Gray Shirt Day for Asthma Awareness Month!!

Wear Gray on May 2, 2011 for those with asthma.  Do it for them or even you if you have asthma.  Join us on here.

I copied & pasted what I have on my Event on Facebook here:

"Wear Gray to show your support for those, who have asthma.  "Over 20 million Americans" have Asthma (http://www.epa.gov/asthma/awm/index.html).  I am not sure out of those numbers are Children.  My 6 year old, Noah, has asthma & has been bad several times throughout the year.  Noah cries to make his asthma go away.  If I could, I would as any parent would.  

Please join Noah & I in wearing gray on May 2, 2011 & throughout the month of May for those with asthma, but also for remembering the children with asthma, too, who are afraid.  Invite your friends, too.  Thanks.

Our other son, Ethan, also has asthma now, too.  We will be wearing gray for them.  I also have asthma.  Who will you be wearing gray for?"

Asthma "is a chronic disease of the airways that makes breathing difficult. With asthma, there is inflammation of the air passages that results in a temporary narrowing of the airways that carry oxygen to the lungs. This results in asthma symptoms, including coughing,  wheezing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. Some people refer to asthma as "bronchial asthma." (from http://www.webmd.com/asthma/guide/what-is-asthma).

Possible signs and symptoms of asthma in children include:

• Frequent coughing spells, which may occur during play, at night, or while laughing or crying
• A chronic cough (which may be the only symptom)
• Less energy during play
• Rapid breathing (intermittently)
• Complaint of chest tightness or chest "hurting"
• Whistling sound when breathing in or out -- called wheezing.
• See-saw motions in the chest from labored breathing. These motions are called retractions.
• Shortness of breath, loss of breath
• Tightened neck and chest muscles
• Feelings of weakness or tiredness

If you think your child has asthma, please take him/her to their doctor.  Asthma is not something you want to let go.  Both of my sons started with coughing that got worse. Not every child has these symptoms.  When Noah is bad, he can get the tightness of chest.  Wheezing for Noah is only when he is really really bad off.  I know when Noah is going to have issues with his asthma.  He gets pale.  Any mothers of asthmatics out there?  Does your child get pale, too?

When Noah got diagnosed, I got an asthma journal.  I wrote down everything.  When I gave Noah a breathing treatment (in the beginning that is what he was on), then he went on the inhalers so I wrote when he got those.  It helped me to determined when he is bad during the year.  See if there was a pattern.  Noah gets bad in September & then in February/March.  When Ethan got diagnosed, I did the same thing.  I have an asthma journal for him, too.  It is easier this way so when I take them to the asthma doctor/pediatrician (Ethan is still with the pediatrician right now since he is newly diagnosed), I know how much they received their fast acting inhaler.

Thanks for reading,

Melissa