Photo Credit: Maggiejumps
I have suffered with allergies, whether I knew it or not, all of my life. I’d seen numerous doctors and even the occasional allergy specialist. Yet, I still didn’t know that asthma could be caused by allergies. I’d been told once that I might have a mild case of asthma and if it got worse I should see a specialist but, other than that, asthma was never even mentioned.
I also didn’t know there were multiple types of asthma. I thought all asthma attacks resulted in the person gasping for breath. I had no idea that my incessant coughing spells were actually asthma until a few years ago. The really funny thing is that allergic asthma is one of the most common causes of asthma. Who knew? Well….other than the doctors.
Symptoms of Allergic Asthma
- Chest tightness
- Coughing
- Rapid breathing
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
I never had a life threatening attack but I had all of the above symptoms and not one single doctor ever told me it was allergy-induced asthma, until my favorite allergy specialist. He kept me on my allergy medication and added an oral allergy/asthma medication and gave me an inhaler for when the coughing got really bad. Wow, what a difference! I used the inhaler and suddenly I could get through a lecture (I was a teacher) without having to stop for a coughing fit. After about a month on the new medications I had to use the inhaler less and less.
Now that I know what triggers my asthma I avoid those things as much as possible and make sure I take my preventative medication daily. I almost never use my inhaler and often don’t keep it with me (don’t tell my doctor) unless I know I’m going to be in a ‘bad’ situation.
Do you have allergic asthma? Were you as shocked as I was to find out your ‘coughing fits’ were actually asthma? Please, share your story so I’ll know I’m not alone!
Fri, Apr 10, 2009
Allergy Symptoms