Asthma Update

Asthma update:

Thought I'd give an update on how I'm doing with my asthma, what I have been doing and what meds I am currently taking for this wonderful illness that takes the breath away of so many people.  This is mostly for me to help me track how I am feeling, what I have been doing lately and to help keep track of the timelines to see what changes I make that might help my breathing.

How my asthma has been lately:  

Well, the weather the last few days aren't fun (100 degrees or more) and take a toll on my lungs but I am hanging out in the a/c most of the day.  The only time I notice the imaginary hands around my next are when I am outside and the humidity is high.  Today is probably the tightest my chest has felt lately but it is tolerable and on the very low end of what the pain level was on a daily basis just a few months ago.  We have day care kids that are coughing at the moment and when you combine their colds with me it usually ends up with me getting sick.  I'm always a bit on edge when it comes to people coughing just because I get sick so fast and kids usually cough right on me or touch everything after they cough so the germs are sure to spread.  I am crossing my fingers, washing my hands lots and spraying Lysol like it's going out of style.  We also have an air quality warning for yesterday and today.  It's just a good time to stay inside.  :)

What I'm doing differently:  

starting a few months ago I changed some eating habits after reading an article about someone who had asthma symptoms and got relief from eliminating certain things, mainly pastas and breads.  (I can't find the article now but did get the info from one of the women with Girls Gone Strong.  You can find more info about this group here...it's a Facebook link).  For the majority of the time I drink no pop, I have cut out breads and pastas and have limited the amount of processed foods that I eat quite a bit.  Every day isn't 100% perfect but I have made great strides from what I used to consume.

Meds I currently take:  

only my inhaler as needed.  In the last three weeks I have used my inhaler about 5 times and this was just before, during or while I was exercising.  I quit taking my daily steroid three weeks ago.  A few months ago I quit taking Singulair.

My Goal:

my plan was to be off of my Singulair by the fall.  Because of the cost of this drug I quit it earlier than I had planned.  Honestly, I was pretty scared to be off of it because I really didn't want to get bronchitis again or worse, end up in the ER like last time because I was dehydrated.  I will continue to use the steroid daily when I am having trouble.  I have found that this helps me re-cooperate faster and sometimes is the only way that the coughing actually stops.  My current goal is to be bronchitis and pneumonia free for a year.  I have 4 more months and then I will reach this goal!  The real test will be the fall...when the weather starts to change from hot temps to the colder temps.  My lungs historically have always had a problem with this time frame.  :)

Do you suffer from asthma symptoms?  I would love to hear your comments...what works best for you, what medicine you take, what natural remedies out there might work as well?