Asthma (Talking It Through)

The book opens by emphasising that asthma is not catching. It describes some of the causes (triggers) such as smoky rooms, animals, dust mites, cold viruses and running about. There are some details on what happens to the body during an Asthma attack and how it feels. The illustrations show various different types of inhaler plus a spacer, Aerochamber and a peak flow meter. The children featured in the book describe and demonstrate how they use their medication and equipment to prevent, monitor and to treat their asthma. One of the girls is shown visiting an asthma clinic and being assessed by a nurse, one of the boys describes the symptoms he had before he was diagnosed (lots of colds, wheezing and coughing), and what the specialist doctor did to diagnose him (listened to his chest, assessed his breathing with a machine). A girl called Kate describes how she had a bad asthma attack one night which really frightened and worried her and her parents, and how a doctor was called out to give her extra medication. Joe explains that he also has eczema and hayfever, and Janek explains that his dust mite and grass pollen allergy can trigger his asthma (and his teddies have to go in the freezer once a week!) Roy has an asthma attack at school, and his friends help him to find his inhaler. Poppy is shown having tests to try to ascertain what triggers her asthma, but the results are unclear. She is not allowed a dog or a cat in case it aggravates her asthma. The book concludes on a positive note, with Kate explaining that children with asthma can often run very fast and be good at sports, and that some Olympic champions have asthma.