May 4^th LungSmarter program in review, deemed children’s educational event a success, ABC’s + of Asthma, highlights of Madison County 911 truly life-saving service to community was moved to Village Hall, Community Room, due to weather pre-caution & for safety.

This 19 Annual event, reaching “S” in the alphabet, “S” is for Sustainability, opened with Karie Preston & Girl Scouts official flag ceremony & pledge of allegiance, followed by Emma Christiansen as M.C., & as primary guest speaker, covering an informative comprehensive presentation of the ABC’s + of Asthma, a creation of Jaris Waide.

 Attendees were given an outstanding educational program, reviewing services of 911, specifically for children’s understanding, included a quiz.

 Several people shared their personal experiences calling 911, several shared their connection to lung disease of family members & friends, as the audience members bonded.

Dana L. Burris, Supervisor, represented Madison 911 Emergency Services Department.

 Key, two Godfrey Fire Fighters, Tom & Jake, joined the open forum, offering several tips & leadership for calling 911.  Plus, a tour of the Fire Truck was available, a highlight for all.

Franklin Lodge # 25, Alton, Bill Perkins delivered the celebration meal.

Important, save the date, save May 18 for LungSmarter’s next educational event offering hands-on CPR training, by GFPD, lead by Erik Kamberian, Fire Chief.

Fund-raising Efforts Stay Local::  LungSmarter’s donations provide essential disposable medical supplies, to save lives, after residents call 911.

LungSmarter Foundation Donations:

Tax deductible donations, as allowed by law, mail Direct to:  Stifel, 121 Market, for LungSmarter, Alton, IL  620002.

“Everybody has the right to breathe!”

You can make a difference, thank you!

Jaris Waide, President, Shirley Waide, Vice President, LungSmarter Foundation

LungSmarter Foundation welcomes you & your family to our Spring Super-Saturdays Annual Events, held on May 4 & May 18, 2019.

May 4, offers an unique children’s learning experience by Madison County 911 Emergency Services Department. 

May 18, offers an adult “hands on” CPR training by Godfrey’s Fire Protection District.

Important, both Saturday programs are open, to children of all ages!

Times:

9:30 am – free Registration begins

10:00 AM – Inter-active Programs

11:00 AM – Celebration Meal 

12:30 PM – Closing

Join our discussion with your personal trials, courage, fears for your child’s overall health, future goals & aspirations!

“Breathe in, and breathe out.
Breathe in, and breathe out.
Breathe in,… “

Having a child with asthma can be a very scary thing. Fortunately, you are not alone. There are many resources and tools to help your child make lifestyle changes and help control their asthma to enjoy a full and active life. 

As a child, your doctor will most likely want you to regularly use a peak flow rate. This is a hand held device that you take one big breath into to see your level of strength of breathing is.

I used this peak flow device daily from seven years old to almost eighteen. This device let my mother know how I was doing on a daily basis and if I needed an assistance with an inhaler or breathing treatment.

I was limited in what I participated in growing up due to my asthma triggers. There was a phase that I went through where EVERYTHING bothered me! Milk, soy, peanut butter, dogs, cats, being outside!…

I was allergic to all these things and this is why an ASTHMA ACTION PLAN is very important because if you or your child with asthma are around people who are not aware of the allergies presumed, then you or your child could be taking their last breath. It is important to make it known with your babysitters, extended family, and your child’s school or daycare. I always had a list of ‘warning signs’ my mother would give the school or whoever was watching me. I also always received fruit juice for school lunches instead of milk. Everyone was always confused or thought I was being given special treatment.

Moral of this short story is… Know how to manage your asthma and if you have a friend, family member or child with asthma make sure to take precautions every step of the way to avoid an attack or worse, death.

https://www.lung.org/lung-health-and-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/asthma/living-with-asthma/managing-asthma/

As a child who grew up with asthma, I can agree with this statement. #asthma doesn’t go away, you just learn to live with it and avoid your triggers. Your body becomes stronger and you’re able to understand and know your symptoms for a quick reaction. #asthma #asthmaproblems

An asthma action plan is a written plan that you create with your child’s doctor to help control your child’s asthma. The goal of an asthma action plan is to reduce or prevent flare-ups and emergency department visits.

Children at school should always keep an inhaler in the nurses office for emergencies. If the child doesn’t have one at school, the first aid should have a similar one to use.

You never want to borrow someone else’s inhaler in case of infections and because their medicine might be completely different than what you are needing.

To diagnose asthma, your doctor will discuss your medical history with you and perform a physical exam. You may need a lung function test and maybe other tests, such as a chest or sinus X-ray. If you or your child are having problems breathing on a regular basis, don’t wait!

Sydney: I have had many x-rays growing up to stay updated on my asthma. A person with asthma who gets sick with a cold is treating the cold and treating the asthma. Asthmatics have a harder time when they get sick because they already have a sensitivity to breathing, that adding a cold or flu on top of it where you are stuffed up takes you to a higher risk.

Quick-relief medicines are a type of asthma medicine that works quickly. They “rescue” the person from wheezing, coughing, and shortness of breath.

Most of these medicines are inhaled and work by relaxing the muscle around the airways. When the muscles are relaxed, the airways are wider, which makes it easier to move air in and out of the lungs.

But quick-relief medicines won’t prevent future asthma flare-ups and may not be enough to keep someone’s asthma under control. Long-term control medicine, taken daily, is often needed to keep the airways from getting swollen and narrow in the first place.

Many kids with asthma need to take medicine every day to control their asthma. Why should they take medicine even when they’re feeling fine? There’s a good reason. Long-term control medicines work by keeping the airways in the lungs open and clear, which makes it easier to breathe.

These medicines work slow, not fast. It may take days or weeks for them to do their job. That’s why a person with asthma needs to take them regularly. That gives these medicines a chance to get working, so they can keep airways from getting swollen and narrow.

Sydney: I have two different inhalers and a breathing treatment. I have an “everyday” inhaler that is supposed to keep my asthma under control, then there is my emergency inhaler that I keep on hand, even on vacations or just going to the grocery store, that I will use if I start to feel tightness in my chest. My nebulizer ( breathing treatment) I use anytime I get a cold because it quickly breaks up the mucus and opens my airways for me to relax and not feel so tight and tense.

Make sure to research and ask your doctor what the signs of asthma are. https://www.webmd.com/asthma/guide/asthma-symptoms#1

Asthma is feeling like the wind got knocked out of you.

Asthma is feeling tightness in your chest that doesn’t release.

Asthma is feeling like you are stuck under water and can’t come back up for fresh air.

Asthma is waking up from a deep sleep after feeling like you were falling off the bed.

Asthma is being a room that keeps getting smaller and smaller.

Asthma is a chronic lung disease that develops from a series of reasons that you will find to be discussed in further posts.

To be continued……..

LungSmarter Foundation

Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter. — Izaak Walton