Driving and Asthma

So today I was returning from a meeting about an hour from the church when I suddenly felt extremely lethargic and a little sick to my stomach. I was having trouble keeping my eyes open and it was a struggle to keep my head and arms from simply dropping. Coupled with the rainy weather and high summertime traffic, this was not a good feeling to have while zooming down Interstate 95. Since my home is closer to the Interstate exit than the church, I decided I should swing by my house before heading back to the church. It was an enormous effort to get my feet out of the car and walk up the steps to get in the house, but that movement made me realize something: I was having trouble breathing.

I have had asthma for about five years and I am still trying to learn how to tell when I am experiencing problems with my breathing. It seems that the symptoms are never the same. I have experienced this sudden exhaustion before, but I was with someone else and able to let them drive the rest of the way. Today's experience reminded me of just how dangerous something as common as asthma can be. I always carry a rescue inhaler with me and would have used it if I had only known that what I was experiencing was asthma. The lack of sufficient oxygen also makes it more difficult to think clearly, which is another negative impact on driving.

If you suffer from asthma, I want to stress the importance of learning the causes and effects of your asthma. I will soon be participating in what is called a Methacholine Challenge Test to help my doctor understand what is causing my asthma. Once I know that, perhaps I will be better prepared for these sudden bouts of asthma.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dirty Feet

Image
“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news.” Isaiah 52:7 (NIV) I have never been very comfortable in shoes. It really doesn’t matter whether they have great arch support, ultra extreme amounts of cushioning, or how much they cost. The first thing I do when I arrive home is take off my shoes and stretch my once imprisoned feet by bending them at the arches and wiggling my toes. I then remove my socks and begin to feel my feet relax as the fresh air washes over my tingling, sometimes sweaty, toes. Pretty picture, I know. It must be the right thing to do. A billion Chinese could not be wrong. My mother could not be wrong. After all, she was the one who always told me to, “Take off your dirty shoes before you come in here. I just finished mopping this floor and I don’t want mud tracked all over my clean house.” It became a normal ritual around our house to put the dozen or so shoes away before company was expected. My mother didn’t want dirty f...
Read more

Pampered and Pacified

Author J.M. Barrie created the character that never wanted to grow up. Peter Pan, also the title of his famous book, did not want to become an adult and be forced to deal with all of the stress and struggles that came with the transformation. So Peter found his way to Neverland where, along with his lost boys, he could remain a carefree child forever. But those who know the story also know that carefree was not all that it promised for villainous Captain Hook constantly lurked around the corners, and then there was that tantalizing Wendy who stole Peter’s heart before he even knew what hit him. Millions of Americans have seemed to follow in the footsteps of Peter Pan. We have become a nation that no longer values the virtues of adulthood: especially responsibility, strong work ethic, self-dependence, selflessness, and community awareness. You don’t have far to look in our American society before you see lost boys, and girls, running around everywhere. Grown men and women who want ...
Read more

Ephesians 5 - Our Life of Love

Image
When I have learned to love God more than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.” C.S. Lewis In a Nutshell Paul encourages Christians to be imitators of God and to walk in love. Don’t fall into a life of sin, but rather stand against sin and try to expose it. Use your time wisely as you follow God’s will. Let the Holy Spirit direct and influence your behaviors. As you do this, husbands should love their wives as Christ loved the church and wives should respect and submit to their husbands. The Power of Example In his autobiography, Benjamin Franklin tells of the time he wanted to convince the citizens of Philadelphia to light the streets at night as a protection against crime and as a convenience for evening activities. Failing to convince them by his words, he decided to show his neighbors how compelling a single light could be. He bought an attractive lantern, polished the glass, and placed in on a long bracket that extended from the f...
Read more