Get ready to master YOUR asthma treatment plan!

 

Kids with asthma get to know their asthma doctors and school nurses pretty well. Asthma doctors and nurses are always on the hunt for new information from YOU on changes in your asthma. The key to success in controlling asthma is communication!

So be sure to show up for all of your doctor visits and call between visits or visit your school nurse right away if you have any new asthma symptoms.

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POST pictures and videos to show what YOU know on our AsthmaRangers Facebook 

 

About asthma doctors
 

• which types of doctors treat kids with asthma

 

About school nurses

 

• what school nurses do to help kids with asthma - a checklist
   

• a sample of a School Medication Authorization form from the American Lung Association
   

• Philadelphia School District Medication Use in School form
   

• a School Safety Plan for parents to fill-out for school staff, bus drivers and afterschool
   

Vitamins

 

• special vitamins and supplements that help kids with asthma
   

• why many kids with asthma need to take Vitamin D supplements
   

• people who take TUMS or Rolaids calcium antacids may need magnesium supplements

 

Asthma Medicines

 

• how everyday control preventive medicines can help kids prevent asthma attacks
   

• how quick-relief rescue medicine inhalers can help stop asthma attacks
   

• kids should rinse their mouth with water and spit it out after taking asthma medicine
   

 

Asthma Medicines and Side Effects
 

• how to know if side effects from an asthma medicine are affecting kids with asthma
   

• changing medicines may reduce anxiety and irritability problems in kids with asthma
   

• some asthma medicines can make it harder for kids with asthma to sleep
   

• some asthma medicines may cause depression and nightmares in kids with asthma
   

• why some kids with asthma may get more dental cavities

Vaccination
 

• why doctors recommend a flu shot every year for kids with asthma
   

• why kids with asthma should get a flu SHOT, NOT the nasal spray
   

• why doctors recommend pneumococcal vaccination for kids with asthma
   

Aspirin, Tylenol (acetaminophen), Motrin (ibuprofen) NOT safe for kids with asthma
 

• why aspirin and other pain and fever reducers like Motrin and Tylenol can trigger attack
  
   

Birth Control Medicine and Menstrual Periods
 

• how some types of birth control can reduce asthma symptoms in girls with asthma
   

• how menstrual periods can trigger asthma attacks in girls with asthma

Diagnostics
 

• why doctors test kids who have frequent asthma attacks for aspergillosis infection
  
   

Other Medical Problems for Kids with Asthma
 

• how doctors know that kids with asthma are more likely to get migraine headaches
   

• why kids with asthma may get more dental cavities than other kids
   

• why kids with asthma should tell parents and doctors if they have loud snoring

Managing Depression in Kids with Asthma

 

• why kids with asthma are more likely to feel sad, lonely, stressed and depressed
   

• what kids with asthma NEED to know about medicines for depression
   

• why kids with asthma should tell parents and doctors about good and bad emotions
   

• how therapists can help kids with asthma cope with anxiety and depression
   

• how school counselors can help kids cope with bullying and stress from asthma
   

• kids with asthma are much more likely to be bullied at school than other kids
   

• many kids with food allergies report getting bullied by other students and teachers
  
   

Managing GERD in Kids with Asthma
 

• why treating GERD (heartburn, stomach acid, reflux) helps kids with asthma
   

• why eating smaller meals helps prevent GERD in kids with asthma
   

• why natural herbs like licorice, bitters and turmeric help prevent GERD
   

• why sitting up and staying active for at least 30 minutes after eating helps prevent GERD
   

• how pillows that raise your head higher than your feet can help prevent GERD
   

• why some kids with asthma need to take antacid medicine to treat GERD 
   

• why taking too many calcium antacids like Tums or Rolaids to treat heartburn is not safe
   

• taking antacids depletes magnesium levels which can trigger attacks in kids with asthma

Weight Control and Asthma Medicine Issues
 

• why weight-control helps kids with asthma
   

• how weight gain affects attacks in kids with asthma
   

• why having asthma does not always cause kids to gain excess weight
   

• why doctors believe that exercise can help kids with asthma control weight
   

• why doctors believe eating asthma-friendly foods helps kids control weight
   

• why some asthma control medicines don’t work as well in kids with excess weight
   

• why kids with asthma with excess weight use rescue inhalers more often
   

• why kids with excess weight may use asthma medicine too often