Re: I remember when

[Guest guest]

My sister who had asthma all of her life missed as much school from asthma as

she was present for school, but the majority of her teachers were very kind and

always sent her work by my Mother who made almost weekly trips to the school to

take her work and to get more work for her. I don't recall any scary episodes

for her at school, but I know we had many at night.

, you were very fortunate to have a boyfriend who understood your

allergy condition. It's a good thing he acted when he did. I know that my

asthmatic students were the ones I watched carefully and never questioned if

they needed to go to the nurse. I can remember one girl having an attack so

badly that I would not let her go alone to the nurse. It's interesting--my

asthmatic students never took advantage of their privilege of going to the nurse

when they really needed to go, but my often very healthy students loved to make

up excuses for going to the nurse, especially on tests days or when they didn't

have an assignment!

Adah

Currier <redsoxkitten@...> wrote:

Here's mine...

" I remember when... "

My albuterol inhaler didn't work for the first time. Scariest feeling on

earth. I was at school, in Biology class, the same room that served as the

physiology lab. They had been dissecting cats earlier that day.

The second I walked into the room my nose instantly began burning, my eyes

watering, and throat itching. The teacher thought that I was just being a

whiny girl because formaldehyde smells so awful. I had to keep walking up

to the front of the room to get tissues, and then had to keep getting up to

throw wads of them away. The teacher was SO MEAN! She took the box of

tissues and the waste barrel over to my desk and slammed them down and told

me to stop causing a disturbance.

I began coughing and wheezing and tried to use my inhaler. One puff... two

puffs... No relief. I snuck a third puff although my doctor had told me to

get to the nurse if two didn't work. I raised my hand and asked to go to

the nurse and was told " NO!!! "

Thank Goodness my boyfriend at the time shared the same class and knew that

something wasn't right. He kept sneaking peeks at me and then finally stood

up and screamed at the teacher. " MRS. CHARRON, JENNIFER NEEDS TO GO TO THE

NURSE RIGHT NOW!!! " The teacher looked up at me and screamed " OH MY GOD! "

Apparently my eyes had nearly swelled shut, and my lips were swollen and had

changed color.

By that time I was in a panic, gripping the edges of my desk, and the

teacher wouldn't let me leave, instead she called the nurse up to the room

from the phone on the wall. The last thing I remember is the nurse running

in and screaching " YOU LEFT HER IN THE ROOM???? "

I passed out, and was dragged out of the room by the nurse and some of the

male students, given an epi-pen injection, rushed to the hospital and just

missed being intubated. I was overcome by the formaldehyde and my allergy

to cats. The teacher seemed to think that I wouldn't be allergic to the

TWELVE dead ones in the room.

I was VERY lucky to have such an aware boyfriend, and that day taught me two

lessons. Sometimes albuterol wouldn't work, and teachers don't know everything.

From that day on, my mother and doctor had told me that if I felt I was in

danger with my asthma, walk out of the room immediately and at the least,

ticking off the teacher would get them to realize I wasn't joking!!! I've taught

my kids the same thing! When it comes to your lungs and asthma, they are the

only ones that know how they feel, don't take the chance, get help if they think

they need it!!!

[Guest guest]

>

> Here's mine...

>

> " I remember when... "

>

> My albuterol inhaler didn't work for the first time. Scariest

feeling on

> earth. I was at school, in Biology class, the same room that

served as the

> physiology lab. They had been dissecting cats earlier that day.

>

> The second I walked into the room my nose instantly began burning,

my eyes

> watering, and throat itching. The teacher thought that I was just

being a

> whiny girl because formaldehyde smells so awful. I had to keep

walking up

> to the front of the room to get tissues, and then had to keep

getting up to

> throw wads of them away. The teacher was SO MEAN! She took the

box of

> tissues and the waste barrel over to my desk and slammed them down

and told

> me to stop causing a disturbance.

>

> I began coughing and wheezing and tried to use my inhaler. One

puff... two

> puffs... No relief. I snuck a third puff although my doctor had

told me to

> get to the nurse if two didn't work. I raised my hand and asked

to go to

> the nurse and was told " NO!!! "

>

> Thank Goodness my boyfriend at the time shared the same class and

knew that

> something wasn't right. He kept sneaking peeks at me and then

finally stood

> up and screamed at the teacher. " MRS. CHARRON, JENNIFER NEEDS TO

GO TO THE

> NURSE RIGHT NOW!!! " The teacher looked up at me and screamed " OH

MY GOD! "

> Apparently my eyes had nearly swelled shut, and my lips were

swollen and had

> changed color.

