Anyone have experience with excercise induced asthma?

[JW]

I'm hoping I don't have it but

I was out this weekend doing some intervals. (It was just below zero)

When I finished I was wheezing and felt like I had mild upper respitory congestion.

It subsided after a couple hours.

I've had periodic bouts of wheezing before but infrequent and not excercise related)

Any thoughts or experiences?

[Richard]

I have had asthma since I was a kid, but now I don't get it apart from when I am absolutely fatigued from running (specifically running, I am okay with cycling etc), or in cold / foggy weather. I have an inhaler for it, but I only use it in those rare occasions for instant relief, so maybe like 5 or 6 times a year I will use it, not a big deal to me. What were the other instances where you were wheezing? I wouldn't worry about it too much if it IS asthma, because this kind of thing is really easy to treat.

[JW]

I'm just a bit freaked out because my brother has had asthma pretty much his entire life.

I've always thought the other times were due to allergens as it usually happened when doing yard work or cleaning the house.

 

I've heard that there are some mild bronchial dilaters which can help out.

I guess I'll keep a close eye on it and see the Doc if it continues.

[Richard]

I'm just a bit freaked out because my brother has had asthma pretty much his entire life.

I've always thought the other times were due to allergens as it usually happened when doing yard work or cleaning the house.

 

I've heard that there are some mild bronchial dilaters which can help out.

I guess I'll keep a close eye on it and see the Doc if it continues.

 

Yeah man, get down the doc'z, they will probably do a peak-flow test and listen to your lungs with a stethascope (sp?) and prescripe a mild inhaler to take when you are wheezing, or perhaps give you an inhaler to take every morning. My brother has worse asthma than me, but he smokes, isn't vegan, and has no exercise to speak of right now. Is your brother's lifestyle similar to yours?

[JW]

Nah, He's about as far apart from me as a brother could be.

 

overweight, non-vegan, non-athletic. At least he doesn't smoke anymore.

 

Funny how siblings can be so different.

[Richard]

Yeee. Well those things won't be helping his asthma like my bro. I used to have much much much worse asthma when I was overweight, had no exercise and was vegetarian rather than vegan; I was often away from school, and had a nebulizer which I often used too. I hear that milk is very bad for asthma. Since I went vegan about 6 years ago and have been exercising and been in acceptable shape, my asthma has cleared up to where it is now. I wouldn't let your brother's condition worry you too much if his lifestyle is that different, there won't be much of a comparison to make with yourself. But I think you'll feel better probably if you have something to take when you get bad, because you know you are in control of it if you need to be then.

[mulletass]

I always get breathing trouble during weight training, like I cant inhale to the bottom of my lungs, but cardio doesn't do that to me. I've been owrried about asthma as well.

[Michelle]

Have you had any respiratory infections recently? I had a particularly long and vicious bout of bronchitis (and maybe pneumonia, not really sure) earlier this year, bad enough that I went to the doctor's for the first time in five years and got sent home with antibiotics/hardcore cough syrup, and an inhaler. I had exercise-induced asthma for about two months afterwards. My first post-illness workout, I could barely breathe after about five minutes of cardio then had to use the inhaler, it sucked. I don't have a history of asthma, and each time I worked out, I could make it a bit longer before I'd start wheezing, so I'm thinking that my lungs just needed extra time to heal. I'm still not 100%, I carry my inhaler and still and end up using it about twice a month. I hate medication of any kind, so I hope I can throw this thing away soon.

 

Another thing to consider is diet. My daughter started developing asthma when she was six years old. Her father has chronic/severe asthma, and we were told it can be hereditary, so it wasn't really a huge surprise when she'd been running around playing, then started wheezing. The doctor sent us home with multiple inhalers and a bunch of other medication, which neither she or I were very happy about. At my suggestion (and of her own volition!) she ate nothing but vegetables, mostly raw, for about the next three or four days. The symptoms subsided. We also switched to soymilk after that. That round of medications expired before they were used up, and she never needed any of the refills. Ever. Anytime she's started feeling a little bit "wheezy" she just cuts out bread/sugar and loads up on veggies for a few days.

[Richard]

I always get breathing trouble during weight training, like I cant inhale to the bottom of my lungs, but cardio doesn't do that to me. I've been owrried about asthma as well.

 

What kind of cardio is it that you can do?

[FormicaLinoleum]

I have had very mild asthma since I was a teen. It happens specifically in response to molds. Unfortunately, the woods are full of molds around the fall when there are leaves rotting on the ground, which can make things hard for mountain biking. When it's moldy and I am exerting myself I find myself really gasping for air. I can't tell whether the exercise also makes the asthma worse (i.e., it's partially exercise-induced) or I just notice it more because when I am biking I have a greater need for oxygen.

[xveganxcowboyx]

I've had exercise induced asthma since I was very young. For me it tends to show up when I'm out of shape. Running a lot (something I haven't done in years) decreases the symptoms remarkably. If I exercise now I wheeze and cough for the rest of the day, but honestly, who cares? I just take it as a sign that I'm stressing my body in a good way.

[mulletass]

Actually, yeah Richard, it's stationary biking that I've been doing of late, but now even that's provoking some lung trouble. I had a hard cardio session today a couple hours ago, and even now my lungs feel kind of raw, like you get from breathing deeply on a cold day, and I have some trouble inhaling. I might try running soon.