Hi Sue, I was quite glad to hear from you recently. I have never communicated with someone who had RAD before and also am new to this web site. My situation is unique. I am 79 years old and live in the San Francisco East Bay and during the fires in No. California, over a year ago, I felt so house bound and took a fatal hike, less than one hour, in the hills on a "bad air day." Even though the sun and clouds were in the sky, something told me it was not a good idea! Suddenly with no warning at all..my throat and pulmonary tubes clammed up. Very scary and also I had to walk back to my car. I have had several pulmonary function tests since Sept. 2020, which always show above normal function for my age. I breathe fine at night and mostly during the day with medication. Interesting that I never have coughed or had any wheezing. Except for complications due to cool air last winter and also having a very high pulse rate in the fall last year taking Albuterol with the fires and bad air, etc. even while inside my home, I avoided taking albuterol while having 4 heart tests in December by a cardiologist to confirm that my heart was OK. Also, largely due to Covid, I was unable to get consistent advice and prescription from pulmonologists (and there were many phone calls!) to treat my problems successfully until May this year when I started taking Symbicort 160, recommended by my ENT physician. (Flovent, Anoro, Singular, and other meds did not seem to help with breathing and often seemed to made breathing more difficult and also I really NOT understand the pulmonary tubes and how constriction could cause your airways to re-model, etc.) I should have. Frequently for a period until May, I would suffer a lot from constriction until my pulmonary system returned to normal on its own to avoid using albuterol. Any cool air was a trigger that got worse over winter when it was hard to stay inside the house. As I said before, now I am extremely sensitive to air temps. even at 70 degrees with a breeze and also since getting a new refrigerator in August, the dry air coming out when you open the doors, brings on tickling in my throat..so sensitive, and followed by some pulmonary constriction. I hold my breathe now, scary but I am getting used to it. I am house bound at present with cooler air and it is difficult for me to look back today at some photos taken exactly two year ago today when I was hiking up above Machu Picchu!! Thank you again for inquiring about my situation. I appreciate your interest and concern in my history.

I have actually preferred to keep my mask on for that reason and also as a barrier against allergens.

I know that this is an old post. I discovered when I was about 10 years old that I tend to be a mouth breather even at night. I was born with asthma. In the winter, when I went out to play, it would hurt my lungs to breathe. So I tried breathing through my nose. It worked. I asked my doctor about it, and he said that breathing through my nose gives the air time to warm before hitting my lungs. It has worked for me in winter for many years. Also, any air, from a ceiling fan, car air conditioning, or even a regular fan blowing directly on me, will cause me to start coughing. I avoid direct air blowing on me. My asthma has been under control for many years using Flovent. However, have developed BE and now I HATE SUMMER in Georgia. The humidity gets me this time of year. My best time of year for breathing has become winter.