ryukochan

i don't take any meds anymore- i'm 19, and had allergy induced asthma when i was younger.i did go to one workshop though, where they talked about how you do the puffs and other things that work. i don't know if you've already had these, but i'll give them to you in case!

take your bronchodilator first (that's the one not to use in an attack) and take the puffs 2 minutes apart. wait ten minutes before you take your fast acting inhalor (the one that you use for an attack) take the puffs 2 mins. apart and then breathe well for a while, deep and hold and stuff like that. just exercising your lungs can make them stronger. (i did counting games and lamaze type of breathing only slower- count to 3 breathing in, hold for 2, 3 out, then when that's easy do four in four out and play with it.) also, if your inhalors get empty fast, you don't always know. you can drop the little can part in a cup of water to find out- if it sinks it is full, if it floats, it is empty. if it's somewhere in the middle, you have time. for some people, a nebulizer works better. i babysat a girl with one, and my grandpa has one now- with that you pour liquid meds into the little cup and the machine vaporizes it. you just watch tv, or read and breathe for ten minutes. it's a lot nicer than the inhalors because it doesn't leave a nasty taste in your mouth or choke you, the way the propellants in the cans do. about your exercise question- water aerobics are really fun and easy to start on if you have a pool near you. other than that, just breathing exercise and when you do walk up the stairs don't hold your breath, even if it hurts. you can always stop in the middle and breathe if you feel like it.(i held my breath bad, and even if it hurts to breathe,
it is better to breathe than pass out, or get a nosebleed or dizzy)i hope these help!
i forgot one-- ask your doctor about a spacer and a peak flow meter- spacers make taking meds easier, and a peak flow meter lets you know how well you are breathing on a given day, but you can only get them by prescription.(mine were 5 bucks each)good luck! --anne