1. Monitor Your Treatment In An Asthma Diary
Proper management of your asthma can really make a big difference in your life. If you are not
properly managing it, you will suffer more symptoms of the disease than you would if you had things
under control. The use of a diary to track your asthma treatment and symptoms can help you create a
plan with your doctor that will decrease the symptoms and increase your quality of life. Use the tips
below to begin an asthma diary of your very own.
The first step is something you should do with the doctor that is treating you. You need to create an
action plan for treatment and management. Have your doctor go over the treatment plan with you,
including your medications, what to do in the event of an emergency and anything else that your
doctor finds important. Once you have a solid action plan, you will be able to follow it directly and see
how it works for you.
Keep a record of all of your symptoms. Each and every symptom should be logged in your diary.
Also, if you suffer from symptoms that are more severe than usual, log the information about the
foods that you have eaten and the environment that you were in when you began having problems. If
you keep it detailed, the doctor will be able to get a better idea of what caused you to suffer from
symptoms.
Use your peek flow monitor regularly. If you keep a close track of your PEFs over a window of time,
you will be able to keep track of how well treatments are working. If your PEFs are off, your doctor will
be able to figure out what is going wrong and make the necessary adjustments to your treatment
plan.
If you notice that there have been changes in your peak flow or your symptoms, sit down with your
diary, read through it and try to figure out where the changes began. Try to figure out what could be
the cause of the problems. It could be something that you ate or a location that you visited. If it is
something like this, you can avoid those foods or stay out of that location and things should return to
normal.
Asking your doctor questions that you have about anything. You should not have a difficult time
contacting your doctor any time you are unsure about something. The questions that you ask your
2. doctor should be logged in your diary along with the answers that your doctor has given you. As you
begin to do what your doctor directed, keep track of your progress.
Keep your diary with you everywhere you go. It should be small enough to fit into your purse or
pocket. If you do not have it with you, you are not going to be able to log symptoms or changes when
they are occurring. Many times, if you do not log it when it is happening, you cannot be as detailed
about the occurrences.
Using an asthma diary properly can be quite effective in developing a successful treatment plan.
Once you have a solid treatment plan, you can live a full life and suffer from less symptoms and
attacks.
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