o. writing help

HOW TO WRITE: A REALISTIC ASTHMA ATTACK

to help you depict

an asthma attack

the right way in

your story

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ASTHMA IS COMMON. like really common. some people are diagnosed after one attack and never worry about it again. some people battle it every day of their life. it depends, and everyone's experience is different.

alex from referenceforwriters on tumblr —

the vast, vast majority of attacks are acute. while they may freak out someone who doesn't have problems often, they barely register on the radar of others. i've sat through class during acute attacks, swam through swim practice, and almost never do anything other than take a hit off my inhaler and try to ignore it.

major attacks, while they can hit quick, more often come about slowly, developing from an acute attack into something that's a lot more severe. EVEN DURING A MAJOR ATTACK, most people remain conscious and can still administer their own inhaler. falling unconscious during an attack is very rare.

anything: cats, perfume, dogs, pollen, dust, cold air, etc. exercise will worsen an attack and can cause acute attacks in those with exercise-induced asthma, but will not cause a major attack. many times, attacks are triggered for seemingly no reason.

coughing and wheezing are stereotypical hallmarks of an attack, but as an attack increases in severity these disappear. out of weekly acute attacks and several major ones over the past eleven years, coughing has been involved in about three of those. it varies from person to person.

during an attack, people will be irritable and not very talkative. in a severe attack, many are completely unable to talk. while it can seem similar to a panic attack in some ways to an outsider, someone having an asthma attack will not hyperventilate unless they work themselves up into a panic attack, which is a terrible combination i've heard very sucky stories about.

overdosing on an inhaler during an attack is uncommon, but i speak from experience when i say it can be done. the symptoms of this are racing heart, shakiness, the inability to sit still, and basically the person FLIPS OUT.

it can in larger doses cause heart attacks. in order to OD, someone would have to huff upwards of ten puffs an hour, a number only a true dumbass (like me) would reach.

spacers are an asthmatic's best friend. the absence of one can and will cause attacks in more severe asthmatic. makeshift spacers are easily made out of water bottles with a hole cut in the bottom.

inhalers are easy to use and work within about ten seconds. most people take two puffs at a time.

when writing an attack from an asthmatic's view, understand the biology of it.

the lungs are literally shrinking. you pull in a breath and you can but at a certain volume your lungs just stop and it's not enough to function. it's like being short of breath after you run for a while, except it doesn't go away. it just gets worse until you get help.

my attacks are mainly coughing. my throat closes, my lungs shrink and i cough so much i can barely breathe, let alone talk. the inhaler generally solves everything, but i always feel exhausted and sluggish afterwards.

i hope this helped!!

ASTHMA IS ALSO A SERIOUS CONDITION.

so write with caution!!