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Working With Your Doctor
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What is Asthma? | Triggers: Know Your Troublemakers Has it been a long time since you have seen a doctor, or do you see one only during asthma emergencies? If so, you may be missing out on ways to prevent asthma episodes from developing. If you need help finding a doctor, your local American Lung Association® or Medical Society can give you the names of several who are qualified to treat asthma. But remember, the doctor is only part of your team. In planning your treatment, your doctor will need you to supply important information. And only you can carry out the treatment plan.
You and your doctor need to know all you can about your asthma triggers. Since there are so many possible causes and combinations of causes, this job can be tricky. If having asthma is new to you, there's much to learn. But even if you've had it for years, it may be worth taking a new look at your asthma patterns to see if you've been missing something. Asthma triggers can change with time. Your doctor needs your help. Give your doctor all the information about what you suspect your asthma triggers are and what precedes an episode. Your job, then, is to collect dozens of small bits of information that, after a while, can show you a pattern. You'll begin to see how your lungs are reacting to the things around you. You'll be able to share that valuable information with your doctor.
The best way to start is to buy a small notebook that will fit in your pocket or purse. Then keep a record of everything that happens when you have asthma symptoms. Start by writing in the date. Write when the symptoms started. Write what you were doing at the time, and in the hours just before symptoms started. Write where you were and who else or what else was there. Write why you think the symptoms started. If you don't know, take a guess. Don't worry about guessing wrong. After a while, when you've recorded several incidents, you may begin to see patterns. Episodes may seem to be connected to certain places, certain activities, certain kinds of weather. Don't get discouraged. Some episodes may never be explained. But in time your notebook should help you put your finger on some causes, and rule out others. Also, write in your notebook which medicines you took, when, and how you think they worked for you. Make a note of any side effects you may have had. And write down questions you have for the doctor as you think of them. Take your notebook to your doctor's office, and share your findings and questions. Use a section of it to write down your doctor's instructions. Write the date of the visit, the kind of medicine ordered, and any other instructions. Always keep your notebook with you. If you need to be treated at a hospital, it will help you answer the questions of the doctors and nurses there.
By treating yourself, you may be cheating yourself. Asthma treatment today is aimed at preventing asthma episodes. New drugs that work safely in low doses to keep airways open have changed the lives of millions of adults and children with asthma. Some of the asthma drugs that can be bought without a prescription are powerful and can cause dangerous side effects or even death if they are over-used. Regular medical care from a qualified doctor can give you the assurance that you are doing the best you can to manage your asthma, now and in the future.
No one can promise that, but with proper care nearly everyone with asthma can cut down on episodes, and can learn to control them when they start. A few people with very severe asthma never feel completely free of symptoms. Working closely with their doctors, their goal is to reduce their symptoms so that they can be as comfortable and active as possible.
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