Living with Asthma: What Happens Next?

When you or someone close to you is diagnosed with asthma, it can be a very confusing and scary time. What happens next? Now that asthma has come into your life, do you know how to deal with it? Learn more about living with asthma, and learn that life doesn’t have to change.

Living with asthma absolutely does not mean living with breathing difficulties all the time, every single day. Many asthma sufferers manage their condition through medication very easily. Your doctor can talk to you more about asthma medication, and you’ll find that your local pharmacist is always willing to answer questions you may have about any type of medicine. Living with asthma often means taking medication to help you breathe easier, but your entire life doesn’t have to revolve around medicine.

Once you’ve obtained the proper medication and have been instructed in the proper use of this medicine, you’re already well on your way to living with asthma, and living happily, too. What happens next? You’ve got medicine, you’ve got asthma – is that all?

There are many ways that you can help yourself breathe easier, even when you’re living with asthma. Dust, pet dander, and smoke can all irritate any breathing condition, including asthma. Cleaning your home of these irritants can make living with asthma a whole lot easier. Asthma sufferers should not smoke, nor should they be exposed to smoking. If someone with asthma lives within the home, do not smoke inside of it.

Take the smoke outside, as cigarettes can very directly affect asthma and make breathing a true struggle. Asthma sufferers should do what they can to avoid smoky situations at work, as well, and always step outside for fresh air if trapped in an enclosed space with a cigarette smoker. New laws banning cigarettes in public locations are being passed all the time, and this makes living with asthma a lot easier.

You don’t have to get rid of your pets, even if pet dander posing some breathing problems. Regularly washing fabrics in the home (like bed linens) can help reduce both dust mites and pet dander. Keep your pets clean and well-groomed, and keep the home free of dust and other airborne particles by maintaining a regular cleaning schedule. Living with asthma doesn’t have to be a drag – it just means doing a little extra cleaning, perhaps, and putting out the cigarettes. This is a small price to pay when it means breathing easier (and even living cleaner).

Once the home and work place are relatively free of dust, dander, and smoke, living with asthma is almost exactly like living without asthma. Some sufferers may experience more symptoms on high-pollen days. It’s best to stay indoors if possible, with the air conditioner circulating, if you have asthma and pollen irritates your condition. Once you get your asthma under control, living with asthma is very simple and routine. It doesn’t have to be a problem, and it doesn’t mean that things have to change.