| Lara, if the side effects get too bad, ask your doc. about another medicine. I can't remember the name of it, but there is a form of Ventolin that is altered with two addtional molecular chains that reduces the side effects.
I'm also an asthmatic, which mostly affects me when i get sick. Any time I get a cold it goes straight to my lungs and I'm back on the nebulizer. Trumpet playing is actually good for asthma as the back pressure from playing 'pops' open the smaller airways allowing trapped secretions to be coughed out. Those secretions can be an irritant/trigger for bronchospasm. Plus, there are stretch receptors in the lungs that get a workout which can help reduce that 'short of breath' feeling.
I am surprised by how many on this board are asthmatics. As asthmatics though we do have a bit of an advantage over other players. Asthma is an obstructive disease----air goes in easily, but it's tough to get it back out. That means lower air flow coming out---but hey, it doesn't take much air to power up a trumpet. The result is we can often hold notes or play longer phrases than non-asthmatics can. I just started lessons with a local pro and he's surprised when I can hold a note at the end of a phrase longer than he can!
Bill
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Gabriel is NOT a woodwind player! |