I
am an Asthmatic.
My Story begins just like some other million stories. I
had been healthy all my life. I suffered from very mild
colds and bronchitis once in a while and with
antibiotics the bronchitis would go away. In 1992 I
moved to Los Angeles and by 1994 I had my first severe
asthma attack. It came up without any warning. Actually,
I had no idea I was having a severe asthma attack. I
refused to even imagine that I had become that ill.
I
was rushed to the doctor who stopped everything she was
doing and ran to start treating me. After the initial
shock of my condition she gave me a shot of adrenaline and the
nebulizer, the side effects of the adrenaline shot started and the
heart rate and trembling of the body were more
unbearable than the asthma itself. She could not bring
me back to normal with the first shot so she shot me
again and the second one worked.
Needless
to say, I had to stay there for awhile and kept under
strict nurse's care. I was diagnosed with chronic
bronchitis and severe asthma
and was put on medication such as Ventolin inhaler, a
nebulizer for home, albuterol, adrenaline shots, and big
doses of Prednisone. Thereafter, my life became
miserable and I had to stop all type of activities, as I
was sensitive to absolutely everything.
Believing
that there was more to it than just the air I was
breathing, I headed for the allergy specialist who
performed the regular allergy tests and found out that I
am allergic to dust and feathers. However, I have found
out that I also suffer from allergies when there is
pollen around and during the Santa Ana Winds. Molds and
spores will bring also a very nice attack. But there is no problem with it as I have all the medication
that is needed in order to bring the asthma under
control right? Wrong. The more I started to take the
medication the easier the attacks repeated themselves
and it got worse as soon as I got off the Prednisone and
the inhalers. The attacks became more common and they
got to the point that I could not leave the house. The
drugs plus the condition had weakened my immune system
resulting in a detriment of health and a blossoming of
asthma. My
house was filled with air filters, which are a must in
any asthmatic's household, and air conditioners to keep
the body to a certain temperature so I would not
overheat and have an attack. Extreme weather has
the same results as sticking my nose on a bag full of
feathers or dust.
Several
times I found myself in the emergency room of different
hospitals and stayed in the hospital for three to four days. While in
the hospital I was introduced to other drugs including
Theophylline. After I left the hospital and came home, I
did some research. I found out that it
takes about the same amount of Theo to kill you that it
takes to bring the asthma under control. Regular
blood tests need to be performed to ensure that the
levels of Theo are not high. Moreover, I
have been on and off Prednisone for several years and
the effects started to be obvious. Not only I became
psychotic when taking 60 mgs. a day, but I also started
to put on incredible amounts of weight and got swollen,
not to mention that I became dependent on Prednisone. Let
me make it perfectly clear for you.
PREDNISONE IS ADDICTIVE.
When I finally got off of it, the cravings for
prednisone were absolutely horrible. After that
experience, I refuse to take Prednisone.
My
level of frustration started to sky rocket and started
to think that there was nothing for me to do but to
continue with the medication, the epi-pens, the
nebulizer and all the other drugs and utensils needed to
treat asthma. My husband thinks that there are always an
infinite number of solutions for any given problem and
for my birthday he gave me a book called "
Reversing
Asthma, Breathe Easier with this Revolutionary New
Program", written by Richard N. Firshein, D.O.
During my last asthma attack, while in bed, out of
desperation, I started to
read the book and my life started to change. I
have to tell you one thing and one thing only about this
book. YOU HAVE TO GET IT.
I
started doing the programs he has in his book and even
though I am still taking small amounts of Theo, I am almost off of
it and I have not felt this
good in a long time. I am aware and conscious about the
benefits of the medication in case of emergencies and by
no means encourage people to do otherwise but that which
their doctors recommend as I am not a doctor or a care
provider. I am just a person sharing my experience as an
asthmatic and recommending that every person that
suffers from any illness, regardless of how complicated
and hopeless it may look, do research on their own as
there may be natural or holistic ways to treat some of
these illnesses. I have found it and I feel very good.
It is a lot of work as it requires a total life style
change, but it is the best thing it has happened
to me in the last five years, besides the support and
love of my family.
Controlling
my asthma has been one of the biggest challenges of my
life. I am fascinated about not taking breathing
from granted anymore. For everyone else, breathing
is a common function performed by the body that does not
require any attention. For an asthmatic, breathing
is the most important and precious function the body performs and we
have to help it do so. An asthmatic can die as a
result of an asthma attack, please do not take asthma
lightly. Asthma is a deadly disease. If for
any reason you are surrounded by people who think that
asthma is not relevant or important, take the
time to educate them. People who think that asthma
is not important and can be treated with less care than
a cold, are the most dangerous individuals an asthmatic
can have around.
