Asthma can be challenging to treat and manage. However, it doesn’t have to prevent you from living a healthy, active life. Controlling your asthma or asthma management means working with your healthcare consultant to properly recognize the triggers behind asthma flare-ups and then to develop a viable plan to deal with them and avoid them from reoccurring.
Open and transparent discussions with your doctor are always valuable for asthma management, allowing you and your physician to achieve the desired results. Suppose you don’t understand your treatment plan, diagnosis, asthma inhaler technique, medications, or other aspects of the asthma management process. In that case, it is crucial to communicate with your doctor and ask for their direction during the consultation.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Asthma
An asthma diagnosis can be daunting, leaving you with several questions about the treatment options and the disease. If you are among those living with asthma, it’s good to consider consulting your medical doctor to ask all the necessary questions and concerns.
And for those with aggravating symptoms, a new generation of treatments and other cures on the horizon may finally provide some relief.
But regardless of the triggers and symptoms of your asthma, it’s good to discuss and ask questions of your doctor when you visit them to help you keep your signs at bay.
The following are some crucial questions to ask your doctor about asthma for a healthy and stable lifestyle:
- What medications are essential to use every day to manage and treat my asthma?
- Can I figure out which triggers aggravate my asthma, and can I do something about them?
- What should I do if my asthma gradually worsens?
- What should I do if I have a severe or sudden asthma attack or flare-up?
- Can you please check that I am using my nasal spray and asthma devices correctly?
- Can I make a written Asthma Management Plan (or verify that my written Asthma Management Plan is proper and up to date?)
- How can I gauge when my asthma is under reasonable control?
- Does my medication or other medication interactions have any side effects?
- What’s the long-term outlook of my asthma problem, and how should we go forward?
- What treatment options do I have?
- When should I follow up again for my next asthma checkup?
When you share your questions/concerns with your healthcare provider, it can help you find precise and well-suited answers more quickly.
Still, 17% of asthma cases are considered difficult to treat, which means they aren’t responsive to standard treatments, such as inhaled corticosteroids.
When your asthma limits you in some capacity or is uncontrolled, it’s essential to work, speak to your medical team, and receive the care you deserve
Things to Tell Your Doctor
Asthma is a chronic disease that can make your lungs super sensitive to triggers or allergens. Everyone experiences different triggers. Successfully treating and managing asthma symptoms enable you to maintain an active lifestyle. And the doctor’s advice and care can help you achieve this more effectively.
You must tell your doctor some essential things for proper asthma treatment and management.
Symptoms
- If you’ve had any symptoms during nighttime, such as wheezing, breathlessness, or cough, since your previous checkup
- If it’s becoming difficult to keep up with your routine activity due to asthma
- The number of days you’ve had asthma symptoms during the daytime in the last month
- If you sneeze, cough or wheeze, or have symptoms like itchy eyes, nose, blocked or runny nose, throat snoring, or clearing
- If you’ve had any attacks or flare-ups due to asthma since you last visited the doctor
Triggers
- Any specific thing(s) that seem to aggravate/trigger your asthma worse
- How do you take care of your triggers, and if your preferred method helps?
- If you’ve ever been impacted by thunderstorm asthma
- If you’ve had any allergies or fever
Devices and Medications
- How frequently have you been using your reliever medication during the last month?
- Tell your doctor how you use your nasal spray or asthma devices.
- How regularly do you use the preventer medication?
- If you take any medicine to treat allergic rhinitis
- If you use any other complementary therapies or medications
General Health
- For women, if you plan to conceive or are expecting
- Discuss any other health changes, e.g., increasing exercise, quitting smoking, allergies, weight changes, or other issues
So whether you have been suffering from this disease for years or are new to asthma treatment and management, there’ll be times when you’ll need clarity on the medical issues you are facing.
Healthcare professionals are the right people to turn to for addressing your questions. They know the latest treatments and information for asthma, deciding with you what’s the best course of action based on your specific concerns and symptoms.
Get the Care You Need at Imperial Center Family Medicine
While asthma isn’t curable, it is manageable. The treatments for asthma today are more effective and potent than ever at avoiding asthma attacks and preventing symptoms. For expert and professional asthma treatment and care, call Imperial Center Family Medicine today at 919-873-4437, or schedule an appointment online.