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Townsend, Montana | Has anyone ever heard of someone who has asthma, but the only things that trigger it are legumes? I get asthmatic symptoms from the dust form alfalfa, peas, lentils, and clover. Nothing else has ever trigged my asthma and as a normal farmer, I get to try a variety of dust on a regular basis. Smoke, stress, exercise, etc. - nothing ever makes it flair up. I have had it since I was at least 5 years old. I have been to numerous doctors over the years and had lots of bloodwork done for allergies and the only thing that comes back is a mild allergy to apples, bananas, and kiwis - none of which trigger my asthma, but those 3 do trigger what I have self diagnosed as oral allergy syndrome.
Doctors only remedy has always been inhalers and Advair Diskus, which do stop the asthma, but I have never liked the possible side effects as well as the cost.
Throughout highschool and college my asthma mostly went away - I marked it down to finally outgrowing it. The last 2 years, and especially last summer, it has came back with a vengeance. I have tried every home remedy and snake oil to try and stay off of prescribed meds but nothing has helped. I went from about 190 lbs down to 175 over the past year hoping that would help, but it hasn't. Thinking back, the only thing I could think of that I have changed recently was that I quit drinking 3 years ago. I never drank excessively before, but I just decided to save money and drink water so I did.
2 weeks ago (right in the middle of 1st cut haying) my asthma started to slowly flair as is normal. After about 3 days, I just couldn't catch my breath. Mostly out of curiosity, I stopped by the store and grabbed a six pack. As I was about half way in to the first can, I could suddenly breathe.
Been having a beer a night since and no asthma symptoms. Sometimes my chest will get a little tight in the day when baling or whatnot, but a cold beer opens my lungs right back up.
I have always said you should never use alcohol to solve your problems but it is working for me, as it apparently has ever since I started drinking in highschool.
Any thoughts on this? I have never had a doctor suggest that alcohol would act as a bronchodilator, and I have never had a doctor really acknowledge or be willing to look into the fact that legumes are my only trigger.
While I am glad that alcohol has pretty much got my asthma back under control, I am still leery of having to depend on alcohol... | |
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Asthma
