Asthma
So after an up and down OS where I have been sick off and on I was diagnosed (most likely) with Asthma. Are others in the da haus facing the same issue? I'm starting with an inhaler and Advair. Any suggestions on adapting this to the endurance life?
Actually it is a relief as I have struggled this season with workout consistency. Any advice/watch outs?
Thanks
Geoff
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Hey Geoff -
I have pretty low key exercize induced athsma so am not on a daily med and manage mine pretty easily. I just try to stay away from hard exercize during the really hot humid days and really cold days as much as possible. I have my rescue inhaler in my bento bag on the bike and typically in a pocket during the run. I have also found that for my longer races, a puff in both T1 and T2 seems to keep me out of trouble during the race. After the race is a different story so I always have the inhaler on hand at the finish line. Again, mine is relatively low key and I'm not a dr or anything so... I guess just being smart about it - keeping your rescue inhaler with you and knowing/staying away from the things that trigger problems for you - would be my advice. OH and when they ask on your race apps if you have any medical conditions, tell them. Some forms of inhalers have to be disclosed for drug reasons AND if you do have an issue, you want the people to know what may be causing the problem. Better to be safe than sorry... Good luck to you!
I was prescribed Advair oonce but I think it's steroidal and left me feeling drainedl later.
I also have exercise induced asthma. After long or intense workouts or races I sometimes get tightness in the chest (so I can't take a full breath) or lots of coughing. Inhaler before or after workouts helps. My doctor also tried Singulair for me but it didn't have an effect. I have had the symptoms ever since I was a teenager, but just last Spring finally did the battery of tests to figure out what it was. I was worried that with the IM training it could flare up and have me on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere in some 5 hour ride.
@Shawn--The hooked me me up to the spirometry to check lung function.
@Kelley, Beverly--thank you for the suggestions.
I am a Respiratory therapist, not a pulmonologist, but this is one of the areas I spend a great deal of time. I am always concerned when I hear of someone in their 40's-50's being diagnosed for the first time with "asthma"...Not that it doesn't happen, it is how they treat it...mainly the steroid (advair)that concerns me.
For endurance athlete's, who already work with a "compromised" imune system, an inhaled steriod such as advair, is a high risk for low reward investment. A steroid is designed to "hold open" the ariways. If you have not been having problem getting enough air, or taking a big enough breath, during your day to day activity (outside of training), I would be very suprised to see any improvement on your PFT (pulmonary function test) by using the steroid. The big problem with them is that they make you way more likely to get respiratory infections (like bronchitis and even pneumonia). So you may want to seek another opinion on the use of a steroid.
Inhalers like albuterol, atrovent, combivent....are all great products. If you are new to using them, I suggest you get what is called a "spacer" from your pharmacy. This goes on the end of your inhaler (it is a chamber...kind of like a tube) and allows the medicine to turn to vapor, thus letting the mollecules get to the right spots in your lungs and not mostly on your tongue and the back of your throat.
Finally, get another PFT done in the middle of the season. I have seen a lot of patients who actually needed allergy medicine (flonaze+clariton is a usefull combo) and that has helped the sick all the time feeling and helped with any shortness of breath. If they did not do a pre/post bronchodilator (inhaler) test on you, make sure you get one to know if the medicine you are using is actually having an effect on your airways.
Good luck...feel free to PM me if you have any questions that I can answer
Ebe
Ebe - anything else to add? Also will take you up on the PM offer if it extends to me. Always good to talk medicine to someone in the real world.
Shawn
The only other angle I have seen with this is GERD...or reflux, causing spasm of the epiglotis, which then leads to asthma like symptoms. Many times this is treated with alergy meds, as the constant drainage is what is causing the acid levels to be high in the esophogus.
Shawn, you are always welcome to bounce ideas off me, I have many areas of study, and expertise in a few of them
This thread is what is great about EN! Frankly, I posted here before going out to intelihealth or WebMd. You guys have given me a ton to think about and paths to go down. I don't discount the alergies either. We have two dogs (one who sheds enough that I could weave a blanket) and a cat.
I got got flonaise (or the generic) and will be going down that road quickly.
Geoff,
Have you ever checked out acupuncture? I started going to a great acupuncturist in Providence, RI last year for some sciatica issues. We made good progress with that, but what surprised me the most is that he also treated (and cleared up!) my allergies. I have bad seasonal allergies from Halloween to Easter every year. Unfortunately, my 5-year old son does, too, as well as mild asthma. I was blown away with our success. Neither one of us has taken our allergy meds since beginning treatments with him in September of last year. Crazy!
He said that Classical Chinese Medicine aims to cure the problem, not just treat the symptoms, as we'd been doing with our Claritin and inhalers, and my son's albuterol treatments. He said it's simply an imbalance in your body that causes the allergies, or asthma, and that acupuncture corrects those imbalances.
YMMV, but I'm a total acupuncture convert, for sure! The only downside is whether your insurance would cover it. Mine did, so I was fortunate. Good luck!
How's the asthma coming along? Starting to get it under control?
I've had it since childhood and it's part of the reason that I started doing endurance events. It get's worse twice a year, Spring and Fall, and any time I get sick it really acts up. However, it's most noticable when training in an indoor pool that isn't well ventalated or cold, low humidity outdoor workouts. With the pool it seems that even if I use the inhaler before the swim I just can't get a full breath and the cold training makes an attack much more likely. Then there's recovery. I seem to not bounce back as quick when I'm having to use the rescue inhailer during the day.
Still, there's nothing stopping you from doing this sport. When the gym has the vetalation system working right, or you swim outside, it feels like you can go forever. Also, you feel much stronger when the weather warms up and the humidity raises some.
Just make sure you say on the medicine and keep with the regimine. Even if you're breathing free and clear you need to take it as perscribed and see the Dr. a few times a year to make sure that everything is under control and you're on the correct doses.
I'm leaning toward GERD a possible issue too.
Frankly, I've missed the workouts recently--and need to get this nailed. Again, thanks to the haus for the feedback.