Fast-forward to almost three decades later...
When my daughter, Arjanne, was about two years old, my wife, Kathy, and I noticed that she started to make faint wheezing sounds when she slept. At first we thought she was just snoring but because I have asthma which she may have inherited, we decided to take up our concern with her pediatrician. After observation and a thorough check-up, the doctor did confirm symptoms of asthma.
Arjanne was then made to use a nebulizer or atomizer - a machine that administers medicine in the form of mist to be inhaled directly either through a face mask or a mouthpiece. She had her sessions for about 15 minutes, twice a day for about a month.
Soon the wheezing sound was gone and my daughter has never even experienced a full blown asthma attack. However, she has colds and sneezing episodes usually in the morning; still considered asthma symptoms. At least, as of this writing, Arjanne has not experienced what I went through when I was growing up with asthma.
Her pediatrician told us that there is no cure yet for asthma but she did assure us that advances in medicine have improved the way that symptoms are managed.
My daughter is now eleven years old. In school she actively participates in sports and even joins dance production numbers during special occasions. Arjanne also enjoys swimming and riding her bike whenever she can. She is living a normal, healthy life because her asthma symptoms were given the proper attention and treatment early on.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
early asthma treatments - blue pills, quack docs, green powder ... and lizards (!?!)
Growing up in Southeast Asia, during a time when the mix of western culture and old traditions & folklore was everywhere, my parents sought every resource and followed almost every suggestion to find a cure for my asthma.
On weekends, we would go out very early to the seashore so that I could inhale fresh air which, someone suggested, would strengthen my lungs and forever rid me of my asthma. Well I enjoyed going to the bay side but my asthma episodes reoccurred.
A lady was once invited to our house and, according to her, unseen beings were causing me to get sick because my spirit was somehow being "held captive" by these entities. She told us that I had to be "called back" to be cured. I vividly recall her chanting over and over: "Halika Meekel". The first word literally means "come here" and the second was supposed to be my name, Michael, which she was mispronouncing again and again. Well, now I know why she failed to get rid of my asthma ... she was trying to cure someone else!
One day, my parents bought this slim, rectangular tin can of medicine. The medicine was actually in the form of green colored powder and it was called "Asthmador". Whenever I had an asthma attack, they would scoop out about half a tea spoon of that stuff, light it and make me inhale the fumes - which smelled a bit strange, like the incense used in churches. Tiny sparks flew out and the powder crackled when it was ignited, just like the trail of gunpowder that would blow up Yosemite Sam on many episodes of Bugs Bunny.
So did it work? I really can't say because I remember one morning, before going to school, I was having a bad asthma attack. I recall being on my haunches, trying my best to inhale the fumes from the burning Asthmador powder. I was crying too because I still couldn't breathe and because I was already late for school. The smell had begun to fill up our small apartment and my parents eventually decided to let me stay home and rest that day.
During summers and holidays, my family would travel to the province to visit relatives. We would usually stay in a remote town for a few days and we all enjoyed it. Everything was all green and there was a lot of space for me and my siblings to run around and play. But at nighttime, when it got a bit chilly, the change in temperature would often trigger an asthma attack.
That was when I would hear all sorts of recommendations from the old folks to my parents - to forever cure his asthma, have him drink the broth of the leaves of some plant; or squeeze out the oil from this palm and rub it on his chest and back; crush this and mash that; boil this; rub this on him; and so on and so forth. It all sounded like magic to me.
And then I heard someone suggest that I be made to eat lizards - the common, household kind. Now that shocked me! According to whoever made the suggestion, the lizards were to be (deep-) fried and I was to eat them whole. I think this cure has oriental origins but thankfully, my parents never went that far.
Actually, a few years later, I heard someone recommend the "fried-lizard cure" again. I still do not know how effective it is for asthma and I have no intentions of finding out.
My parents soon discovered a little pill called Brondil for my asthma attacks. Its color was powder-blue and the thing I remember most about it is that it is the most bitter thing I have ever tasted in my entire life.
My mother would do everything to make my taking that pill easier - she would wrap it up in a piece of bread or give me some sugar to wash down the horrible taste. That pill worked though. I would feel better and could breathe easier within about half an hour after I took it. That is, if I was successful in swallowing the medicine. Because of its strong, bitter taste, I would usually throw up.
On weekends, we would go out very early to the seashore so that I could inhale fresh air which, someone suggested, would strengthen my lungs and forever rid me of my asthma. Well I enjoyed going to the bay side but my asthma episodes reoccurred.
A lady was once invited to our house and, according to her, unseen beings were causing me to get sick because my spirit was somehow being "held captive" by these entities. She told us that I had to be "called back" to be cured. I vividly recall her chanting over and over: "Halika Meekel". The first word literally means "come here" and the second was supposed to be my name, Michael, which she was mispronouncing again and again. Well, now I know why she failed to get rid of my asthma ... she was trying to cure someone else!
