Who Am I?

Welcome! 

This site will track my journey from a sedentary middle aged woman to an active runner.  Not only am I middle aged, but I am asthmatic, therefore the title...Huffin' & Puffin' (asthma) up the Hill (I've reached and passed 50)!  I've looked for advice and help for running with asthma, but I have found only limited information.  

I've kept this title for years, and decided it was time for a change.  I plan to now call it "Silver Highlights"-- a nod to my silver highlights in my hair.  One day on outside duty, a kindergartener looked up at me, and squinted her eyes.  She smiled and said, "Mrs. Wheatley, you have silver highlights in your hair!"  I smiled back and said, "Why, yes I do!"  I will never think of my gray/white hair as gray, but now as silver.  Of course, this happened about 10 years ago, so I have even more silver now!  (I began going silver around the age of 30).

This site only gives what has worked (or not worked) for me, and is not medical advice.  Please consult your doctor before beginning your exercise program.  Here's to healthy breathing and exercising!

This is usually the page where you learn all about the person creating the website--so I'll give you a little background on me as relates to this site.  My name is Barbara (Barb, Barbie, etc) Wheatley and I currently live in Northern Virginia, about 1.5 to 2 hours west of Washington, DC. 

Most of my life I have been pretty healthy with few or no real health issues.  But in January of 2003, I became ill and spent hours in the doctor's office, made several ER trips, and had many tests.  For months I felt awful, with pressure on my chest almost constantly.  I couldn't do much, and it began to affect my work --I am a teacher.  Most of the time I was tested for acid reflux since the symptoms are similar to asthma, which seems a little bizarre to me.  Many times I had heart monitors on me and underwent other heart related tests.  Most of the tests and treatments were, "Ok, now try this, and we'll check you in 2 weeks, or 3 weeks," or whatever.  It was a lot of waiting to see if things would work.  

After a couple of months, I was sent to the hospital for an asthma test.  I was put in this glass-like chamber and instructed to breathe.  They monitored me for a few minutes, then administered some type of mist type stuff.  Then I was monitored again, then another mist like stuff was administered.  The tech exclaimed "Wow" and I asked "What?"  She explained that I definitely had asthma...something she probably wasn't supposed to do, but when she looked at the numbers or whatever, it was very clear to her.  Apparently she induced an asthma attack, then brought me under control with medications. Finally, after months of pain and worry, I had a diagnosis.  Next I was sent to a pulmonologist.  There I was tested again, and prescribed medications.  It turns out that asthma was never really considered since I DO NOT wheeze when I struggle to breathe.  It does happen, but it appears it makes it harder to diagnose the disease.

I spent several years trying to get my asthma under control.  I tried Advair, using very high doses.  But this caused infections in my mouth called thrush.  I was constantly battling the horrible white bumps and taking more medications to cure them.   I went through many nose drops and sprays, pills, and inhalers for a while trying to control my breathing.  We finally took me off the Advair when the doctor decided that the asthma was caused by my seasonal allergies (which I never had before this).  I went to an allergist and received the allergy skin test.  My results showed that I was not allergic to any certain allergens, but that I was hypersensitive to all allergens.  How is that for a diagnosis?!  So now I take a nose spray to help stop the drippy nose (Astelin), Singulair for allergies and asthma, and a store brand antihistamine (which I have to switch every few months because my body becomes used to it).  I have to say, now I feel now is 95% better than I felt in 2003.  But, the reality is--- asthma is a disease that I will have for the rest of my life, and that makes me worry at times. 

I am lucky (not the right word) in that asthma was not new to me.  My middle daughter, Megan, was diagnosed with reactive airway disease before the age of two.  The Air Force does not like to label people with "asthma", so this was how they labeled her.  She spent three days in an oxygen tent when I was 8 months pregnant with our third daughter, Sarah.  So, I knew about inhalers, and medicines, and trips to the doctor.  I knew about triggers and watching for what would set her off.  What I didn't know about and understand, was how the pain and discomfort felt, how it kept your mind occupied when you struggled to breathe.  A child cannot express how it feels accurately.  Or maybe they do..."I feel as if someone is pushing on my chest" or "I feel like I am breathing under water" are both accurate expressions.  When you struggle to breathe, it is hard to think of much else.  When I have an attack, I begin to worry, probably more than a child since I know more than most children do about the disease.  (No breathing = dead)  My family does have a history of asthma.  My Oma (grandma) in Germany died when my mother was young from asthma complications.  The medicine they treated her with caused a heart attack.  Several of my nieces and nephews have skin conditions that may be a form of asthma.  My oldest daughter, Laura, has extremely sensitive skin, and I've always had dry, sensitive skin.

Since I developed asthma, another thing has changed.  My nose has become something to rival a blood hound's nose.  I can smell smoke, perfume, burning fires, and just about anything several seconds or minutes before other people.  Sometimes the smell is so strong that I have to leave a room or place to get away from it.  And often, these smells bring on an asthma attack.  Even things that might smell pretty can affect me.  And the smells that might affect me one day, will not affect me another day.  It is so weird!  One of my daughters told me that one reason they never tried smoking or drinking in high school was because they knew I would smell it on them (hopefully another reason was because we taught them it was wrong :-)

On a more personal note, I am married, and have been for over 30 years to a wonderful guy, Chris.  We spent almost 25 years in the Air Force (and no, I wasn't in the AF, but when your husband is, the whole family is.)  We have three daughters, the oldest, Laura, has finished college and is married to a Marine.  They have one son, who calls me Nonni.  Our second child, Megan, is a pediatric nurse practitioner in South Carolina.  Her husband is a high school counselor.   Our youngest daughter, Sarah,  is working on her master's degree at the University of Maine.  She finished her bachelor's at Mt. Holyoke in Massachusetts and decided to go even further north.  We live in a rural county in Virginia along with our  four cats (I am almost a cat lady now...).  I am trying to finish my Ed.D. in reading education and have recently taken an early retirement to finish.