You are home alone and your friend comes visiting. You had to get to the kitchen to grab small chops and drinks to show you are hospitable. Returning to the living room, your friend, already on the floor, unable to speak, begins to wheeze and hack, using all energy to inhale and exhale. It’s like he is trying to breathe through a straw. You are transfixed with fear, you can neither move nor shout for help……
Take a deep breath, now breathe out but slowly. How soothing it feels!
There are many skills and abilities that come naturally to people. As essential and easy breathing is, it isn’t one thing that comes easy with everyone. There are many people who have difficulty with that simple life process. A friend may experience an attack and become helpless like in the scenario in the outset of this article. An Asthma episode is not a helpless situation. You can help your friend prevent and overcome an episode.
- Help your friend relax. A person having an asthma episode often panics. Anxiety further complicates the situation. So it will be wise to help them sit upright and loosen their clothes if it is restricting. Lying down may make breathing even more difficult.
- Make the surrounding safe. Asthma can be made worse by things like smoke, fur from animals, feather, dust, weather conditions etc. These are called Asthma Triggers. Take your friend away from possible asthma triggers. It would be insensitive of you to begin sweeping or spray deodorants when an asthmatic person is around you.
- Remind them of their inhaler. We are all humans and we sometimes can be forgetful. Remind him to take his rescue inhaler anywhere and everywhere. During an episode, help them reach for the inhaler. Get them to teach you how you can assist them in using their inhaler.
- Most asthmatic have an asthma action plan. Ask your friend. It is very safe to know it before an episode. If your friend is having an episode, follow his action plan. If you do not know this plan at the time of the episode, ask him if he can speak.
- Call for help. You might not be able to care for a friend all by yourself. At this point, you should call the attention of other people. Someone else may know what to do or at least, they could help your friend to a nearby hospital.
Asthmatics require care. You can be the best defence for your friend who is having an attack. Get prepared to help save a life.
*Although HE has been used in this article to mean asthmatic friends, it applies to both males and females