One day, my parents bought this slim, rectangular tin can of medicine. The medicine was actually in the form of green colored powder and it was called "Asthmador". Whenever I had an asthma attack, they would scoop out about half a tea spoon of that stuff, light it and make me inhale the fumes - which smelled a bit strange, like the incense used in churches. Tiny sparks flew out and the powder crackled when it was ignited, just like the trail of gunpowder that would blow up Yosemite Sam on many episodes of Bugs Bunny.
So did it work? I really can't say because I remember one morning, before going to school, I was having a bad asthma attack. I recall being on my haunches, trying my best to inhale the fumes from the burning Asthmador powder. I was crying too because I still couldn't breathe and because I was already late for school. The smell had begun to fill up our small apartment and my parents eventually decided to let me stay home and rest that day.
During summers and holidays, my family would travel to the province to visit relatives. We would usually stay in a remote town for a few days and we all enjoyed it. Everything was all green and there was a lot of space for me and my siblings to run around and play. But at nighttime, when it got a bit chilly, the change in temperature would often trigger an asthma attack.
That was when I would hear all sorts of recommendations from the old folks to my parents - to forever cure his asthma, have him drink the broth of the leaves of some plant; or squeeze out the oil from this palm and rub it on his chest and back; crush this and mash that; boil this; rub this on him; and so on and so forth. It all sounded like magic to me.
And then I heard someone suggest that I be made to eat lizards - the common, household kind. Now that shocked me! According to whoever made the suggestion, the lizards were to be (deep-) fried and I was to eat them whole. I think this cure has oriental origins but thankfully, my parents never went that far.
Actually, a few years later, I heard someone recommend the "fried-lizard cure" again. I still do not know how effective it is for asthma and I have no intentions of finding out.
My parents soon discovered a little pill called Brondil for my asthma attacks. Its color was powder-blue and the thing I remember most about it is that it is the most bitter thing I have ever tasted in my entire life.
My mother would do everything to make my taking that pill easier - she would wrap it up in a piece of bread or give me some sugar to wash down the horrible taste. That pill worked though. I would feel better and could breathe easier within about half an hour after I took it. That is, if I was successful in swallowing the medicine. Because of its strong, bitter taste, I would usually throw up.
asthma - what it feels like, plus a simple explanation
I remember how bad it felt as a child whenever I had an asthma attack. Because my breathing would be labored, my shoulders would be "higher" than usual and there would be a wheezing sound as I inhaled and exhaled.
Also, I would cough like I was trying to clear my throat. This cough was unproductive and would occur before an impending asthma episode and got worse during the actual attack.
Taking deeper breaths for relief was very frustrating because it felt like there was not enough air for me to take in. Of course physical activity during an asthma episode would take a lot of effort and when I got tired, lying down on my back to rest did very little in terms of comfort. Being in this position during an asthma attack would make me feel like there was a heavy weight on my chest preventing me from breathing normally.
I remember the most comfortable position for me back then would be sitting in bed with either my back propped up with a pillow against the headboard, or with 2 to 3 pillows stacked at shoulder height in front of me to hug and lay my head on. In those days, we could not afford air-conditioning yet so an electric fan steadily pointed at me when I was having an asthma attack helped a lot. Sometimes lying on my side also helped relieve the difficulty in breathing.
"It's bronchial asthma", doctors would tell my parents after they listened to the wheezing sound in my chest with their stethoscopes. I didn't understand or even care what it was called. All I knew then was that when I began to have difficulty breathing, I needed to slow down and rest. Then the coughing would get worse and I would hear that all-too-familiar wheezing with each breath; and it would be some time before I could run around and play again.
Asthma 101
Asthma is a chronic disease that affects your airways. The airways are the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. If you have asthma, the inside walls of your airways are inflamed (swollen). The inflammation makes the airways very sensitive, and they tend to react strongly to things that you are allergic to or find irritating. When the airways react, they get narrower, and less air flows through to your lung tissue. This causes symptoms like wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), coughing, chest tightness, and trouble breathing, especially at night and in the early morning.
Asthma cannot be cured, but most people with asthma can control it so that they have few and infrequent symptoms and can live active lives.
When your asthma symptoms become worse than usual, it is called an asthma episode or attack. During an asthma attack, muscles around the airways tighten up, making the airways narrower so less air flows through. Inflammation increases, and the airways become more swollen and even narrower. Cells in the airways may also make more mucus than usual. This extra mucus also narrows the airways. These changes make it harder to breathe.
Asthma attacks may occur because of exposure to an environmental stimulant such as an allergen, environmental tobacco smoke, cold or warm air, perfume, pet dander, moist air, exercise or exertion, or emotional stress. In children, the most common triggers are viral illnesses such as those that cause the common cold.
Read more about asthma at the NHLBI website.
