I was only three when I was first diagnosed with asthma. So I don't remember much about my first attack. When I was six, I described it in I'm Tougher than Asthma this way: "When I was three I had a really bad cold. I don't remember much except that it felt like this great big animal--a tiger; maybe--was sitting on my chest. I coughed a lot, and my lungs made a whistling, wheezing sound." Maybe when I was six I remembered being three better than I do now. These days, it just seems like I've always had asthma. I try not to let it bother me, and 90% of the time it doesn't. The other ten percent of the time, it's a pain. I think the key to avoiding the bad times is never really forgetting that I have asthma. Over the years, I've developed a list:

1. I take my meds. Currently, I have a nose spray that helps meresist allergies. I have an allergy pill that I take as needed. I also have a couple inhalers that I also use as needed. (When I was younger I had to keep a schedule and take my preventative inhaler 4 times daily. In that case, I just had to fit using my inhalers into my schedule.)

2. I keep my doctor's appointments. Not much has changed in recent years, but Dr. Bucholtz has been seeing me since I was three.

3. I stay in shape. I'm involved in a lot of things, quite a few

which take strength. I'm heavily involved with horses. Riding takes lots of endurance and keeps me in shape in other ways. (Like shoveling manure.) I also try to work out every day. Most of the time my asthma doesn't bother me, but if I'm having a really hard workout, my chest might start feeling tight toward the end of it. But it's really no big deal because a quick-relief inhaler takes care of the problem.

4. I dress warmly in cold weather. If I catch a cold, I'll start having more trouble with my asthma. It gets cold here in Wisconsin and I'm always sure to wear a hat and coat. My dad says 90% of brain loss is through the top of your head. I think he means heat loss but it's hard telling with him. Anyway, you need a hat, and I can't believe the number of people who go without. That's just asking for trouble. I also avoid running in cold weather because the cold air just attacks my asthma.

5. I don't use strong-smelling soaps, hairsprays, or perfumes. Anything that starts bothering the sinuses is a sign of trouble. I also stay away from strong-smelling cleaning products. Most of them don't work as well as simpler stuff anyway.

6. I'm always watching for triggers. My big ones are animal dander and

house dust mites. (That's a big subject and I'll talk more about them next time.)

7. I keep my inhaler close at hand, especially if I'm away from home

for a weekend. Most of the time I do not have severe enough attacks to be too worried if one happens and my inhaler is not around, but why suffer? Also, if I do have a small attack with no inhaler around, I've learned not to panic. Panicking and other extreme emotions can make an asthma attack worse. As long as I keep to my list, I'm usually in pretty good shape. It's not that I never get a cold or come in contact with one of my triggers, but every preventative I can take helps.