Day 6 in the Ultimate Blog Challenge
My journey with Environmental Asthma started in 2013
after my Thyroid Cancer, Stage 3 almost 4 disease.
Anytime the weather would shift, my respiratory system
became very compromised when breathing. I was in and out of the hospitals
because of severe Asthma Exacerbations. Each visit lasted anywhere from 3 to 10
days depending on my breathing, wheezing and coughing.
During this time, I also was diagnosed with COPD. (I
have never smoked a day in my life). How on earth I have COPD is beyond me.
Usually, when I am having an exacerbation, the COPD flares up as well making it
exceedingly difficult to breathe and get air to move in my airways.
I have been on so many steroid treatments it is not even
funny. My mom’s sister, Bernice had severe asthma. Hers was different than mine
as hers was triggered by allergies. This included anything AND everything. They
ended up moving to Arkansas.
When I told the Allergist, who ran all my tests, he said,
“yes – that may very well be in your future if you cannot get it under control
here in the Metroplex”. Meaning the Dallas/Ft Worth part of Texas.
In February of 2016, I had a severe asthma exacerbation.
I thought I was going to die. I was in the hospital for twelve days. I had to
quit working per doctors’ orders. That was the hardest thing for me to do. I
loved my job and to think I was never going to be able to work outside of the
house again was a difficult pill to swallow. (literally).
Things that trigger my exacerbations are weather
changes, fireplaces burning, campfires, cleaning jalapenos (strange I know but
they will seize me up faster than fast), ozone layer changes, smog, the smell
of gasoline, and cigarette smoke.
I no longer can have live flowers in my house as they put
off a chemical (like the jalapenos) that will seize me up as well.
Environmental Asthma is horrific to say the least…first, my symptoms start with a change in my voice. Then I start coughing, then the
wheezing starts. I become very disoriented trying to maintain breathing. At
times I feel like I am going to pass out from shortness of breath. I must use
my nebulizer throughout the day and night when I am in the middle of an attack.
Then the steroid regimen starts. They are EVIL!!! Sometimes, my face will swell
up from the steroids and I put on weight.
After my last hospitalization, I wanted to create a Junk Journal to depict my journey with Environmental Asthma. Using ephemera received in the hospital, other things I have had out of magazines, newspapers, etc., Here is a sneak peek of a few of the pages and the Junk Journal itself that I came up with...
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