I am an asmatic, I recently moved and my fiance moved in with a long hair cat. I am choking up a lot and take my ventilin medication puffer a lot more now and sometimes that doesn't work, I take flovent, but I ran out, have to wate for my benefits to kick in soon (very soon). We are thinking on investing in an air humidifier, is a humidifier or dehumidifier the best thing for an asmatic?
2006-12-10 03:57:42 · 8 answers · asked by boychuka 3 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Allergies
Well, a cat can be very detrimental to asthma sufferers - which is tragic if you ask me. I think that more than a humidifier you need an air purifier. I've seen them in Sharper Image catalogs and I think they do a lot of good. I think the humidifier can help too - but often times filters in humidifiers can get moldy which can also be bad for asthma sufferes.
You can search yahoo for Air Purifiers - here's a couple links I found that way:
http://www.iqair.us/
http://www.airpurifiers.com/
Hepa is supposed to be the best. You might also want to check out the American Lung Association for more information.
Peace!
2006-12-10 04:03:55 · answer #1 · answered by carole 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
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2016-07-27 01:10:58 · answer #2 · answered by Jasper 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is a tricky situation. The best thing to do would be to get rid of the cat (but i'm sure that would stir up some trouble). As humidifier would help your asthma some, but would not help the symptoms that the cat is causing. You may want to speak to your physician about allergy medication, this will be one of the few way to minimize your symptoms. Be sure to keep your inhaler or nebulizer handy. In the mean-time, while waiting to see your doctor, you may take the recommended dosage of Benedryl (Diphenhydramine), which is a anit-histamine, this may help to reduce your irritation from the cat. The Benedryl will make you drowsy, so be careful with any daily operations, such as operating a vehicle. Be bet would be to take it at night. You can also look online or in local stores, there are many free standing air filters that claim to reduce in-home allergans. If you do have an asthma attack, and experience any shortness of breath, wheezing, etc, be sure to call 911, they can give you a breathing treatment, and after the breathing treatment you always have the right to refuse being transported to the hospital (although not recommended).
2006-12-10 04:07:35 · answer #3 · answered by Brad H 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're probably allergic to cat dander so getting rid of the cat is probably a good idea here. A dehumidifier would be best since humid air is less dense than dry air. Water vapor has only 60% the density of air and since it displaces some of the air you would not be getting as much air in a breath. Get your meds as soon as possible and vacuum often to keep dust down to a minimum. Also don't use feather pillows and you might want to have the place checked for mould. I've had asthma for 43 years now. It's curious to note that asthma used to be fairly rare and now 1 in 5 kids will get it. Hmmm.....
2006-12-10 04:08:46 · answer #4 · answered by kevpet2005 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have asthma as well and I find that during the winter months that a humidifier works wonders for me. During the winter the moisture in the air freezes and the dry heat inside makes the humidity even lower which can wreak havoc on someone with asthma. I'd also look into an air filtering machine. They can cut down on pollutants in the air, including cat dander. You can usually buy them at department stores. Also, talk it over with your fiance and maybe agree to at least keep the cat out of the bedroom and off of the bed. There may be other factors that are making your asthma worse. Gas heat is hard on asthmatics. Maybe also check into getting the filters changed in your heating ducts. They may be clogged with pet hair and dust. I hope that you all find a solution. Good luck!
2006-12-10 04:04:02 · answer #5 · answered by jenny 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't know if I have a "best answer" but I would advise you to fill your prescription ASAP. I had a 34 year old female asthmatic come to the ED DOA because she ran out of her meds & had an attack. We worked on her for nearly an hour, she left behind a little girl and a family which was devistated.
Also, DO NOT TAKE ASPRIN! I can't stress this enough . . . ASPRIN is contraindicated with asthma!!!!!!
2006-12-10 04:01:56 · answer #6 · answered by NautyRN 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Get that flovent filled yesterday...even if you have to pay for it this time around. You might want to talk to your doc about getting some blockers into your system...singulair and clarinex are pretty good. The cat is your enemy now, if you can't adjust to the dander you might have to get rid of the kitty.
I'm a severe asthmatic and I have pets but I'm on lots of meds to help me cope (even without my pets I need my meds).
Get back on your flovent before you have an attack you can't stop.
Moist air can't hurt but nothing is going to get better till you are back on your meds.
2006-12-10 05:42:17 · answer #7 · answered by Loli M 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
iKnow how silly this sounds, but you should try it, I did on my little boy and I couldn't believe how well it worked. 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda mixed in purified water drink it. i am serious my son has absolutely no whezeing he is as clear as a bell. hope it helps you too i would do it once a day to ward off attacks or take it as needed
2006-12-10 04:05:39 · answer #8 · answered by Honey pot 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
are you serious? the best thing is to avoid the allergens- in your case, that would appear to be the cat. ditch the cat. that's much easier than trying to control your repeated exacerbations.
2006-12-10 04:02:39 · answer #9 · answered by the screaming frog 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