An uncomfortable night.

A slight bout of discomfort just now, experienced some shortness of breath. Immediately googled "asthma symptoms". ahh the wonders of technology. some warning signs present - dry throat, shortness of breath etc. A few puffs do the trick, for tonight at least.

Its been almost 10 years since my asthma last surfaced. Then, I thought it had gone away for good. Thank goodness my mother had the foresight to pack in an inhaler in my luggage when I returned to Melb this year. Came in very handy sometime in March/April when I got very sick in the middle of the night at the start of a weekend (when clinics are mostly closed). Then, I wasn't really sure whether it was asthma or not. Later only found out it was a mild-severe attack. It also mildly surfaced during last year's winter, and hence after some useful advice from a friend, I started wearing scarves more often this winter. And yeah its worked. Breathing cold air in is VERY VERY bad. Trust me on that.

But now, its spring and I wonder what's the trigger this time.
~Pollen? (shouldn't be, since I've been 'hibernating' at home, not much exposure to the outside).
~Cold air? (indeed its been cooler this week)
~Incopious amounts of coffee in my system?
~Stress?

Its a peculiar sensation. No wheezing but just tightness in chest and difficulty breathing in. So how do I describe this to the doc (if I see one?). Come to think of it, I won't be seeing one. Its too much trouble making an appointment to see the campus doctor, esp during exam period when they seem "particularly busy". Very amusing people they are, as I remember the last time I went to visit them, by the time of my appointment, my symptoms had already lessened.

Bah.. back to work.