I was recently diagnosed w/ asthma, and so I have an albuteral inhaler. I really only need it/use it before exercising, which for me means skating. It really does help quite a bit---if I could ever remember to use it!!

I've been carrying it in my purse, so typically I'll start skating, start to get really out of breath, and then remember--OH! I forgot to use the inhaler! Problem is, the inhaler is now safely locked away in the trunk of my car w/ the rest of my purse.

SO--if I kept it in my skating bag, the question is, would it blow up or some such from sitting in a hot car trunk all the time? I'm not one of those people who brings the skate bag into the house each & every day. 99% of the time it lives in the trunk. And no, I'm not going to change that habit. So--would the inhaler freeze in the winter/blow up in the summer? Or would it be okay?

Hubby had the albuteral inhaler (well, used to... he's now on Advair...) and he said that it probably won't blow up in the heat. However, it might not be that great for the effectiveness of the med itself. Most packages do carry a note advising that you do NOT store above a certain temperature. I think given where you live and how hot the car can be, it probably isn't going to be a good idea to keep it in the trunk of your car.

If you really don't want to change your habit, you *could* try to keep a SPARE in your skating bag too.

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Thank you for the support, you guys!!!

How about in the pocket of your coat? Or, maybe you could attach something to your skating bag - a big ribbon for example. Then you'd remember "oh ribbon, I should take my inhaler with me". At some point it'll become as much of a habit as is taking your car keys with you when you get out of the house.

Are you at the rink very often? Friendly with the staff?
Could you ask if you can keep it in the office?

(I don't know if our rink does this, I don't have asthma- but I would feel comfortable asking the LTS director if I could leave it in her office. I do know my Curves office will hold on to them.)

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What you can do is to have a pocket in your skatebag to keep an inhaler in there permanently. And then have another inhaler that you keep in the car.

When it comes to own health, having more than 1 inhaler is a good idea.

Keeping one in the car should be fine. It won't blow up, although I agree that it 'could' reduce the effectiveness of the inhaler. But I've never had a problem with ventolin inhalers before. I haven't used the same stuff as you though.

Keep a spare in the skate bag, then don't leave the bag in the trunk - it's bad for the skates.

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It's all about the dress!

I have been using the same thing since last October. I have "excercise induced asthma" I also take musinex 1.5 hrs before skating at an exhibition or competition. I always keep my inhaler in my bag at all times too.

Getting old sucks sometimes

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I've been an asthmatic since childhood. Ask your doctor for a prescription for a second inhaler and leave it in your skatebag. As far as remembering to use it, I've got nothing since I am very well controlled on maintenance medications and rarely use mine.

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My (then) 9yo dd was diagnosed with this also back in Feb...so there goes your "getting old" excuse!

I have heard that leaving the skate bag in the car is not good for skates, not to mention those nasty bug-a-boos that thrive in a hot, sweaty leather boot and really start to stink it up. Meds or not, I wouldn't leave the bag in the trunk. It doesn't take much to lug it in with you, and would be better for both meds and skates.

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I've been doing it for 12 years & seems no ill affects to my skates.

I teach/skate at several different rinks, & I'm terribly absent minded. If I brought my skates in, half the time I'd forget them on my way out the next time. Guaranteed. (Like the time I forgot my dress on the way to a test session & practically broke the sound barrier turning back to get it.....)

I have four or five inhalers sitting around (I can get my script refilled once a month) -- one for every bag -- but you do have to purge them all once a year, because the eventually go bad, even if you don't use them. I've been leaving one in my skatebag for twelve years now; it's never blown up and has always seemed to work fine (it doesn't get too hot here though, and I never leave my skates in the car -- I learned that lesson when I skated a 6AM session in skates that had bee left in a -10 degree car all night!) Either way, it's much safer to at least leave a backup in your bag -- better medication that doesn't work quite as well than no medication at all.

Definiately keep one in your skate bag, I have had asthma since I was a child but, fingers crossed, since I have been skating it has been so much more manageable and I have never had to use my inhaler at the rink. However I keep one in loads of different places, including one in my bfs van, as you just know when you don't have one on you thats when you need it.

I agree about the comment regarding not keeping your skates in a hot car, the one time I done it they stank for days! It was really embarassing as I had a lesson to go to straight from work, hence having them with me, and they wreeked!

Maybe you can look into getting an insulated bag for your inhaler (like a little lunch bag?)... it won't be perfect, but it would be better than just leaving it totally unprotected. Plus, for the really hot days, you could get one of those reuseable cold packs and just leave it on the rink barrier for your lesson... it won't get as cold as it could if it were in a freezer, but it would get cool (and retain the cold a little bit longer than most things) and then could be stored in the insulated bag to better help keep your inhaler cooler longer.

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When asked what his "secret" to success was, Wayne Gretsky said: "Skate to where the puck is going and not to where it has been."
Is the figure skating version of this: Skate as if you're doing an axel and not just learning how to hop?

Don't leave your skate bag in your car. Also get one for your skate bad, one for your purse/pocket.

There are also some interesting articles out there on asthma and figure skaters. Also, for excercise induced asthma, singulair and the leukotriene inhibitors work well.

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Due to a special set of circumstances, I've been keeping my skates in the car trunk all summer long. I agree-it's not the right thing to do, but I don't really have a choice right now, so I can sympathize with Phoenix.

To compensate for the heat, I store the skates in a soft-sided insulated cooler and put in a small "blue ice" pack every morning. So far, so good; the skates haven't dried out or gotten too hot.

If you don't need the inhaler for non-skating life, Babies R Us sells very good insulated baby bottle/food storage bags - like little mini-coolers. You could keep it in your car trunk.

If you need the inhaler, tie a bright-colored ribbon on the handle of your skate bag to remind you to take the inhaler in with you before you leave the car.

Our doctor had recommended using the inhaler BEFORE exercise. Try using it before you leave your car, so it has a chance to work before you skate.

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The ice pack idea sounds good. I think that would be much better than leaving skates in the car, especially if the temperature inside the car is going to change significantly throughout the day. I have a feeling that after some time, the skates could break down and the paint could even start cracking or flaking etc. Although, if the conditions inside the car don't change so much, such as if the car is always parked in the shade, then maybe the conditions won't anywhere near as bad as if the car is parked in the sun.