Asthma is a chronic inflammatory lung disorder which narrows the bronchi and its branches and this cause the airways muscles tightening, bronchial tissues swelling and also increases the mucus production. All of these factors work together in narrowing the airways of lungs. This process traps the air in segments of the lungs and also limits the oxygen exchange. It causes difficulty in breathing, coughing, wheezing and chest tightness.
Sometimes Asthma causes only occasional symptoms to the patients but for some people every day brings a struggle to breathe. Duration of asthma is not defined as it may last for few minutes or may continue for many days. Living with Asthma is challenging because during its attacks it becomes hard to decide whether breathe or not. But Asthma patients can lead a healthy and active life if they know the details of its management.
“Living with asthma brings the dilemma of breathing with itself which cannot be cured but controlled through proper management of its attacks”.
Management Plan
A strong asthma management plan may start a positive approach to survive with the disease. The only thing this plan needs is a focus to control and prevent asthma from becoming intrusive in your own life. Such plan may include:
- Changes in environment and lifestyle which will help to avoid the asthma triggers.
- Proper asthma medications at proper timings to help control and prevent the asthma symptoms.
- Proper plan arrangement to deal with the occasional emergencies of asthma such as the sudden asthma attacks.
When plans are made after the proper consultation with doctors which also includes the regular follow-ups of the medication then they bring more proper outcomes.
Proper Knowledge of Asthma
A proper knowledge of asthma guides the patients to deal with day to day efforts of leading life with asthma. The more knowledge you have about asthma, causes of its attacks or symptoms and how to avoid them the easier it will become to take care of yourself.
Dealing with Emergencies
It is important to know that people who take proper asthma medications as prescribed and also avoid triggers of their asthma symptoms also occasionally get asthma attacks. Owing to this fact it is essential to either devise an asthma action plan for possess an already written guideline for those difficult times. This guideline may help asthma patients to:
- Recognize the signs of slipping out the control of asthma. Symptoms and peak flow meter readings are included in those signs.
- To exactly know the accurate actions depending upon the peak flow rate, feelings and the stage of the asthma.
- And most importantly to act quickly on sudden signs to either stop or prevent the asthma attack.
When asthma becomes out of control, there are certain signs which should be known by every patient and should not be ignored because it may worsened the conditions.
- More regular and intense asthma symptoms
- Symptoms become source of sleep-less nights
- Frequent change in peak flow rate
- Symptoms do not act in accordance with the asthma medicines.
- Use of quick-relief inhaler increases more than routine.
Tips for Living and Dealing with Asthma
Dealing with health issues becomes stressful at many times and asthma is one of those diseases which do not let live a person in complete harmony. It stress out the victims severely and stress plays the role of a trigger for its attacks. That is why it is important to learn the coping ways of frustration and challenges come with asthma in as many positive ways as probable. Other than working on the asthma action plan and proper intake of medications, there are other ways to do that.
Drawing inspiration from many famous people suffering from asthma and still thriving in their lives may help to lead a successful life. Discussing with other asthmatic people is also a helpful tool to live with it. Though you may find such people in your locality but social websites also provide platform for such activities.
The more people know about asthma the more it becomes easy for them to live with it rather than fighting with the dilemma of either breathes or not to breathe. You should know when and how to take the medicines, their possible side effects and how it does control your asthma. It also includes the proper use of metered dose inhaler. It is important to know the indications which bring out the asthma attacks frequently. Measures should be taken to avoid such things.
Despite of being an asthma patient it is possible to stay healthy and active. The key to lead a successful life with asthma is to maintain it under control through different means such as the controlling the environment, peak flow meter and following the action plan firmly.
By Faisal Arshad. Faisal has done MBA from Karachi University Business School specialising in Banking & Finance. He has active interest and writings related to social, educational, political and economic issues in Pakistan.