Moving to Arizona

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klhstamp

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We currently live in Ohio . My daughter is 16 and has very severe asthma. We go to one of the best ped. allergist in the city and he has said "I have 10,000 patients but no one is as challenging as her." He has always had new ideas but recently he said " I think this is the best we can expect from her at this time of year."

She is not doing well in school because she is lucky if she is there 1/2 of the time. Her symptoms start in October and pretty much go away by April every year! We are seriously considering moving to Arizona to see if we can get her health under control. I would love it if she could live a normal teenager life and if we could wean her off the numerous med's she is on. I am wondering if there is anyone who has moved to Arizona for their asthma and could tell me how it went and/or give me suggestions. Thanks
 
Has she seen a pulmonologist? You only mention the allergist. Is her asthma allergy related as well? A move to AZ may not be the answer. She may just develop problems with the dry heat in the summer. It drives me crazy - I've been to Phoenix twice for Conventions in the summer. Just a few thoughts...
 
Hi
I am sorry to hear that your daughter has so many problems with her asthma.
Our family moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1976 to 78 mainly for my Dad who has bronchectasis which I believe he was born with. It is a lung condition that causes his oxygen levels to lower and he has alot of coughing. It did not seem to help him too much. I did not have asthma then but I did have alot of allergies and I seemed to just have other allergies there. I have heard that Arizona is not as good for breathing related conditions as it used to be. However, I think everywhere is worse due to pollution etc. I have also been told that the indoor air quality in our homes is just as important or more than the outside. I have been also told before one makes a change in where they live go there to find out if things are better which is of course very hard to do.
This is just my opinion but I can relate to asthma difficulties because I have had it for 12 years and the last 7 being the worst.

All the best to you and your family.
Karen

I do hope things improve for your daughter.
 
While the Arizona deserts used to be good for asthma and allergies, this is not necessarily the case anymore. The warm dry weather in the desert can help but we now have so many non-native trees and plants that Tucson has one of the highest pollen levels in the country! Allergies and asthma are very common here. I know people who didn't even get asthma until they moved here and others whose asthma got worse.

The problem is that non-native plants are pollinated by the wind while most native plants are pollinated by animals and insects. Since it's very dry here and often windy, pollen from non-native plants easily becomes airborne.

When I moved from New York to Ft Lauderdale in the mid-70s, my asthma improved, probably from the warmth. However, my nasal allergies got worse, maybe from the mold.

Since I moved to Tucson 11 years ago after 17 years in Boston, my asthma has gotten worse. I only used to need an albuterol inhaler during exercise and the change of seasons. After I moved here it got to the point where I was using it more than 4 times a day and still wheezing. Finally I had to go on inhaled steroiRAB plus Singulair tablets. Fortunately, I am well controlled on a small dose.

So it's hard to say whether moving to Arizona will help. Your daughter should at the least spend a good amount of time here to see how she feels. Keep in mind though that it can take 2 years in a new place before you get sensitized to the local environment.

She may still need medication but maybe even with the increased pollen she'll get enough relief from the warmth and dryness that overall she feels better.

I wish there was an easy answer. For me, even though I'm taking more medicine now, I do think the warm dry weather is better. I also used to have terrible allergies from heating systems and that's not much of a problem here.

Good luck.
 
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