Asthma Awareness

By Nurse Diane

A few years ago, a friend of mine, my doctor, had an asthma attack.  It was so severe that he was flown to Jackson to the hospital and put in ICU.  He did not survive this attack.  He was a young man, in his 40's, a well-known physician, married to a nurse.

According to worldasthmaday.org, World Health Organization (WHO) estimates, 300 million people suffer from asthma and it’s the most common chronic disease among children. WHO also notes that asthma affects people in all countries around the world regardless of development although most deaths occur in lower income countries.

Asthma is a chronic disease of the air passages (or bronchial) that lead to and from the lungs that makes breathing difficult. Usually there is inflammation, which results in a temporary narrowing of the passages that carry oxygen to the lungs.

Symptoms vary from person to person and in intensity, but generally include coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, chest pain or pressure. Asthma sufferers often have recurrent attacks of breathlessness and wheezing. Symptoms may occur several times a day or week and may become worse during physical activity or during the night.

During an attack, the lining of the bronchial tubes swells, causing airways to become narrow and reducing the flow of air in and out of the lungs. These attacks can cause sleeplessness, fatigue, reduced activity and absenteeism from work or school.

The basic causes of asthma are not completely understood, but risk factors for developing the disease include a genetic predisposition along with exposure to particles and substances that irritate the air passages and cause allergic reactions. Some irritants include dust in furnishings, pets, tobacco smoke, chemicals and air pollution.

Other causes include physical exercise, medications (aspirin and beta blockers), cold air and even emotional reactions such as stress, anger and fear.

Today is World Asthma Day.  World Asthma Day is an annual event organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma with a goal to improve asthma awareness and care around the world.  For ways you can help get the news out about asthma, visit this site: http://worldasthmaday.org/support/

11/4 COPD Awareness Month

By Diane Forrest, RN

My father's former secretary recently retired and moved out of state to be near her sister.   Her home has not sold yet, and is in my area, so I went to check on it for her.  The yard had been neglected all summer, and was overgrown with grass, weeds and plants.  I contacted her to let her know of the condition and learned that she had developed COPD and emphysema.  This news was very upsetting, but not completely unexpected.  She has been a heavy smoker for years, and despite her diagnosis, continues to smoke.

COPD, or Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, is a disease in the lungs in which the airways have been narrowed.  This limits the amount of air flow to the lungs and causes shortness of breath.  The number one cause of COPD is smoking; however there are other causes such as cooking with fire, second hand smoke, and exposure to certain fumes and gases in the work place.

Symptoms of COPD include:

• Cough, with or without mucus
• Fatigue
• Many respiratory infections
• Shortness of breath that gets worse with mild activity
• Trouble catching one's breathe
• Wheezing

Testing for COPD is very simple, chest x-rays, and checking breath sounds with a stethoscope are used as well as a machine called a spirometer.  It is a device that you blow into, and it registers the lung capacity. Results for this test is immediate.

There is no cure for COPD, there are medications that may help relieve the symptoms, such as inhalers, steroids and oxygen therapy.  The person must remove the cause to prevent further damage to their lungs.

This is COPD Awareness Month, for further information click here:  http://www.copd-international.com/

World Asthma day

World Asthma Day is an annual event organized by the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) to improve asthma awareness and care around the world.  The theme of World Asthma Day 2011 will be "You Can Control Your Asthma." GINA will also launch the next phase in its campaign to reduce asthma hospitalizations by 50% in 5 years. 

What is Asthma?

 

Asthma is a chronic (lifetime) inflammatory disease of the airways. 

The signs and symptoms are:

·       Wheezing

·       Panting

·       Shortness of Breath

·       Coughing

·       Tightness in Chest

Causes:

·       Genetic

·       Environmental

Treatment

·       Bronchodialators

·       Inhalers

·       Corticosteroids

 

Prevention of Attacks

Avoid Irritants such as:

·       Dust

·       Pet dander

·       Smoke

·       Mold

·       Perfumes

·       Extreme heat

As of 2010, 300 million people were affected worldwide. In 2009 asthma caused 250,000 deaths globally.  With proper control, the prognosis is usually good.

Asthma is a very serious condition.  My family doctor was diagnosed with Asthma at an early age.  He had it under control.  His wife was a nurse, and was also familiar with the care necessary to prevent attacks, and the medications used to control them.  However, even their skills, knowledge and medications were not enough to prevent his death from a severe attack.    That is why it was very discouraging to hear this quote from President Obama.