Also, I would cough like I was trying to clear my throat. This cough was unproductive and would occur before an impending asthma episode and got worse during the actual attack.
Taking deeper breaths for relief was very frustrating because it felt like there was not enough air for me to take in. Of course physical activity during an asthma episode would take a lot of effort and when I got tired, lying down on my back to rest did very little in terms of comfort. Being in this position during an asthma attack would make me feel like there was a heavy weight on my chest preventing me from breathing normally.
I remember the most comfortable position for me back then would be sitting in bed with either my back propped up with a pillow against the headboard, or with 2 to 3 pillows stacked at shoulder height in front of me to hug and lay my head on. In those days, we could not afford air-conditioning yet so an electric fan steadily pointed at me when I was having an asthma attack helped a lot. Sometimes lying on my side also helped relieve the difficulty in breathing.
"It's bronchial asthma", doctors would tell my parents after they listened to the wheezing sound in my chest with their stethoscopes. I didn't understand or even care what it was called. All I knew then was that when I began to have difficulty breathing, I needed to slow down and rest. Then the coughing would get worse and I would hear that all-too-familiar wheezing with each breath; and it would be some time before I could run around and play again.
Asthma 101
Asthma is a chronic disease that affects your airways. The airways are the tubes that carry air in and out of your lungs. If you have asthma, the inside walls of your airways are inflamed (swollen). The inflammation makes the airways very sensitive, and they tend to react strongly to things that you are allergic to or find irritating. When the airways react, they get narrower, and less air flows through to your lung tissue. This causes symptoms like wheezing (a whistling sound when you breathe), coughing, chest tightness, and trouble breathing, especially at night and in the early morning.
Asthma cannot be cured, but most people with asthma can control it so that they have few and infrequent symptoms and can live active lives.
When your asthma symptoms become worse than usual, it is called an asthma episode or attack. During an asthma attack, muscles around the airways tighten up, making the airways narrower so less air flows through. Inflammation increases, and the airways become more swollen and even narrower. Cells in the airways may also make more mucus than usual. This extra mucus also narrows the airways. These changes make it harder to breathe.
Asthma attacks may occur because of exposure to an environmental stimulant such as an allergen, environmental tobacco smoke, cold or warm air, perfume, pet dander, moist air, exercise or exertion, or emotional stress. In children, the most common triggers are viral illnesses such as those that cause the common cold.
Read more about asthma at the NHLBI website.
my earliest memories of "the disease" called asthma
As far back as I can remember, I've had asthma. I recall having an asthma attack or episode and being unable to sleep until late at night because of the discomfort. I would cry and my father would stay up with me, often reading books or telling me stories to calm me, until I finally dozed off.
There was one time when, after playing outside for a while, I felt so tired that I had to go back in the house to sit down. Soon, I was finding it very hard to breathe - inhaling deeply but drawing very little air into my lungs. I was having an asthma attack. It was early afternoon and both my parents were at work. Only an aunt was there to look after me and she did not know what to do. She just gave me some water and gently stroked my back to comfort me. Again I started crying and eventually fell asleep from exhaustion.
During my preschool years, I was as active as any other child my age. I ran around and played as much as I could. The thought of having an asthma attack when I over-indulged never kept me from doing all the things children enjoy. If I did get an episode, I would endure it, sometimes cry because I felt frustrated and irritated, then, after the attack subsided, forget about it and then get on with "my life".
When I started going to school, there was more to do, a lot more space to run around, and more friends to play with. And, of course, the asthma was still there. It was then that I became aware that I had to slow down a little to reduce the frequency of my asthma attacks. But these continued to happen even though I was more careful.
So it wasn't only because of over-exhaustion that I was getting sick. There were other things that triggered my asthma episodes. Dust, pollen, animal fur, changes in temperature and certain foods also caused it.
There was one time when, after playing outside for a while, I felt so tired that I had to go back in the house to sit down. Soon, I was finding it very hard to breathe - inhaling deeply but drawing very little air into my lungs. I was having an asthma attack. It was early afternoon and both my parents were at work. Only an aunt was there to look after me and she did not know what to do. She just gave me some water and gently stroked my back to comfort me. Again I started crying and eventually fell asleep from exhaustion.
During my preschool years, I was as active as any other child my age. I ran around and played as much as I could. The thought of having an asthma attack when I over-indulged never kept me from doing all the things children enjoy. If I did get an episode, I would endure it, sometimes cry because I felt frustrated and irritated, then, after the attack subsided, forget about it and then get on with "my life".
When I started going to school, there was more to do, a lot more space to run around, and more friends to play with. And, of course, the asthma was still there. It was then that I became aware that I had to slow down a little to reduce the frequency of my asthma attacks. But these continued to happen even though I was more careful.
So it wasn't only because of over-exhaustion that I was getting sick. There were other things that triggered my asthma episodes. Dust, pollen, animal fur, changes in temperature and certain foods also caused it.
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