Its all began when my
sister was 2 weeks old and a few days off my second birthday. I found myself
rushed to the hospital. Suffering a serve asthma attack. Could you imagine the
thoughts rolling around in the mother head! The nurse had put me on a
ventilator. Unaware, for the next 7 days I would call the hospital my home.
While I was in hospital huge storms loomed around. We believed that my attack
was cause, due to the build up moisture in the air. To this day mum and I laugh
at that attack, because mum like calling it a jealously attack.
Everyday my mother would
stay with me, because there was no nurse that would look after me. The first
night came about, and my mother wasn’t allowed to stay over night because of
her 2-week-old baby. So dad after a 14-hour day at work would come and stay
until the morning. Mum returned with Katie (the baby). And dad would leave for
work. My parents did that, for the remainder of time that I was in there. Everyday
I was hooked up to that ventilator for an hour, a couple times a day.
Cause of my attacks
I have what I like to
call it Emotional Asthmatic. Which means it can be triggered by fear. And
common asthma, which causes my to chest tighten up when I over exhaust myself.
My asthma occurs when I play sports, the moisture in the atmosphere changes and
feeling insecure in a new environment.
This is how all of my
attacks start. I get ready of bed and normally before I go to sleep I would
have 2 puffs as insurance that I would have a peaceful sleep. But on these
occasions I haven’t taken a puffer, because I purely forgot. So I lie there
saying to myself, “you’ll be ok, you don’t need it”. These thoughts are
consistently rolling through my head. And the fear starts setting in. Then I
start freaking out a little bit more, because I’m not in my normal environment,
there is dust and the list of things start pilling up. A lot of my attacks of
this kind were during my teen years and I just couldn’t drive myself to the
hospital. So I would have to wake one of my parents. I would spend the next 3
hours in hospital inhaling, what I like to call them high moments. It’s like
walking on a treadmill for a few minutes getting a light head, while your hands
where shaking and all you want to do is lay down. All up I think I have visited
about 5 to 7 hospitals during my teen, I couldn’t say how many time I have been
to the hospital just for my asthma.
The best way to describe
what asthma is like. Its start out mild, you can still talk, having shortness
of breath. In the middle of you collar bones your windpipe sit in the little
cavity, you notice it’s becoming more defined and tight. You are feeling your
chest tightening up, only allowing you to take small breaths. At this point
when you can’t talk is a sign you should take your puffer. Or you will find
yourself lying on the ground.
After having asthma for
18 years (almost all of my life); I have learnt the causes of my attacks. For
so many in the world that suffer from asthma, it is one of those diseases that
can take a life in a click of a finger. According to the Asthma and Allergy
Foundation of American about 1 in 5 people suffers from Asthma, which is
incredible amount.
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| What I can not live without. |
I am so truly lucky
everyday that I get a second chance to live a somewhat normal and healthy life
even if it involves having asthma. There have been so many lessons I have
learnt with being an asthmatic. Life is so short and it can be taken away in a
spilt second, and I should be grateful that I don’t have to lose my hair or
have needles put into me. I am so truly blest!
Are you grateful? I
believe everything happens for a reason, a reason why you have that job, a
reason why you were late to a friends place. Have you told God or have you told
someone that you are grateful, thankful for everything that comes to you, big
or small?!!!
EB xx