>

> By that time I was in a panic, gripping the edges of my desk, and

the

> teacher wouldn't let me leave, instead she called the nurse up to

the room

> from the phone on the wall. The last thing I remember is the

nurse running

> in and screaching " YOU LEFT HER IN THE ROOM???? "

>

> I passed out, and was dragged out of the room by the nurse and

some of the

> male students, given an epi-pen injection, rushed to the hospital

and just

> missed being intubated. I was overcome by the formaldehyde and my

allergy

> to cats. The teacher seemed to think that I wouldn't be allergic

to the

> TWELVE dead ones in the room.

>

> I was VERY lucky to have such an aware boyfriend, and that day

taught me two lessons. Sometimes albuterol wouldn't work, and

teachers don't know everything. From that day on, my mother and

doctor had told me that if I felt I was in danger with my asthma,

walk out of the room immediately and at the least, ticking off the

teacher would get them to realize I wasn't joking!!! I've taught my

kids the same thing! When it comes to your lungs and asthma, they

are the only ones that know how they feel, don't take the chance,

get help if they think they need it!!!

>

>

[Guest guest]

>

> --- In , " Currier "

>>My device was known in my

>>family as THE JUG. It was! It was an large old glass syrup bottle

>>with double hoses. One hose went to glass mouthpiece(with

>>Alavair & Isoprel). THe other hose connected to a bicycle tire pump!

That reminds me. I had a friend in Jr High that always carried a gym

bag with him that had a tire pump. He would put it in the basket of

his bicycle.

I would love to know what ever happened to him. He is proabaly on

xolair like us I think I will try to find him on classmates.com

Doug

[Guest guest]

I remember in the early 60's when hospitals only allowed family in for

a very short few hours of the day, and nights were long and scary for

a toddler in an oxygen tent being poked and prodded every few hours by

a scary nurse. They had to refill the ice bin at the back of the

oxygen tent from time to time - it seemed like every time I got to

sleep I'd awake to the crash of ice cubes.

I rememeber when they switched from Tedrol to isoproterenol

(Medihaler) - which was a godsend because it worked! Most of my

teachers wer cool, but my fifth grade teacher was just back fron

Vietnam and didn't believe I had asthma. He wanted to take the whole

class out and read to them after lunch in the grass. I told him I

couldn't and what would happen, but he ordered me to. I had an attack.

I'll never forget the look on his face as he carried me in to the

school nurse. He thought he'd killed me. I think he was having a

flashback. He didn't come back the next year.

I remember going to a campus doctor while in college because I was out

of control during harvest season and needed a burst of evil candy. I

told him that was what I needed. Instead, he wrote me an open

prescription of Albuterol and said it was impossible to overuse it. I

went home and managed the best I could because I didn't have the

resources in an alien city to see someone else. Three days later, I

was in ICU.

I have used every asthma drug on the market. I can't use Albuterol any

more becaue it gives me migraines - I use Xopenex. I use Xolair.

That's all I need.

--Kitty

[Guest guest]

This is a TRUE story:

In 1969, my asthma was the kind that came in attacks every week or so.

Back then, I had a 9th grade gymn coach was more of a bully than a

teather. One day, he was having us guys run laps around the school.

I suddenly had a bad asthma attack. I went wheezing into his office

and told him that I needed to call my mother to bring me my inhaler. I

had every inntention of getting back out there and doing laps with the

guys once I could breathe again.

I will NEVER forget what he said and did next:

" I understand because have asthma too. " " Thank heavens, he

understands " I thought. Then all of a sudden, I felt a strong WHACK

with a paddle against my backside.

" There boy, be a man and get out there and run laps with the others.

No one is ever going to be a lazy weakling in my class. If you are

really sick, you will get a doctor's excuse. " Then another swat!

I was soooo mad. Sometimes, I wish I had lost consiousness right then

and there to prove I was NOT breathing. Fortunately, class was about

over and I made it to a phone to call my mother. I honestly can't

remember why my parents didn't file a lawsuit.

Mom called the doctor and I had a note the very next day. The coach

was mad and made me wash towels the rest of the semester. Funny, he

never corrected the bullies who beat up smaller kids during his

classtimes.

Eight years later, I was doing my college student teaching at another

Junior High. I ran into him in the teachers lounge. I said: " Coach

, do you remember me? I am the guy you gave swats to in 1969

for having an asthma attack. " He laughed and completely denied that it ever

happened.

I have no idea whatever happened to that coach. I hope someone gave him a course

in how tell if a child is sick.

Doug