BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Asthma What's Your Trigger?

I wrote a basic article outlining what some of the triggers for an asthmatic attack could be. What are some of yours? Vote in the poll below, and tell us a little about yourself afterwards.

What triggers an asthma attack for you? multiple choice, up to 3 choices
	pets
	pollen/trees
	pollen/flowers
	dust/indoor
	cigarettes
	food/drink
	perfumes
	exercise/overheat
	emotions
	other
Votes accepted starting: 10/02/05 06:06 PM You must vote before you can view the results of this poll.

My personal BIG THREE are getting emotional (especially like getting so mad that I'm crying), cigarette smoke, and exercise/overheating (if I can't take a break) - this hasn't happened since I was on the dance team in High School! Oh and some perfumes will set me off if someone is like drowning in it!

My daughter's seem to be dust mites, pollen/flowers, and pollen/trees.
I don't know WHAT sets the 2 yr old off, because he can't tell me exactly when he started getting wheezy, so we have to guess, still.

We'll be finding out next week what my son's triggers are. Our new Dr is so awesome! She cannot believe that he was diagnosed with RAD or even asthma without ever having someone care enough to send him for allergy/asthma testing. I'm not looking forward to the allergy testing but my youngest son can't even go to school cause of his allergy reactions.

I put pets, pollen/trees and perfumes. I was at the library one day flipping through an Oprah magazine while the kids were doing there thing and I could not breathe from all the perfume things inside!

Today there was a fire nearby so I zipped down to get one kid early so we could come back home to get the other son without him waiting the usual 20 minutes. I ran from the car into the school and had to use my inhaler.

I keep meaning to check out singulair.com since the commercial intrigued me. ON Sunday I sneezed so many times that I used a whole roll of paper towels to blow my nose.

The Sudafed in the AM is not cutting it, so I got the benadryl allergy and I still have some flonase the Ped gave me as samples. I have to sign up for their newsletter.

I only saw a pulmonary Dr when I was pregnant with my youngest 9 + years ago and had the peak flow meter.

I only use the treadmill at the gym for 6-7 minutes, mostly I do it on a high high incline and do not run, only walk.

My problem is not so much the asthma while on the treadmill as it is the feeling I have to run to the bathroom. I think that comes with age.

I was always excused from gym in school due to my asthma.

Oh gosh, when I had pneumonia, and the asthma symptoms kicked up so bad, I was wearing depends (I am NOT joking). Well, not depends, but those little promise pads that look like pads for your period (I'll never get any guys to post on this forum, now!)

But my coughing was so HARD, that I couldn't control it. I can laugh about it now, but then I was mortified!

You know, they were supposed to take all those little perfume ads out of the magazines. But then the FDA ok'd it as long as they kept them covered (you know like folded over). The problem in Dr.s offices is everyone always open the darned things, so it defeats the purpose!

We found out on Tuesday that my youngest was too sick to do all the allergy testing they needed to do on him. They've put him on meds to get him back to baseline (hopefully) and he'll be able to handle more testing. While his main symptoms are not asthmatic, he has been diagnosed with RAD, so it's a concern. We've filled out a form to put this little guy on homebound studies instead of going to school.

Now my next child, who is 8, was tested yesterday. They did about 40 to 50 tests and the Dr said "he's very allergic". Ok, I thought the little skin tests looked really good compared to the younger one's tests the day before, so I was a little shocked. Sure enough, he did slightly better on the asthma test after a treatment. So we finally have a firm diagnosis of allergy induced asthma. His triggers are several trees, grass, molds, dust, and a few foods had slight reactions as well.

They offered to do more testing for allergy shots. I told them I'd rather try pills, sprays or whatever. The shots will have to be only as a very last resort. The Dr also gave us a new script for albuterol, a stronger nasal spray and 5 mg Singulair. Hopefully they'll work.

Irecently detoxed my home of all cleaning chemicals in cleansers, laundry products etc. AFter about 2 months have seen a major difference. Now the only immediate triggers I have noticed is when I eat any products containing sugar and wheat.

I need to mention that this is a recent condition linked to peri menapause. I have heard that this is more common than I had first thought. (And it seems that my peri-menapuase is going on forever)

But changing my home over to quality non-toxic products has greatly improved my condition.

Post deleted

Whoa, I have been out of things for a while, so I'll respond to everyone!

Cheryl, I'm glad you got some definite answers, and I'm sure the meds will make a big difference. My next article is on meds - I'm just trying to wade through ALL the information that the Asthma clinic Dr. was kind enough to send me. There are a TON of medications out there! I keep looking at my article and staring blankly at it trying to figure out what goes and what stays. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> I hope your younger one gets to feeling better.

Clean queen (I like your name, I probably need to take a few lessons from you!) I think its great that you've switched to natural products. That is never a bad move. BUT if you suffer from allergies, you still need to make sure that some of the natural cleaners (like pine oil) are not things you are allergic to. Another big one that sets asthmatics off is eucalyptus oil. But if what you've got has made things better, then GREAT! You'll have to let us know what some of the products you like are, so I cna check them out and pass them on to the other readers.

And last but not least, Asthmaexpert; I took a look at you website. WOW! The site itself is beautiful. The only thing I would recommend is your resources link (which seems to be your link that has all of your articles) disappears way down at the bottom under all of those ads. I know the ads pay the money, but you still want your articles noticed, so you might want to move them up a little higher, and make them stand out more. I almost missed them!

<img src="/images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> Whew! Sorry to have waited so long! I'll try to be a better host in the future!

Hi Michelle,
I have had asthma for years. I have had respiratory arrest twice and was intubated and on a respirator for 10 days and 5 days, respectively. In the beginning, just about everything triggered it, but now that it is pretty much under control, my biggest trigger is stress, both physically and emotionally; mold, tree pollens and cigarette smoke are my other bad triggers.