Asthma *sigh*

[Pax]

I'm sure it did, Crankin. My wife has horrific osteoporosis, like 12% density in her hips and lower spine. 25 years of non-stop steroid inhaler use takes a huge toll.

Emily - the news is reporting that on my side, this is the worse allergy season in decades. Funny, I thought the ocean breeze would help, but it's not usually an onshore breeze, but an inland one. I heard the other coast, near Cape Coral is one of the top 10 best places to live if you have asthma... guess we gambled wrong.

[emily_in_nc]

Emily - the news is reporting that on my side, this is the worse allergy season in decades. Funny, I thought the ocean breeze would help, but it's not usually an onshore breeze, but an inland one. I heard the other coast, near Cape Coral is one of the top 10 best places to live if you have asthma... guess we gambled wrong.

Wow, who knew? My grandparents lived in Ft. Myers through their retirement (30 years), and I visited there twice a year, most years. Loved it there, though it's much more built up than it used to be.

Sorry about the terrible allergy season where you are. It's been a rough one in NC too. Until the rain we finally had yesterday, you could see clouds of pollen in the air just walking, driving, biking around. Horrible. It's been very dry, which isn't helpful.

[Crankin]

Yup, I am feeling much better, since yesterday, too. It rained Friday night, so that must have cleared out at least some of the pollen.
Was waiting for the horrific sinus headache to start last night, after I rode, but just a few sneezes... at least this has got me to do the sinus rinse after I ride.

[Pax]

We had a wrath of god rainstorm the other evening that dropped the pollen quite a bit, so nice to take a full breath! My lungs feel tired though, struggling to breathe for over two months seems to have worn me out.

[zoom-zoom]

Cough variant asthma is the pits. I have been in asthma Hell for the past week. Started with a standard cold (2nd one this Spring, grrr...), now it's constant coughing. I've been on allergy shots for 2 years, too (for 9 different airborne things. My 10th allergy is crustaceans. Nothing to do for that, just can't eat my favorite shellfishes)! Most people say it takes 2-3 years for them to really kick-in, so I hope this is my last Spring of misery. It sucks when this is when I should be ramping up for Spring/Summer races. I haven't registered for anything, yet, since my health has been so sketchy for the past 6 weeks. When I get a cold it generally spells a solid month of coughing and crap lung function.

Last Spring we were in the FL Keys in early April and I was really miserable. No clue what was setting me off, but probably all of the green. Trees and grass are my big triggers and everything was in bloom.

[emily_in_nc]

When I get a cold it generally spells a solid month of coughing and crap lung function.

Ditto! And my mother wonders why I have a stashes of hand sanitizer (just the alcohol type -- not anti-bacterial) everywhere. I just hate getting a cold. So sorry you're suffering, Kirsten. Two colds in a short span of time is just not fair!

[zoom-zoom]

Ditto! And my mother wonders why I have a stashes of hand sanitizer (just the alcohol type -- not anti-bacterial) everywhere. I just hate getting a cold. So sorry you're suffering, Kirsten. Two colds in a short span of time is just not fair!

Oh, my DH makes fun of me for using the cart wipes at the store, but hand/foot/mouth disease is making the rounds, here!

[ny biker]

When I first started going to my pulmonologist I had colds pretty frequently. He always focused on treating the head congestion and reducing the mucus there (I really hate word "mucus") to keep it from settling in my lungs and turning into a bad cough. That's still my #1 strategy when I get a cold. But also I'm lucky that my asthma symptoms are usually well-controlled so I'm able to increase the daily-Rx dosage or use the albuterol more if needed -- I'm not anywhere near the maximum doses for either medicine when I'm not sick.

Some years ago when there was a shortage of flu vaccines and I worked in an office building where several floors were used for community college classrooms full of sneezing and coughing teenagers, I developed the habit of pressing elevator buttons with my elbow. And I use hand sanitizer whenever I touch things that lots of people touch, like the pen you use to sign for credit card purchases at a store or the pump handle at a gas station. Yes I know I look like a crazy germophobe, but I'd rather be crazy than wheezing and coughing.

[Pax]

So, kinda odd, I started going to the chiropractor this week, I've had two sessions. She said the muscles around my lower rib cage in the back are in spasm probably from struggling to breathe for so long. She worked them over very hard, and amazingly I can take a deep breath now. Really hoping that can be fixed over the long-term.

[Catrin]

So, kinda odd, I started going to the chiropractor this week, I've had two sessions. She said the muscles around my lower rib cage in the back are in spasm probably from struggling to breathe for so long. She worked them over very hard, and amazingly I can take a deep breath now. Really hoping that can be fixed over the long-term.

That makes a lot of sense, she sounds like my chiropractor. He does wonders with my various arthritic and otherwise broken bits by loosening fascia and working on muscles. Glad you are breathing a bit better, it does help