Managing Your Asthma
Asthma is a chronic condition that needs regular sustained treatment to make sure that it is controlled. Even when you feel that your asthma is better, you should continue to take your asthma medications as prescribed. Most people with asthma can live full, active lives. The trick is learning how to keep your asthma symptom-free. Remember that asthma is a variable disease, which means symptoms vary from person to person and time to time so adjustments may be made to your medications to keep your asthma in control, meaning you should strive to be symptom free.
Asthma Action Plan
An Asthma Action Plan is often used by doctors to help patients control their asthma. It allows you and your doctor to create a personalized program for managing your asthma.
An Asthma Action Plan is a strategy that you can use to identify when your asthma may be flaring up and how to manage your asthma when it gets out of control. Studies have shown that having a written agreement with your doctor helps you manage your asthma at home. Take this sample action plan with you to your doctor to start a discussion:
The plan is based on frequency and severity of symptoms and/or results of peak flow monitoring, and sets out how you should adjust your medication depending on how controlled your asthma is.
Green Zone
If your asthma is well-controlled then you are in the Green Zone. Congratulations! You can live your normal lifestyle and continue taking your medications as prescribed by your doctor and as set out on your Asthma Action Plan. Understand that the controller medications (Link to the Controllers section) you may be on at this time are controlling your asthma and its symptoms.
Yellow Zone
If your asthma is not totally controlled then you are in the Yellow Zone. This is the zone that most people are in as many people expect to have asthma symptoms. You should be able to manage your asthma so that you are symptom free! If you are in this yellow zone, you need to adjust your controller medication.
Red Zone
If you're experiencing severe asthma symptoms, your asthma is poorly controlled and you require immediate medical attention. See your Doctor immediately. If your symptoms are very severe, go to your Emergency Room at your local hospital.
The 3 Zones of Asthma Care can be related to a traffic signal. When Green, you are clear to go. When Yellow, you must proceed with caution and pay attention to what is going on around you. When Red you would be proceeding in a dangerous situation. You never go from Green to Red but you must pass Yellow. This Yellow is your warning area, the time you need to make adjustments to your medication to return to the safe zone of Green.
Having a personalized Asthma Action Plan will allow you to easily identify which zone you are in and what you must do to stay in the Green zone. |
