I have really bad asthma, I have had a problem with it all my life. It also runs in my family. I exercise, watch my diet, take my preventitive medicine, yet I still have an attack at least once a day. My doctors have prescribed everything under the sun, but nothing seems to work. Is there something that I have missed?

There are theories that some asthma is brought on or worsened by environmental allergens in paint, carpets, etc... . "My House is Killing Me! The Home Guide for Families With Allergies and Asthma" appears to be a good reference for this.

Basically, we'd have to assume that there's something causing your continued symptoms--either something in your body, or something in the environment. Household allergies are increasing as we bring more and more "stuff" into our homes.

Anyway, it might be worth a read, at the very least to rule these allergens out.

I have asthma as well. Mine is triggered mostly by molds and mildew as well as psychological stresses. If I have a sudden scare I'll have an attack. It's true that allergens can bring about an attack and it is good to have your allergist run a patch test to see what your triggers are. But remember, other triggers can be emotional as well as weather such as temperature changes. Mine is worse on very humid days and on very cold days.

You say you take a preventative medicine? Mine is Flovent and I take 2 puffs a day; one in the morning and one in the evening. It is important to stick with the schedule your doctor has prescribed for you. Keeping that drug in your system constantly will help. Do you have an emergency inhaler? I use albuterol and have it handy at all times. You are suppose to use it before exercise. Try that and see if it helps you.

Finally, if the patch test results show that you have many allergies, your allergist might recommend weekly allergy shots. This can help with your asthma attacks as well. I opted not to have the shots since I am able to manage my asthma relatively well. But I know there are many who do have to take the shots.

Asthma is a nuisance - but it is treatable. The key is working with your allergist to find a suitable method for you. Best of luck

Like Georgia said, have the scratch test. I should have mentioned that lol I had it when I was a teenager and discovered that I am allergic to most pollens and molds. So in the spring and summer, I take a Claritin each day and have almost no wheezing. It's good to rule out something that is so easily treated before moving on to the bigger stronger medications.

I take Singulair every day and the Albuteral inhaler. I had the test done and I am allergic to mold & pollen as well. I also use a nebulizer.

Well if Singulair isn't working for you it might be time to switch medications. There are other preventative medicines you can use. As I mentioned, I use Flovent, have used it for many years, and it seems to do the trick for me.

And here is a thought...since you know you are allergic to molds there is a chance you have some hidden in your home. I was over at my mother's house a few weeks ago and was in her bedroom sitting in a chair and had a sudden attack and had to use my inhaler. She knows molds usually bring on an attack...and just 2 days later she called to say, "Georgia, I found the mold" Turns out it was in the bottom of a bookcase and she cleaned it out throughly with vinegar water. I tease her now and tell her that I'm her "sniff dog" So, might be just as simple as doing a thorough search of the house.

Mold can even be INSIDE of walls, the floor, the ceiling, it can be inside or on the bottom of furniture, its a tricky little bugger that only requires a little constant moisture to start growing and dumping mold spores into the air.

Mold spores are always floating around and in some parts of the country there are more mold spores in the local air. Especially in the more humid parts of the country, say the Carolinas, Georgia, Florida, etc.

You really are not allergic to mold - per se, you are allergic to the mold spore which mold produces in large amounts.

You may want to try running an air filter. Along the lines of the HEPA filter or that new one their always talking about on TV that uses electricity and metal plates. This will reduce the amount of Mold spore in the house air. not much you can do at work or outside.

Mold spores get partially trapped in furnace and air conditioner filters the regular kind. When the fan comes on and the first big push of air blows through some mold spores break lose and are reintroduced into the air. Your Air conditioner may have mold inside of it That is normal considering the moisture that collects inside of it, so you turn it on and blow out mold spoors. Change the filters often, and use the HEPA type filters which trap the mold and hold on to it better.

Mold and Mildew are very common in just about every house. Any place that has a shower, or a hot water heater or exposure to extremes of temperature compared to a comfortable inside temperature will cultivate a small amount of mold. Older houses are more prone to mold than the newer well vented houses. But even the new houses will grow mold - in fact mold is most often found on the back of the toilet tank - its in a nice damp area where no cleaning product gets in to kill it. Second is the bathtub/shower surround. The next place is in the kitchen, most often under the sink.

If you feel the Cold supply line of your sinks and toilet, on warm humid days you will find that the line is moist - condensation of water from the air collects on the line. Under enclosed sinks the moisture content can drip and maintain a nice environment for a mold to grow. Same thing happens behind a toilet tank. The same thing can happen inside the walls and floor where the water supply line runs. So mold is in most houses to a small degree.

Even moving to the dry dessert doesn't mean much when it comes to inside mold growth - it still happens.

Your best best is to filter the air and trap the mold spores as much as possible and remember to wipe the supply lines and to clean out under the sinks even open the doors and let the air circulate on humid days to dry it out under there.

David

ADVAIR

I was like you, attacks every day.

I was going through albuterol inhalers every week to 2 weeks. It was really bad. I even nearly died about 5 years ago.
Since being on ADVAIR diskus, I haven't had a real attack in nearly a year.

Shelster - I go through an inhaler that quickly too.
And Dvd - I've noticed that since our new house has central air & heat that an attack comes on when the fans do. I'm going to try one of those air filters though.
Thanks to everyone!

quote:

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Originally posted by aleia:
Shelster - I go through an inhaler that quickly too.
And Dvd - I've noticed that since our new house has central air & heat that an attack comes on when the fans do. I'm going to try one of those air filters though.
Thanks to everyone!

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Anybody with allergies and/or asthma really needs to get their duct work cleaned regularly.

David
Time to get the duct work cleaned out - its a dirty process and requires a professional to do so - Dust and mold spores may have already collected in the duct work leading to the problem.

http://www.searscarpetandductcleaning.com/airduct.asp Sears (one place I know is everywhere) does that there may be other cheapers services around you.