Asthma Out of the Blue?
by Caroline Hellman

Sometimes asthma hits at the most unexpected moments. I helped my father and fiance shovel my parents' driveway last week, and sure, it was bitter cold, and sure, I hadn't taken my inhaler before going outside, nor did I have anything covering my mouth, and sure, I was running around in the snow. But I didn't expect to wheeze so much. Ok, so maybe it's apparent that I should have expected this. But I didn't, and I very intelligently refused to go back inside to take my inhaler, insisting on romping around in the snow until I was a wheezing mess and had to go take a hot shower and let the steam calm down my lungs.

But in all seriousness, sometimes bronchiospasm arises seemingly out of nowhere. The truth is that there's always a reason behind it. Change of season? Perhaps moldy leaves on the ground. Change of season? Perhaps particular plants and weeds bother you. Change of place? I happen to be deathly allergic to all nuts, and if there's a hidden dish of cashews somewhere at a party, you better believe that I start to wheeze. It's almost fun, a hunt for the asthma inducer. Everyone at the party can participate; you can even draw straws and make teams.

Ok, maybe not. But the point is, there's always a reason for wheezing, and if it isn't readily apparent, then it should be, and a doctor may need to be consulted. Last winter I was at a sushi restaurant with a friend when I started having an allergic reaction, to a mere glass of orange juice. I actually had to use my epi-pen and get carted off to the allergist (fortunately the epi-pen eliminated the immediate need for the Emergency Room). The allergist informed me that I had about twenty new allergies that I wasn't aware of, and that they were influencing my allergic reactions in general.

Always know what you're getting into. And please, don't be like me and avoid your inhaler sometimes as some sort of twisted point of pride, because it isn't one.