Eating ice cream makes me cough sometimes

Roughly three years ago I was prescribed a certain drug and had to have an allergy test done to see whether I would be able to tolerate it. The doctor checked my lung function and I described my symptoms to her. It turned out that I had probably had asthma for a long time without knowing it.

At first I was surprised by the diagnosis. But after thinking about it for a while, I came to terms with it. After all, I had already had asthma for quite some time and had managed to live with it. At least then I knew where my symptoms came from, which was a relief. I no longer had to worry about the reasons and causes.

Luckily, it didn’t take long to find the right medication for me. I use steroid-based medication. At first I only used it once a day, but after a while the symptoms returned and I started having to clear my throat more often again. Since then I've been using it religiously twice a day – once in the morning and once in the evening. I'm happy with my treatment.

So far I've only had serious breathing difficulties once, brought on by an upsetting situation. My doctor prescribed me a rescue inhaler for when this happens. So I used that. I’m not really afraid of having asthma attacks.

Back then my doctor recommended that I join a sports club, focusing on exercises which help to improve lung function. I go there once a week. I’m generally not a sporty person, but I learned about Nordic Walking there, and every now and again I go on a bike ride. In my opinion it's especially important that there's a doctor there too, who gives presentations on related topics every once in a while and is available for questions. We're often given advice on how to breathe properly. I find that very important.

I still have to learn how to pace myself. If I walk even slightly uphill at a brisk pace, I already start having difficulties. On level ground, though, brisk walking isn't a problem at all. Being active has definitely had a positive effect. My physical stamina has improved, and the doctors say that I have a surprisingly good lung capacity.

I used to smoke, which I believe is one of the reasons why I am so sensitive to cigarette smoke now. If we go out for a meal, we try to go early in the hope that there won’t be many people there and that no-one will be smoking. Otherwise the smoke makes me cough after a while. It would be wonderful if smoking were banned in restaurants and pubs.

I also used to wonder why I'd always get such a strange cough whenever I had salmon or smoked fish accompanied by wine or sparkling wine at parties. It's difficult to describe, but it sort of felt like it came from my stomach. I now know that my body can't tolerate high levels of histamine, and that certain types of sparkling wine agree with me, while others don’t.

Nowadays I go to my doctor for a check-up once a year and talk to her about how I'm getting on. If I started feeling unwell or noticed that something wasn’t quite right, I wouldn’t hesitate to make an appointment to see her.