Blue in the Face
by Caroline Hellman

I've certainly had many moments in my life in which I felt I triumphed over asthma. In my last installment I related how important swimming was for me to the curtailment of breathing problems. When I was swimming competitively, I only had to use my inhaler once in a blue moon, and it was usually connected to very cold weather and running, or allergy-induced asthma. I'm deathly allergic to nuts, so that in the unfortunate event that I ingest the tiniest nut particle, my asthma helpfully kicks in.

But I realized when I stopped swimming that I was actually wheezing more. Part of it was due to weight gain; after I was not swimming a gazillion yards twice a day, 5 or 6 or 7 days a week, I was not in as good shape. Eventually I had to triple my medication; instead of the occasional puff from my inhaler, I had to take 2 puffs from two additional inhalers twice a day. If I wanted to run, especially in cold weather, I had to take a pill 2 hours ahead of leaving the house.

This has definitely influenced by thinking recently, my desire to get back in the water and reform--not just my health but my asthma.

In the meantime, I breathe easier in the blue states.