caring for a kid with asthma is even harder.
Ambulance sirens are not as exciting when you hear them from inside the van while racing to the hospital.
Mixing oral corticosteroids in juice doesn't make them taste any better, and certainly doesn't fool a four-year-old.
It is possible to push a double stroller through the half-yearly sale at the department store with a portable nebulizer attached to administer a breathing treatment to a sleeping toddler.
Aerochambers fit perfectly in a school or camp backpack.
Medic-Alert ® bracelets are more than just a fashion statement.
School nurses respect parents who take a pro-active, informed role in their children's health.
Asthma is misunderstood more often than not.
Knowledge is power, and Allergy & Asthma Network of Mothers of Asthmatics (AANMA) is a valued educational and support resource.

Click here for more information from AANMA.

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The information provided herein should not be used for diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. You should always check with a Board Certified allergist. Links to other web sites are made to provide you with additional information. We have selected those that we believe will be most helpful and accurate. However, we do not control them, do not endorse them, and are not responsible for their content.

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