Ask An Expert: Asthma

I have woken up a few times in the past couple months gasping for breath. It feels like my airway is blocked. I gasp really hard and it wakes me up. The gasp is so loud that it makes my husband nervous. I have allergies and quite frequently my sinuses are clogged. So I can't breathe out of my nose, and have to sleep with my mouth open. I also have asthma but haven't had an attack in months. (I don't think these were asthma attacks.) Is my throat blocked because of post-nasal drip or could it be something more serious like sleep apnea?

I have an 8-month-old son and a 4-year-old daughter and they both have asthma. My husband wants to enroll them in swimming lessons this summer. He said someone told him that swimming is good for kids with asthma, that it's supposed to exercise their lungs and make them stronger. I think the opposite — it's a lot of exercise for little kids and would only trigger their asthma and make them start coughing again. Does swimming really help kids with asthma?

Is prednisone OK for asthmatics to take while pregnant?

For the past two months I have experienced increased shortness of breath. I have chronic asthma, but there's concern the shortness of breath could be caused by a blockage in heart. I have experienced difficulties in the past when anesthetized. Is there an effective alternative to heart catheterization? I've read about a new CT scan — is it recommended?

Does chocolate aggravate asthma?

I am a 57-year-old woman. Should I be concerned about taking Advair because of its effect on bone mineral density?

Is there a way to prevent reactive airway disease?

My son has been diagnosed with exercise-induced asthma. He's been on Singulair for six weeks, and uses an albuterol inhaler when needed. But the other day he had one of his worst attacks ever. The inhaler eventually brought it under control, but before that, he and I were both in a panic. What do we do while the attack is happening?