A is for Asthma

I have mild asthma, I have had it ever since I was a child. As it was not as severe as my older sister's nobody really took it that seriously. I was never in and out of the doctor's surgery or took time off school because of it. I did, however, try to avoid exercise for most of my childhood and teens because of it. Especially when the air was cold. The tightness in my chest was excruciating and put my lack of performance down to being lazy, unfit or just plain rubbish at sport. It didn't affect playing tennis (the only sport I liked) very much but that was probably due to the fact that I didn't bother running about much and I could get a lucky break with a killer back hand and a natural top spin.

I only had one major asthma attack and that was after a particularly exhausting PE lesson on a hot day and then going into the drama studio where the windows were open and the grass was being mown outside. I requested for windows to be closed but the english teacher was a bit scathing. Minutes later I was being sent to the sick room and somebody was tracking down my sister to get her inhaler. I returned to the class later feeling much better, to find a slightly pink & guilty looking english teacher and the windows closed. I was then taken along to the doctors where I was prescribed some inhaler which I didn't take as it didn't work. A few years later when registering with a new GP on arrival at Uni. the first thing they did was prescribe me a Salbutamol based inhaler. A puff of that before exercise and I could cycle, row or ballroom dance to my hearts content. I am still rubbish at sport.

"And don't forget your ventolin
So a hammering in my head don't stop
In the bullet train from Tokyo to Los Angeles."
Hammering in my Head, Garbage

A could also be for: Appliqué, Awkwardness, Art