Anjali Sen, 78 has had Asthma almost all her life and she recounts how she has grappled with this chronic and nagging affliction. She is a homemaker, an avid reader, a cricket enthusiast and lives in Kolkata.
Can you explain your condition in a few words?
The attack starts as a slight breathlessness and quickly develops into panting, gasping and choking. I have to admit that I have not had any severe asthmatic attack for the last 12 to 15 years as I am now able to figure out the onset by detecting the symptoms early on and take appropriate steps to control it.
When and how were you diagnosed and what were the early symptoms?
I have had chronic bronchitis since childhood and bronchial asthma has been an integral part of my growing up years. Eczema, the skin ailment, is also something I developed as I was growing up. When I was well into my 30s, much after I had got married, I was being treated for eczema. There was this common belief that asthma is likely to flare up if eczema is suppressed. And sure enough, when my eczema subsided, asthma took over fully.
Is there any history of asthma in your family?
I have asthma on my mother’s side and eczema on my father’s side, so I am caught in between.
What were some of the challenges you faced and what is your advice to patients who face similar challenges?
My main challenge was being busy with household chores and not knowing when the attack was on its way. I tended to get panic stricken because I had a large family to manage, and an asthma attack rendered me partially sick and helpless. My advice to asthma patients would be to treat the attack at the very onset with proper medication and not wait and hope it will subside on its own. I have suffered in that regard, so I know what I am saying. It is also important to keep away from dust, fumes and stress. The other important tip is not to over eat and one should have very light meals after sundown.
Is it in any way improved now?
Now because of advanced age and changed lifestyle, I hardly ever have severe attacks.
Have you faced any related complications with your asthma attacks?
There seems to be an asthma/eczema connection – one flares up when the other is suppressed. I have suffered from both.
Have you noticed a difference in your attacks when you have changed cities, as in moving from Calcutta to Bangalore or Mumbai?
I think Calcutta with its pollution, dirt etc suits me as I normally don’t have much breathing problems here. I get breathing problems when I travel to Delhi or Bangalore.
What medications are you on? Any side effects?
I am not on any specific medication. My medicines are usually combined with my heart medicines. I have been prescribed Foracort oral inhaler, but only as an SOS medicine. I have not faced any side effects from it.
Have you learnt anything from your condition that you wish you knew before?
I have succeeded in managing my condition now by taking appropriate measures at the very initial stage of the attack.
Does stress aggravate your asthma?
Stress definitely aggravates asthma. Since it is difficult to stay away from stress as it is a part of our everyday life, it is therefore better to understand its symptoms and control it at the very onset.
Have you had to make some changes in your lifestyle because of your condition?
With age, my lifestyle automatically changed. When the children grew up, the obvious trigger points like cooking, dusting, marketing and general running around became minimal. I had to ideally stay away from dust, but that was difficult. We also had dogs as pets, and dog fur was another trigger. Now I don’t have dogs, so that has also helped. Cooking was also stressful for asthma. Even now, if I cook for three days at a stretch, I tend to feel a breathing discomfort.
Have you tried complementary medicine or therapies, like homeopathy or yoga?
I have not actually tried any serious alternatives like homeopathy of yoga.
Has your family supported you?
Many people are of the opinion that this acute breathing problem that asthma causes is more psychological than real. My family just accepted my problem, without thinking or doing much about it. They expected me to get on with life after resting for a while, which I did.
Do you have a message/advice to people with asthma or parents with children with asthma?
Treat it from the beginning. Don’t think it will go away by sitting on it. Even when we have to do household chores like dusting etc, which are confirmed triggers, it is adviseable to dust with a wet cloth. These are small tips that an asthma patient will do good to follow. Swimming is recommended for children with asthma, it does a world of good. And it is also believed that asthma often gets cured when the children grow up.
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Recognize Asthma triggers and follow treatment
Breathing Easy - After childhood asthma re-surfacing
