If you are like me, it was probably a big shock when you were diagnosed with Asthma. I was 29 years old and had never had any kind of serious condition before. Colds and flu were the most serious things I had suffered.

I had been caught in a rainstorm one day and had come down with a bad cold. My chest felt tight and as the week went on I was finding it harder and harder to breathe at all and was becoming more uncomfortable. I thought it was probably some kind of chest infection that would clear up. Eventually I had to call the doctor out and after putting me on a nebuliser for a while, it was confirmed that I was Asthmatic.

Over the years although I have protested the fact, it has become obvious that I am to depend upon the medication for the rest of my life. Once I had come to terms with it I can confirm that once you accept the fact that the medication is part of your everyday routine, you can lead a normal life.

The Nurse will give you a Peak flow monitor which will record your breathing ability. Get into a routine of checking your peak flow regularly and you will know when there is a problem. http://www.aaaai.org/patients/publicedmat/tips/whatispeakflowmeter.stm

when you find your reading to be lower than your normal reading then you should make an appointment with your Doctor or Nurse to be checked out. You may have to have a course of steroids but this will only be for a week or you may have to have your medication changed.

Once you are tuned into your body and how it reacts to different situations, you will be able to live a normal life and carry on doing all your favourite things.

For more info on living with Asthma http://www.yourlunghealth.org/staying_healthy/health_tips/living_with_asthma.cfm

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