Helping your child manage asthma You scrupulously manage your child's asthma medications. You carefully track her medical care. And you've made every change possible in your home - from adding dustproof pillow covers to buying a vacuum cleaner with a special filter - to help your child avoid asthma triggers. But you worry about what to do when your child says she feels an asthma attack coming on. And you wonder how you can help her control her asthma at school. Planning triggers of asthma asthma database for an attack at home An asthma attack can be an anxious time for you and your child. That's exactly why you need to prepare for the situation, says James Li, M.D., an allergy and asthma specialist at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. "Planning is the key to overcoming panic," Dr. Li says. "All asthma patients, their parents, and their doctors should put together a written contingency plan that outlines how to handle an asthma attack." Keep the plan in a place where asthma medicines asthma database it's accessible at a moment's notice. Your child and everyone who cares for him or her - including grandparents and baby sitters - should know where to find it. Also keep a copy of the plan in your wallet or purse, in case an asthma attack occurs away from home. Although each child's plan will be different, Dr. Li says, it should contain this basic information: Warning signs of an asthma attack. List specific symptoms and amounts of medications used that signal an asthma exercises asthma database asthma attack. Also, include a record of established peak flow meter readings that may signal an asthma attack. Steps you and your child can take to manage an attack. In consultation with your child's doctor, decide ahead of time what medications you have on hand that can be used during an asthma attack. Write down what they are, where they are and how to use them. How to recognize and handle a serious attack. Have the information you need to evaluate asthma database asthma database whether your
