Our Struggle With Asthma
Has anyone seen the ad on TV about New Zealand lactose going into asthma inhalers? It totally blew my mind! It also really touched home for me because Chloe has asthma, and for a long time we struggled because we had no idea what was happening …
BACKSTORY
When Chloe was 4 years old, she developed a chronic cough. For 6 months she would have it, and we had no idea what caused it. When she got a cold, it got worse; much worse.
We tried a nebuliser, and herbal cough syrup. We raised the head of her bed, and tried eucalyptus oil. We gave her teaspoons of honey, and started her on probiotics. We even swapped the kids around – so my boy was now in my girls room, and she’s went into his room. Just to see if it made a difference – it didn’t.
We even had her tested for allergies.
We actually ended up in hospital a couple of times because it turned into croup.
Eventually, during one of our hospital stays, her oxygen levels were so low they started considering asthma. Her levels didn’t increase, so she was admitted to a ward and placed under observation.
It was then, the doctors said “yes it’s asthma” and we were given the appropriate assistance to help her at home (inhalers).
It was a really long and rough 6 months though, to get to that point. Nobody got any sleep, and we were incredibly worried for Chloe; and as parents really had no idea what we were doing.
Whilst a lot of people experience wheezing and shortness of breath with their asthma, Chloe had the cough-variant type – which meant she coughed to try and help her lungs get more air, and to clear what was in them (even though there was nothing there, they were just having trouble getting air).
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WHAT WE DO NOW:
After the asthma diagnosis, we were given inhalers to manage Chloe’s breathing – these have been absolutely crucial in stopping the constant cough and giving her system a break from the breathing struggle.
We also worked really hard to ensure her room wasn’t damp, and was at a consistent temperature. We brought in an oil heater which has a thermostat to keep the room warm during the winter nights.
We also invested in an Ultrasonic Vapouriser – which vibrates cold water to produce a fine mist.
As I said above though – the truly amazing thing were the inhalers that we received. Since starting Chloe on this we haven’t had a single problem with her asthma.
I just found out the other day through the ad on TV, that there is inhalable lactose in inhalers. Did you know that the lactose takes the important drug (that helps the asthma) to the part of the body that needs it the most?
In fact, the lactose that’s in most inhalers comes from our very own cows right here in New Zealand; making it the most pure lactose in the world.
New Zealand is the largest provider of inhalable lactose in the world.
I personally find that fascinating and am very proud to have New Zealand milk able to help so many people with asthma, including my own daughter.
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Chloe’s asthma is still under control thanks to the inhalers, and we are absolutely grateful for all the help and assistance we’ve gotten since the diagnosis.
If you’d like to learn more about inhalable lactose, visit the Fonterra website.
Thank you Fonterra for making such an educative advert about inhalable lactose and for sponsoring this post.
