action plan and what they should do in an emergency.
Keeping rescue medications accessible. “If there is any one drug that most asthmatics should have on board, it would
probably be the albuterol inhaler,” advises Richard Castriotta, MD, professor of medicine and associate director of the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Place these “rescue inhalers” in a variety of locations so you can get to them easily: in your gym bag, at work, and in several places at home. Make sure that you have spacers or valve-holding chambers (hand-held devices your doctor can prescribe which make it easier to use the inhaler correctly) on hand if you need those to use your inhaler properly. If there are other rescue medications that you need during an asthma attack, such as steroid tablets, keep those with you as well.
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Writing down important phone numbers. Your asthma action plan should include the phone numbers of your doctor’s office and the closest emergency room, as well as people to notify when you have an asthma attack, such as your spouse, parents, or close friends. Keep a card with this information written on it in your wallet or purse.
Knowing when to ask for help. If you have followed the action plan agreed upon by you and your doctor and have taken your medications as prescribed, but your symptoms are not going away, ask for additional help from your healthcare provider.
Remember: Take the time to make, and then become familiar with, an asthma action plan. By doing this when you feel well, you will have a blueprint in hand that will help save you if an asthma attack occurs.