Bottom line is if your doctor determines an animal in your home as a potential trigger to your symptoms, it is of paramount importance to remove the animal, or at least quarantine them from your home. That s it; the single best way to assure control over your asthma symptoms due to pet residue. Deciding to keep the pet despite your allergies will surely increase the severity of your symptoms over time. Medical Help Many elderly do not like to bother their G.P with what they think is minor problems, telling themselves it s just a cold or touch of flu etc, They do not tell them that their asthma is getting worse or that the wheezing will not stop. Because of this they suffer severe attacks purely because they did not get the medical help that they did not think they needed. The more you know about something, the less scary it suddenly seems. Life doesn t have to stop for asthma, so that you can catch your breath you can manage your asthma symptoms, and learn how to cut back on things that may aggravate your condition in the home. There are many things you can do to make breathing at home easier, and making living with asthma just like living without asthma. If there is a measurably different result after exercise, you most likely are suffering from exercise-induced asthma. A number of factors play in to the exercise-induced asthma: - Length of time exercising - Allergens, air pollution, or other triggers present - Humidity - Temperature However, a decision to NOT exercise is not a wise idea. Although with asthma you can suffer sometimes more than others, when an asthma attack happens there are certain symptoms to look for these include. A worsening wheeziness, difficulty breathing in and out, pain in your chest or back, Incessant coughing fit, difficulty talking because of lack of breath, blue lips or fingernails, looking pale and sweaty, and you have taken your emergency medication and it does not alleviate the symptoms. Hereditary If you have a parent that suffers with asthma you are three-six times more likely to develop asthma yourself, more than a person who has no parent with asthma. What is an asthma attack It is caused by the tubes letting air down to your lungs, getting smaller, muscles get tighter and make it difficult to get air down, causing breathlessness, coughing, chest tightness, panic, a blue tinge to the lips.