MountainReader

roothie,
Are you sure you are truly allergic to inversions? Inversions can cause breathing problems for anyone. For those who are young, old or who have lung or other health issues, the bad air can cause even more problems. Inversions can play havoc with asthma.

You've touched on a subject I have had tons of trouble with. I'm just north of you in Davis Co. I've really grown to HATE inversions. They make my life miserable. I have bad allergies and asthma. In fact, it was during the horrible inversion right before the Olympics that I found out I actually had asthma. Before that, the doctors kept telling me the cough was because of my allergy/sinus problems. My current doctors have explained to me that when the particles build in the air it can cause difficulty breathing (even before they have yellow or red air days). I try to keep my face covered every time I go out on days that the air is bad. I've even bought some of those medical type breath masks at time to try to keep my breathing under control. During the winter, keep weating a scarf. During the dry heavy summer days, I sometimes need masks.

Right now you aren't even at high yellow or red air quality days yet in your area. Things are supposed to get a lot worst in the next week. If you are using your Albuterol 3-4 times daily, your breathing isn't under control. If you are having this much trouble with breathing right now, you really should go back to your doctor, primary or a Pulmonologist. You really don't want things to get worse. When I've had trouble breathing that the Albuterol doesn't keep controlled, the doctors typically add an additional asthma med to get things under control. There are some good preventative medications that may help, such as Advair. Singulair helps some, but not as well when things are bad. Sometimes, it takes a short round of steroids to get things under control during the inversions. Living in the nasty air of the inversions is bad and things won't get better until they clear out which isn't anywhere in the forecast right now. Try to take some trips up into the mountains to get some fresh air until it clears. A nice trip to Park City makes me feel a bit better some times. For the next 10 days, if you stroll main street, you might even see some stars here for the film festival. Might be fun.

Below I've listed some early warning signs for asthma. Often these symptoms mimic allergy problems. PLEASE make sure you get some help before your breathing gets even worse. This is nothing to play around with.

Asthma Early Warning Signs
itchy chin
itchy or sore throat
dark under eye circles
stuffy, runny or congested nose
tiredness
mood change--grouchy or extra quiet
itchy, glassy or watery eyes
thirst
sneezing
stomach ache
headache
fever
restlessness
eczema flare-up
sweating
heartburn
change in face color- pale or flushed
throat clearing
restlessness
heart beating faster
trouble sleeping
yawning

Asthma flare-up or attack signs: wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, etc... Not all asthma "attacks" involve wheezing.

Take care,
Mountain Reader