Having Asthma has kept me from doing some of the things I have really wanted to do whether educational or employment related.
While I had two great years in middle school, I was able to be on the track team doing cross country running which I loved doing.
When I got older and my Asthma began flaring up again (which I am sure was most likely due to stress) I wasn't able to run as much.
As much as I have enjoyed running when I could, I have gotten quite discouraged at not being able to run, even with my own kids and their friends.
In fact, I have trouble walking sometimes, even to my on campus classes.
It takes me longer to get to classes so I have to prepare ahead of time.
There have been many times I have had to press myself really hard to get to class on time and be quite uncomfortable in class wheezing, sweating and gasping for breath.
Once I graduated high school, my plans had included going into the Air Force.
However, because I depended on an inhaler for relief I was not able to be accepted into the military.
I had looked forward to being the first female in my family to continue the Air Force heritage we had on the maternal side of my family.
I had also looked to being in the military to help pay for my college education.
It has also affected my ability to work as well.
In high school when I was working as a Certified Nursing Assistant I did miss a couple of days due to my Asthma and getting bronchitis.
As an adult it has affected my ability to work at a reasonable pace certain days.
For years I worked at a plant nursery mostly outside.
There were days it was really a challenge to function.
I had to overdress quite a bit to protect myself from getting cold.
It also made it hard for me to perform certain duties since on some of the days I was having a hard time breathing I couldn't keep up with my co-workers.
My pregnancies were a challenge since my Asthma wanted to flare up.
Because of my Asthma, my first pregnancy was induced two weeks early.
With my second it was also induced because I struggled to breathe well (my son was big too).
The third pregnancy wasn't as bad but I did have my moments with it especially when acid reflux would agitate my Asthma.
After my first pregnancy I went to an Asthma specialist.
Typically a new patient would go through a stress test but in my case the doctor refused to put me through it.
I struggled to get a reading on the spirometer which took three times.
It did not help that my ex husbands grandmother was 80, had Asthma and could blow me away on a spirometer.
When I returned to college in 2006, in my third semester I became ill with pneumonia right at finals time.
Luckily for me I had all regents online classes otherwise I am not sure how my instructors would have dealt with my hospitalization at the very end of the semester.
My senior year in college I decided to make a go at taking classes on campus again.
I have had to go to health services between my classes and get breathing treatments resulting in me going without lunch often.
It has also taken me longer to walk to my classes or even walk up the stairs than most others.
Every day I carry around an inhaler in my pocket or purse.
At night it stays underneath my pillow in case I need it.
At age 33 it is at times embarrassing when I am not able to keep up with my peers or even my own children.
There have been times where I would sit and cry in frustration and anger that I couldn't breathe.
Every so often I struggle to catch my breath just from getting out of bed and walking to the bathroom which is no more than 10 ft.
What I have learned is that with my Asthma also comes the difficulty with concentration which has affected my learning ability as well as my grades.
Because of this, my GPA has also suffered causing me to take extra classes to boost my GPA in order for me to graduate from college.
While I have achieved getting my college diploma, I continue to work on gaining control of my Asthma in order to enjoy life as fully as possible.
For me, I don't let much get me down.
I do hike, canoe and swim every so often in my home state of Tennessee.
I love the outdoors and could not imagine sitting inside allowing my Asthma to take control of me.