Can Hardly Breathe

I have asthma. This shouldn't be much of surprise considering that many people with lupus often have to deal with a myriad of other symptoms. One of them being asthma. For the past year and a half, my asthma has been making me miserable. I've gone through several tests. My pulmonologist thought that maybe the problem was my dog and the fact that I lived in an old apartment that was filled with pets. It saddened me greatly, but we had to give our dog away. He's living in a nice home close to the beach, but I miss him dearly.We moved to a new pet free apartment, but my asthma is still disrupting my life.

I think it's because my neighbor smokes and the smoke is seeping through the walls. I know that he smokes on his balcony, and that comes through my bedroom window. I've closed my bedroom window, but it still comes through. I've put an air filter in my bedroom and most of the time it helps, but last night, the attacks were coming on pretty steadily. I hardly slept at all.

I think we're going to have to move again to a non-smoking apartment. I hate this because my husband loves our apartment. We live very close to the water, and he likes to watch the boats go by. I wish there were a way to ask my neighbor not to smoke, but he has the right to smoke in his own home. He can't help it that the smoke seeps through.

I'm thinking about writing him a note explaining the situation. It mustn't be pleasant for him to hear me wheezing and coughing at all hours of the night. Maybe he can help me come up with a solution. It can't hurt.