Asthma Attack
... I am bigger and I am stronger than the disease which has swiftly and quietly slid itself through my veins. My head feels lighter than I can ever remember and I begin to lose my footing. I need to find my inhaler, my knight in white-plastic armor. I can feel the asthma taking control over my body and it becomes very clear to me that I’m not going to make it up the stairs, where my inhaler sits safely on my bedside table. As fear crawls across my cold skin, my mind begins to battle yet again. I try to analyze the life-threatening situation in one quick thought. I know that I don’t have much time to figure out my next move. The screams wail through my head and I begin to wonder where I am. I scan the room for the source of the painful, mourning cries, only to realize that the woeful sounds are coming from my lungs. The wheezing is all I can hear. Am I crying? Is anyone nearby who can help me? The asthma quickly begins to pull my body to the ground, as if the weight of an anvil were pushing down from above. As I steadily slip into a panic, I find myself remembering all of those things I spent my lifetime learning. Using all of the strength left in my body, I pull myself up. Firmly planting my feet on the ground, I close my eyes. Desperately trying to keep my balance, I overcome the dizziness that was cast upon me. I raise my hands high above my head and I immediately notice a difference. My new stance is allowing more air to enter my body. My small but steady breaths are slowly fighting the animal that has held my body captive. When I feel that I have enough air in my lungs to tackle the mountainous stairs, I begin to make the trek. With a firm grasp on the hand rail, I pace myself as I work towards my goal, one step at a time. I can feel the beast pushing and fighting its way back to the surface. I begin to wonder if I should try to force my body to continue or if I should take a quick rest. I don’t have much time to weigh the pros and the cons, so I decide to keep going. I am worried that if I stop on the stairs, I will succumb to the dizziness and fall backwards, allowing the beast to have won this fight. The pain in my chest is unbearable now. I think that I’m going to collapse. Each breath that I try to take hurts worse than the last. Each inhalation feels like a thousand tiny knives slamming into my chest. My heart is racing so hard and so fast, I can see the palpitations through my shirt. Holding my breath to lessen the pain, I fall to my knees. I cannot take another step. The asthma has overcome my body so heavily th...