And my mother always put a vaporizer beside my bed. And Vicks, always Vicks. Now, I have an inhaler that I can use. Hoping that you feel better soon, I can sympathize.

I had a respiratory mess 2-3 years ago that the walk-in place told me was asthmatic bronchitis. The symptoms were bad enough that they had me inhaling some stuff for thirty minutes and they put me on a short course of prednisone, which worked wonders.

Here's the bad news - they did not tell me this at the time, and I had no idea since the symptoms went away, but it is a chronic condition. Last summer my new neighbors used a firepit on their deck a lot, and the smoke got in my house despite the windows and doors, AC vents, etc. being closed. I wound up in the ER and and now have a twice a day steroid inhaler Flovent Discus and an as needed Xopenex inhaler.

As I understand it from the pulmonologist, asthmatic bronchitis means your lungs are okay but your respiratory tract reacts to irritants as though you had asthma.

He thought that after a few months things would be back to normal, but the demon neighbors (I got cursed out when I asked them politely if they'd mind not using the firepit) are summer people and have been gone since October, and I still have intermittent wheezing if I don't use the daily inhaler. So perhaps the lungs are okay thing is not really correct.

I dread when they come back this spring. It turns out air purifiers, contrary to advertising, do not do anything to remove smoke particles, nor do masks unless the mask blocks completely and you cart around an oxygen tank.

put you in the Emergency Room and that you are not just being fussy - they might consider not using the firepit. Maybe another family member or neighbor could talk to them.

I would be horrified if I thought anything I did made someone have to go to the ER.

I live in an unspoiled seaside area. Granddad bought the house back in the 1920s, that's how I can afford to live here. I knew before they bought their house that they wanted to build a dock, right though a lovely view where shore birds come right up to the end of the yard, and with arsenic treated wood that would leach into the water and ground. Plus the water is so shallow that 90% of the time you can't get a boat in and out. So I made sure the real estate lady knew I would object. I didn't want them buying the house and then finding out after the fact that they might not be able to build the dock.

So they bought the house and applied to build the dock. I spoke against it at the harbor management commission, which voted against it and told them it was a terrible idea. I spoke against it at the town council which voted against it. I spoke against it at the state coastal resources commission, which has the last word and okayed it.

Still, I made it a point to be courteous, we live next to each other after all, and crazy me, I thought we could be civil. In my universe, people can have differences of opinion and still be polite.

They did get to build their dock, about a year later than if I hadn't objected. The shore birds no longer come in close. You can't get to the beach in front of my house without going under the dock. Instead of a lovely, unspoiled view, I'm looking at a dock big enough for a commercial fishing boat, not that one could get in here. Still I've been courteous.

So I was blown away when the daughter screamed at me, cursed me out, said the firepit would be "payback for opposing the dock" and she hoped "I suffered and died." And our houses are quite close together, with their yard several feet higher than mine, so privacy plantings would be hard to do. Otherwise I'd have a hedge in there already.

Fairly well controlled and I know the triggers to avoid. I just end up in a mess if I get a cold. I've had pneumonia twice so I know the difference. I just take such good care of my health that this pisses me off. And so many said when I quit dairy, I would get better. I did but didn't help -- well reduced my cholesterol quite a bit and lost body fat but didn't do anything for the asthma.

I've done the dose packs but already have anxiety issues and the steroids have me climbing the walls.

I do, finally bought one after having to go to the doctor's or the ER for a treatment. That helps me out immeasurably. If not, you can ask your doctor if it might help. I've also been put on prednesone for a few days, but your doctor will know best.