Arthur Explains Asthma

Hi. I'm Arthur. I have asthma. Here I am going to Day Camp in the park.

When I was first getting used to having asthma, I didn't want to spend all day away from my parents. I worried about having a breathing problem. But I learned some things about how to take care of my asthma. And I learned how to get help when I need it. Now I don't worry anymore!

Having asthma means that sometimes I have a hard time getting air into my lungs. See, lungs have tubes in them. Air moves through those tubes with each breath.

When my lungs are working their best, the tubes are wide open. Like a big straw! But when I have an asthma episode, the tubes get smaller. Then there's not as much room for air to get through. It's kind of like when you chew on a straw and then it doesn't work so great.

Here's what an asthma episode feels like to me.

First, I feel just fine. Then my chest starts to feel tight and kind of itchy inside. After that, my breaths start to sound a little funny. It's kind of like the sound a cat makes when it purrs. But a big cat, like a tiger or something! Because I'm much bigger than a house cat. If the episode keeps going, it gets hard for me to take a breath. I cough a lot, and I have trouble talking.

It was scary at first. But now things are better. I learned that there are things I can do to help take care of my asthma.

I keep an eye out for the things that can cause my breathing problems. My doctor calls those things "triggers."

It took a while for my parents and me to figure out what my triggers are. After a while, we learned that things like dust, pollen from plants, and smoke in the air give me problems. So I try to watch out for those things.

I know other kids who have different triggers. They have problems when they spend too much time around a cat, or when they run.

Medicines help my asthma too. So I make sure to always take mine like I'm supposed to. I take a pill every day. And I use my inhaler when I need it.

Sometimes when other kids see my inhaler, they want to learn about it. So I tell them what it does. But I never share my inhaler. The medicine in it helps me because I need it. But it could hurt kids who don't need it.

I also have a special plan for what to do if I start to have trouble breathing. Grown-ups like my school nurse and my camp leader have copies of my plan too. That way, they know how to help me if I need it.

And guess what? I learned that my camp leader has asthma too! So she knows all about asthma plans and inhalers. Her inhaler looks different than mine. But they both do the same thing.

My camp leader said she learned she had asthma when she was my age. She told me about all kinds of famous people who have asthma too. Even actors, and presidents, and sports stars!

Even though I have asthma, I can still do most things other kids can do. I just make sure I pay attention to how I'm feeling. And I tell a grown-up if I start to feel the signs of an asthma episode. Then we follow my plan for what to do.

On the last day of camp, I even won the three-legged race with my camp leader!

She said, "Arthur, we make a good camp team! When you get older, you could be a camp leader too."

That sounds like a pretty good job. I told her that if I decide not to be an actor or the president, then I'll think about it.

What things does Arthur do to help his asthma that might help you too? How does it feel to you when you start to have an episode? Do you know what your asthma triggers are yet? If not, what might help you figure them out?