“The readings give me more confidence in coping with asthma”
Yvonne* aged 38
Yvonne* knows only too well what it feels like to struggle for air. She has lived with asthma since she was a child. To keep an eye on the inflammation levels in her lungs, she uses the Vivatmo me breath analyzer.
“It all started with hay fever when I was around six years old. I particularly remember one occasion. As a child, I wanted to watch the combine harvester harvest grain. The dust that was whirled up suddenly triggered really nasty symptoms. That wasn’t a pleasant experience at all. Certainly not something you’d voluntarily do again.”
Asthma
- Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases worldwide.
- It is often hereditary.
- A basic distinction is made between allergic and non-allergic asthma.
- This widespread respiratory disease is often underestimated. In emergency situations, however, it can even trigger choking fits.
The disease causes high stress levels
Especially during the pollen season, Yvonne finds the constant breathing difficulties caused by the disease extremely stressful. She often suffers from anxiety as a result of the tightness in her chest caused by the narrowing of her bronchial tubes, which in the worst case can trigger an asthma attack. As a child, Yvonne could not stand to wander through or directly near to high meadows or birch forest. She also frequently had to be excused from sports at school because the pollen count on the playing field was too high. Even today, Yvonne suffers when the pollen levels are high: she has difficulties breathing, experiences pressure in her chest, and feels generally weaker.
“When things get too much for me and I can hardly breathe, I have to go indoors and calm myself down with breathing exercises or distract myself with sewing, for example. This helps me clear my head, for one thing, and my breathing also becomes more relaxed.”
Coping with asthma
In the meantime, the two-time mom knows how to avoid such situations. She is familiar with managing the disease from her parents, who are both asthmatics, and likewise sets an example to her own kids, themselves asthma sufferers. Inhaled medications help Yvonne get through the day and cope with her condition. She also uses the Vivatmo me breath analyzer to keep an eye on her own and her family’s lung inflammation levels and feel more confident in managing her asthma.
More confidence thanks to Vivatmo me
When Yvonne experiences difficulties breathing, she uses the Vivatmo me measuring device for home use. This allows her to determine the concentration of the inflammatory marker FeNO (fractional exhaled nitric oxide) in her exhaled breath and from this derive the degree of inflammation in her airways. In the past, Yvonne has taken her asthma medication as and when she felt the need. But this year, with the help of Vivatmo me, she has been able to adjust her meds in consultation with her doctor based on the FeNO readings. This has given her the confidence to reduce her medication in line with the readings without any detriment to her health.
“On days with a high pollen count, I often take a higher dose of medication as a precaution – now that’s no longer necessary.”
One family, one fate: living with asthma
Yvonne’s children are also asthma sufferers, with a tendency towards severe coughing fits especially if they have caught a cold. To be on the safe side, Yvonne takes them to the doctor for regular check-ups in the winter. This is where the breath analyzer is a handy solution to see whether a trip to the doctor is really necessary. “As a parent, you’re pretty helpless when your children are coughing and wheezing non-stop despite medication,” Yvonne says. “The device is no substitute for a doctor’s visit, but knowing the inflammation value helps me gauge the situation better.”
