I diligently use my asthma inhalers, yet I cough day and night—and often wheeze.   My coughing spurts are contributing to chronic insomnia.  During severe coughing fits, I vomit.  Because of pregnancy-related incontinence, almost every time I cough, I have urine leakage.  And, all are side effects of my pregnancy.

I was first diagnosed with asthma/Reactive Airway Disease when I was pregnant with my son, now nearly 5.  Then, I only coughed and wheezed, and my symptoms immediately eased once I started using Flovent® and Albuteral® inhalers.

Five years ago, my doctor explained that pregnancy can exaggerate allergies, and I knew, simply from personal experience, that I am allergic to cats, but I love them so much that I had three.  I recognized that I was likely allergic to dust because I would become congested and become a serial sneezer every time I cleaned.  Yet, I have a high threshold for irritants:  I would just suffer for a month each time I adopted a new cat, until I was immune, and I would do the same, for a few hours, when I cleaned my condo.

It wasn’t until I was pregnant that my allergies became intolerable.

This time around, I have full knowledge of the myriad of “inescapables” to which I am allergic, and, where possible, I have eliminated the allergens.  I am officially allergic to cats, so, when each of my three passed on, I didn’t replace him or her.  I’m allergic to dust mites, so I have dust-mite covers on every mattress and pillow in the house.  I’m allergic to outdoor molds, so I keep our windows and doors closed at all times, regardless of the weather, to keep the molds where they belong.  I’m allergic to grasses and trees, which are omnipresent, yet having our house and cars closed off from the outside world helps shield me.

However, regardless of my new allergy knowledge and resulting protectants, my asthma is much more severe with this pregnancy.  I’m five years older, and I’m pregnant by my husband, rather than a sperm donor, this time around, but those differences might not be relevant.  It simply may be that the cliché, “Every pregnancy is different,” is a cliché for good reason:  It’s true.

I met with my allergist only yesterday, for his office was closed during the holiday season, the time period in which my asthma symptoms peaked.  The good news is that I am receiving enough oxygen, therefore my baby is too.  But, obviously, the chronic coughing, wheezing, and peeing—and occasional vomiting—aren’t acceptable.  Therefore, he prescribed Advair®, a twice-daily steroid inhaler that is safe for me to take, now that I’m almost in my 25^th week of pregnancy, plus told me to continue with the Ventolin® inhaler every four to six hours as needed.  He said that it may take three to four days for the Advair to kick in, but I can handle a few more days.

And, after hearing about hemorrhoids from several friends, I feel grateful.  Sure, my asthma symptoms are miserable, but life is all about perspective, and my suffering is mild compared to the horror of having hemorrhoids.  Thank you, thank you, thank you God, for not giving me hemorrhoids…