OBAMA:  "Everybody knows that it makes no sense that you send a kid to the emergency room for a treatable illness like asthma, they end up taking up a hospital bed, it costs, when, if you, they just gave, you gave them treatment early and they got some treatment, and a, a breathalyzer, or inhalator, not a breathalyzer. (Crowd laughing) I haven't had much sleep in the last 48 hours."

Everyone, especially if you have family members and friends with Asthma, needs to be aware of the causes and treatments of Asthma and what emergency measures to take in the event a severe attack takes place.

Coming this week on Keeping it Simple (KISBYTO)…

A new month, May is full of many events, activities, observance and other interesting things to share with our beloved readers.  It is also the week prior to our family cruise which will depart on Sunday, May 8^th for a week in the Atlantic. Granddaughter, daughter, son-in-law, grandma and I are all mentally sync for this trip.  So let us share with you what we have planned for this week – knowing things can changes, but this is what on our plate to deliver.

Mother Goose an all time favorite with young and old – stories to share and to tell over and over.

May Day is celebrated all over and in many different ways – but a lot of us it’s the blooming of the flowers that gets our juices flowing.

Melanoma Monday:  The number one form of cancer is skin cancer.  There are over 1 million new cases every year!  It has also been estimated that nearly half of all Americans who live to age 65 will develop skin cancer at least once.

 National Truffle Day: Delicious dessert made with a chocolate gouache center that is then coated in chocolate powder. Talk about a piece of chocolate heaven!

World & National Asthma Day is both celebrated this week and our team will cover these observances.  This year’s theme, of World Asthma Day 2011 will be "You Can Control Your Asthma."

National Teacher Day is also celebrated this week and time to break out the soap box for these brave men and women who put forth a tremendous effort to teach our children (and grandchildren) who are grossly under paid and many lack the tools they desperately need to carry out their jobs.

  

International Firefighters Day to honor and support firefighters who risk their lives every day to help their communities.  As many of you know, my son-in-law Darrin in Seattle is a fireman. It is a special day that I take pride in recognizing and give my sincere thanks to all the men and women do this job.

 Cinco de Mayo has been a celebrated holiday since May 5, 1862 after the unexpected victory over the French army.

National Nurses Week begins on the 6^th of May and is also Nurses Day that ends on the 12^th.  Like other important dates in life, birthday, anniversary, when you first met your spouse and where, this celebration is also high on my dates to remember.  My wife is a nurse.  Diane is a nurse and several other friends are nurses or in the process of becoming one.  We will do our best to help celebrate!

Mothers Day – A very special day and we all give thanks to our mothers.

Did you know?

Brothers and Sisters Day is a day to cherish your siblings that is celebrated on May 2. Sure, there's times when you love your brothers and sisters. And, there's times when you want to disown them. All in all, having a brother and/or a sister or two is invaluable. The older you get, the more you learn to appreciate them.

National Hoagie Day is celebrated every May 5^th and was created to give us a special day to enjoy and celebrate a big, tasty hoagie. You know of this big sandwich as a hoagie, a sub or a hero. And, it's a regular on most diets in America. People eat them for lunch, dinner, and even as a late night snack. It's a quick meal or people on the go.

National Train Day is celebrated on May 9^th. The year 1869 was a really exciting time in America. The Central Pacific and Union Pacific railroads were speeding across the wild, American frontier, laying tracks for what would soon become the first Transcontinental rail line.

Other things going on in the Month of May are:

·       Date Your Mate Month

·       Foster Care Month

·       National Barbecue Month

·       National Bike Month

·       National Hamburger Month

·       National Photograph Month

·       Older Americans Month

·       First Newspaper Cartoon was in 1754

·       Butterscotch Brownie on May 9

·       Fruit Cocktail on May 13

·       Friday 13 on May 13

·       First Nickel Day on May 16, 1866 and was called ‘Shield Nickel’

·       Also on the 16^th is Sea Monkey Day

·       Cheese Soufflé on May 18

·       Visit Your Relatives Day on May 18

·       Strawberries and Cream on May 21

·       Lucky Penny on May 23^r

·       Escargot day is May 24^t

·       Wine Day on May 25^t

·       Blueberry Cheesecake on May 26

·       Grape Popsicle on May 27