Asthma is one of the scariest afflictions that someone can suffer from. When people have asthma, the struggle for breath can make them feel like they are dying. That is why it is so important for asthma sufferers to have an effective asthma action plan. Our expert asthma doctors in Colorado will work with patients to develop the right treatment plans for asthma. Here is a guide to how we design the right plan to help asthma suffers manage their conditions.
Testing For Asthma
Our doctors start the process by testing for asthma. We make sure to investigate not only if our patients have asthma, but we also test for the triggers that cause patients’ asthma attacks. Identifying these asthma triggers is a key component of creating effective treatment plans for asthma. Tests our asthma doctors run include things like lung function tests, chest X-rays, allergy tests and sinus evaluations. Patients may also be evaluated for gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD) due to its notoriety for exacerbating asthma attacks.
Developing The Right Asthma Action Plan
One of the most important parts of developing proper treatment plans for asthma is educating asthma sufferers on how to manage different levels of asthma symptoms. There are three levels of asthma severity that call for different levels of treatment.
These three levels of asthma are monitored according to a peak flow meter. The best level of the peak flow meter is the green zone. The green zone is the area where all asthma sufferers want to be. This means they are suffering from few or no asthma symptoms.
The next level on the peak flow meter is the yellow zone. This is when patients have mild to moderate asthma symptoms that include wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath.
Patients who enter the red zone of the peak flow meter will require urgent medical care to resolve their asthma symptoms. They may even be forced to call 911 if they are gasping for breath or have blue lips or fingernails.
Our AACOS asthma doctors in Colorado are among the best in the business at developing an effective asthma for our patients. We will work with them to educate them on all aspects of their conditions, allowing them to effectively treat their asthma at all times. This will help them to stay in the green zone as much as possible, allowing them to enjoy everyday activities without gasping for breath.