My family is funny. They will gladly shell out $500 for me to go to the doctor and get seem really concerned when things get really bad, but the rest of the time they act like there is nothing wrong. They just tell me sometimes that they worry that might have hit bottom again. When I tell them I just have moderately bad symptoms they seem content. I am 26 but I live with my sister. I can understand why they think I should be able to take care of myself. But when I get asthma it triggers anxiety which quickly leads to depression.
What am I supposed to do? Just suck it up and forget about them?
Sorry to hear you're not getting the support you need from your family. Have you tried talking to them about it? Sometimes we assume others, especially our loved ones, should know how we feel, but the truth is, we all look at life through our own filter or from our own perspective and that can lead to misunderstandings and miscommunication.
Just ask your family if you can talk frankly with them about your asthma, your treatment and how they can best support you, both when you are healthy and when you are not. Education and knowledge can help, so direct them here to MyAsthmaCentral.com to learn more about your condition or help them get hold of an easy to read asthma education book like Asthma for Dummies or some such.
And if none of that works, then seek your support elsewhere. There are always support groups, personal counseling, etc., that most of us can tap into.
I know you'll get there... Kathi
Featuring Content From:
By using this service, you accept our Terms of Use. Please read them. The consumer health information on is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for medical advice or treatment for any medical conditions. You should promptly seek professional medical care if you have any concern about your health, and you should always consult your physician before starting a fitness regimen. Copyright © 2012 Remedy Health Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Agreed on all counts!
I depend very heavily on friends and family for help with my asthma control. As time goes on and my control improves, I'm getting better at noticing when I'm starting to go downhill and addressing it early, but when my asthma first acted up, I spent months in low yellow to red, and it really skewed my perception of "good" breathing. Having someone on the outside who can look at you and go "Do you think you need your inhaler?" or "Do you want a drive to the ER?" is very helpful, and I've found that for poorly controlled asthmatics like myself, your family and friends often know when you need the ER better than you do.
^ The friends and family knowing when you need the ER thing is something I've gathered from my friends and family who are asthmatic, and thus is purely anecdotal, as opposed to professional evidence. However, if someone who knows me well says they think I should go to the ER, I take them at their word, as I usually regret not going if I brush them off.
That's great that enlisting your friends/family support has been so helpful! And thanks so much for providing that great anecdotal evidence. Everyone listening?
We are so new to poorly controled asthma, since the end of March, that it is hard for my family and friends to pick up on when I need a "second" opinion. We are finding too, that my "numbers" don't always reflect how I am feeling, so I really depend some on my family for "second opinions" when I am getting bad and don't realize it. For instance, the other night I woke up coughing pretty bad, got up went to the bathroom, laid back down, and went back to sleep!! My ten year old "happened" to get up and heard me coughing. He woke me up and asked me if I needed to do a breathing treatment. Needless to say, it wasn't long before his older brother and dad were up too. My ten year old is the one who says, "When is your next breathing treatment?" and kind of bugs me about what is going on, or what I need to be doing.
I call him our resident worrier. 
We are so new to poorly controled asthma, since the end of March, that it is hard for my family and friends to pick up on when I need a "second" opinion. We are finding too, that my "numbers" don't always reflect how I am feeling, so I really depend some on my family for "second opinions" when I am getting bad and don't realize it. For instance, the other night I woke up coughing pretty bad, got up went to the bathroom, laid back down, and went back to sleep!! My ten year old "happened" to get up and heard me coughing. He woke me up and asked me if I needed to do a breathing treatment. Needless to say, it wasn't long before his older brother and dad were up too. My ten year old is the one who says, "When is your next breathing treatment?" and kind of bugs me about what is going on, or what I need to be doing.
I call him our resident worrier. 