About a year ago my health insurance company sent me a form to fill out about my asthma symptoms. They then sent me a package of neat things: A peak flow meter, an inhaler spacer, a carry pouch, a video, a magnet for my refrigerator with important numbers on it, and a booklet about keeping my asthma under control.

For the most part, my asthma is well controlled. I take Singulair (a pill) once a day. I no longer take my inhaled steroids (Flovent), though if I start feeling bad, I’ll take them for a couple of weeks. I very rarely use my albuterol inhaler (what most health professionals refer to as a “rescue” inhaler). Because of this, I don’t use my peak flow meter very often. However, when I was first diagnosed, it was very helpful for me to check my peak flow every day. It was also helpful before I’d figured out the things that trigger my asthma.

Now that I know what my triggers are — dust, some animals, smoke, colds and flu — I use my peak flow meter if I’m exposed to any of those triggers.

Which brings me to why I’m writing this. I mentioned in a post earlier today that I’m sick. I have a cold or something. That means I started checking my peak flow. It was a little low, but still within a safe range. I took albuterol. See, it’s much better to get on top of these things and try to prevent them than it is to treat them once they’ve reached the critical point. I might still end up with a visit to the doctor or the emergency room, but the chances of that are much slimmer because I’m already addressing the potential problem. Fluids are another key to keeping things under control.

It’s my illness; they’re my lungs. If I want to be well, I need to keep on top of what’s going on with my body. My peak flow meter helps me see changes in my lung capacity even before I feel them. That means I can start to treat them at an early stage. The sooner you address an asthma attack, the better off you are; the better chance you have of keeping it from becoming a severe or life-threatening attack.

If you have asthma, but you don’t have a peak flow meter, talk to your doctor. You can also check with your health insurance company to see if they have a program like my health insurance company has, where they provide you with tools for managing your asthma.

A big step towards overall health is getting any chronic health problems under the best control possible. You can’t rely on your doctor to do it for you. It’s your body; you need to be active in the treatment of any illness you have. Do research. Ask questions. Work with your doctor.