Many people in the world suffer from asthma, a respiratory disease that causes an inflammation of the bronchioles. People think if you have asthma, it limits what you can do or just to “use your inhaler and you’ll be fine.” Here are some things you don’t know about asthma and how you can avoid unintentionally sending an asthmatic into an attack.

1. Triggers.

We all have specific triggers that can send us into a downward spiral, for some people it can be a scent, and for others it could be a food (no, this doesn’t mean we are allergic to that food) or it can be both (most likely the case). Especially for me, the scent of cologne or perfume causes me to cough leading into an asthma attack. Another trigger for me is foods that are too rich in something like chocolate.

2. Just because we aren’t wheezing doesn’t mean it's not an attack.

While a lot of the time we do have wheezing with attacks, an attack can also just consist of constant coughing.

3. Daily Medications

Yes, we take daily medications. Some people just take either a pill or use a daily inhaler once a day, for some it’s both, and for others, the use of a nebulizer every day is necessary.

4. Speaking of Nebs...

No, we don’t like the sound of the neb either, we also know it’s loud and annoying. However, this glorious machine helps us breathe, so we deal with the sound and when you can’t breathe and start up that machine, you are thankful for the sound it makes.

5. No, we don’t just have “seasonal allergies.”

Most asthmatics are required to either have monthly allergy shots or are constantly on allergy pills (year round for me). There isn’t a down time of allergy season when one day in the middle of winter decides to warm up and flare up your allergies and make it so you can’t breathe.

6. Rescue inhalers

Yes, occasionally we have a bad day and need to use our inhaler in class or we laugh so hard we have an attack. Just because we use our inhaler doesn’t mean that we need you to look at us like we are dying or ask us if we are ok every five minutes. Instead, ask us if we need anything like water (helps get the taste of the inhaler out of our mouth) or if there is anything you can do. If we say no, then all we need is our inhaler and to take a minute to get our breath back.

7. We can have no energy.

When we have an attack, especially a bad one, it wipes out all our energy. Unless you have had an asthma attack, you won’t understand how draining it can be. We are literally trying to breathe through an opening very similar to a coffee straw.

8. Don’t tell me to “just calm down, you’re fine.”

I know especially when I have an asthma attack and feel like I can’t breathe it doesn’t help when someone tells me to calm down. In fact, it pisses me off even more. Just help us out by helping us get our inhaler and use it.

9. We need temperature controlled environments, such as air conditioned dorms.

We don’t get air conditioned dorms just because, we need them to help us stay in a stable temperature environment so we don’t constantly struggle to breathe. We wouldn’t wish this on anyone, so don’t stand in a grocery store and say, “I wish I had asthma so I could have air condition in my dorm.”

10. We have flare-ups, doesn't mean there's a huge problem.

These flare-ups can present in many ways, a lot of emotions, being drained, or even just having a bad asthma day.

11. Finally, don’t think we let it hold us back

Many people think people with asthma can’t do things such as sports. While it might be more of a challenge for us to do the work, we can do it if we put our minds to it. I was very active, my brothers were always very active as well. We all participated in sports such as soccer, basketball, and softball/ baseball, so don’t think we can’t do something just because we have asthma.