A Story of Peter's Childhood Asthma

At first Peter's childhood was just like any other kid’s. He went to school, played games at recess and was just as active as any other child. Unfortunately, when Peter entered fifth grade he began to realize that it was becoming harder and harder to play the games with other kids.

When Peter tried to run it found it hard to breathe. When he tried to climb the stairs to get to a class he would wheeze. Just chasing the dog in the yard became a chore. I soon realized that there might be something wrong with him, so I took Peter to the doctor where he was diagnosed with childhood asthma.

Childhood Asthma Effects

When Peter was first diagnosed I didn’t think anything of it. I thought that just taking a puff from his inhaler would help him if he had problems breathing. unfortunately I was wrong. Peter was a kid and he didn’t have the capacity to understand how serious his condition really was.

Peter thought that having childhood asthma was going to keep him from running a marathon (although he'd never had the desire before anyway). I didn’t understand that the slightest reaction to an allergy could send him to the hospital. We were both truly ignorant of all the complications of Peter's childhood asthma.

It took a near fatal asthma attack in the 7th grade to open our eyes. Peter never understood, until that point, that running in freshly cut grass was an asthma trigger. Before he knew it he had collapsed on the ground without the ability to draw the tiniest breath. Peter not being able to breathe scared me more than I could describe.

After that unfortunate event we were able to fully comprehend the seriousness of his condition. After that day, Peter didn’t run as often as he used to. He didn’t hop the stairs two at a time like he used to. He didn’t take each breath of air for granted like he used to. He restricted himself to doing only the basic things, and he grew depressed because of it.

Peter Takes His Life Back From Childhood Asthma

Childhood asthma became Peter's crutch. He used it as an excuse to stay indoors and watch TV. He used it as excuse to not participate in PE. He used it as excuse to skip the prom and stay home. Peter's asthma became more life threatening than it was supposed to be because he allowed it to slowly suck the “life” from him. His friends began to leave him alone and he became a loner. Peter stayed in his room and only left to eat. Asthma was his death sentence and it wasn’t supposed to be and I didn't know what to do to help him.

In June of 1999, Peter's mother died. We were both devastated. She was the only one who had been there for him through his depression. He suddenly realized that he had been using asthma, and his mother, as a crutch to feed his depression. It’s sad that it took the death of a parent to open his eyes but at least he was able to move on. After that day Peter sought treatment for his depression and asked his doctor about asthma medications he could use.

Peter had allowed his childhood asthma to rob him of his childhood and he wasn’t going to continue on that path to destruction. When people hear about childhood asthma they only think about the physical problems associated with the disease. No one thinks about how mentally damaging it can be to a kid.

If your child or the child of someone you love is diagnosed with asthma make sure you find someone who can help them cope with the disease. Childhood asthma is not an excuse to give up on childhood it is a reason to live your childhood fully and make the most of your life.

Bronchial Asthma

Bronchial asthma is a disorder of the respiratory system which causes the sufferers airways to become inflamed and narrowed. When the case is very severe they may cough and wheeze constantly even when not experiencing an attack. This sort of condition is debilitating as it limits the sufferer’s freedom to move around and engage in normal, everyday activity.

Most people with Bronchial asthma do not have it to such a severe degree, however, and are able to manage their condition through medication, proper breathing techniques and awareness of what triggers their episodes. By becoming aware of these triggers patients can more effectively avoid them or, at the very least, be more prepared when entering into a situation where these triggers are present.

For example, if a person finds that cat dander triggers an episode for them, they may choose to remain outside when visiting a home with cats, wear a protective mask whilst in the home, or simply keep their emergency medication with them. It is all dependent on the severity of their reaction to the trigger and what steps they choose to handle it.

Athletes and Bronchial Asthma

Exercise or other physical exertion is a common trigger for attacks of bronchial asthma. Consequently, many people avoid any and all strenuous activity out of fear and thus miss out on valuable experiences. Many athletes suffer with this condition and continue to compete in sports such as football, soccer and other strenuous activities. They still may have occasional struggles with their symptoms like anyone else but they learn to manage to condition.

What sets these athletes apart is that they work diligently to maintain control over their bronchial asthma so that they can continue to compete. They do this by taking medication that helps keep their airways open, practicing proper breathing to prevent or calm an attack and conducting their athletic training in such a way as to slowly build up their capabilities. If they were to jump into an overly strenuous activity without this gradual preparation they could trigger a bronchial asthma attack that could interfere with further training.

Missing out on that additional training may hinder their progress so it is vital to any athlete to always be on top of their condition. It is inspiring to see that many of them are very successful at doing so because it gives hope to everyone else suffering with this condition. By working closely with your doctor they too can achieve the sort of control over your Bronchial asthma that these athletes demonstrate.