Helpful asthma hints?

[Onix]

Hello all,

I am new to the forum and am seeking advice. Essentially, I am wondering if any of you have found any hints/non-traditional medicine/traditional medicine that has helped you with your asthma in hill situations. A bit of history:

I have been commuting 10 miles/day for the past 6 years

I have increased my mileage in the past two months, and have actually started riding just for the sake of riding.

I have been riding around 100-150 miles/week.

I was dx'ed with asthma in high school when I started playing competitive sports, but it still was never that much of a problem. I puffed albuterol pre-game, and I was good to go.

Seasonally, about once a year when my allergies were bad, I ended up in an urgent care setting getting nebulized etc. etc., but otherwise my asthma isn't too much of a problem.

I have taken intal, advair, and flovent seasonally, and albuterol prn for years.

However, as I have increased my mileage, I have found myself completely shut down (asthmatically speaking) by hills in a way that is disproportionate to my level of fitness. My commute didn't have as many hills, or as many steep hills, so yes this is mostly new....but, I am still a bit perplexed.

I find myself extremely frustrated when I can pace for a ride group, but get left in the dust on hills. (or I can pump up them, but when I get to the top I have nothing left and I can't catch my breath or put out energy to keep up. Often, if I pull over and stop a few minutes, I can bring my breath back and resume riding, but this is obviously far from ideal for racing/group rides etc. Albuterol in times like this does not seem to greatly relieve my symptoms.

Yes, I need to go back to my doctor. But, I just went two weeks ago for this. He gave me advair to use daily, and told me to continue albuterol prn before/during rides.

I have never had this much trouble with my asthma in an active setting.

So, thank you if you have actually gotten this far. Does anyone have any advice here? Tricks? Medicines that they have found helpful? This same problem? How do you handle/deal? Did your asthma get worse with age? Thank you for any advice!


PS. I am 23, athletically trim, in shape, been active my whole life

[Pedal Wench]

I've found it much better if I get a nice long warmup before working my lungs hard.

But, do go see someone about this specific aspect. One doctor I went to said that untreated asthma can lead to lung diseases much, much later in life.

[OakLeaf]

If you're not getting treatment for your allergies, get started on that, since you say at least some of your asthma is allergic.

When you're climbing, focus on the exhale - you probably knew that already.

[Onix]

Looks like it is time to go back to my GP for a referral.

I hadn't really thought about how allergies might be effecting me when I ride---- usually when allergies increase my asthma symptoms I feel the increase of asthma symptoms 24/7. Recently, I haven't had any problem at all in general life.

But, I suppose since I am breathing much more deeply when I ride...maybe??

Thanks!

[OakLeaf]

But, I suppose since I am breathing much more deeply when I ride...maybe?

I'd guess it's less that, and more that your riding probably takes you places where the concentration of allergens is much higher - unless you already live in the country, there's a big difference in the amount of pollen in the air in the country, vs. in a small town, vs. in the city. (Those of us who are very sensitive notice that immediately!)

For me, the hard breathing is kind of a "wash," since the immune system is slightly suppressed during exertion. My allergies are actually much better during a ride, but my asthma is very mild and 100% allergic, not at all induced by exercise, or cold or dry air.

High speed ("ram air induction" ) does seem to increase the amount of pollen that goes up my nose, but I really only notice that on the moto, not the bici.

[Onix]

I'd guess it's less that, and more that your riding probably takes you places where the concentration of allergens is much higher - unless you already live in the country, there's a big difference in the amount of pollen in the air in the country, vs. in a small town, vs. in the city. (Those of us who are very sensitive notice that immediately!)

For me, the hard breathing is kind of a "wash," since the immune system is slightly suppressed during exertion. My allergies are actually much better during a ride, but my asthma is very mild and 100% allergic, not at all induced by exercise, or cold or dry air.

High speed ("ram air induction" ) does seem to increase the amount of pollen that goes up my nose, but I really only notice that on the moto, not the bici.

Interesting. I hadn't really thought about all that with allergies! I live in Austin---and allergies can be really funky here...so it is possible that I am running into different allergens a I ride.

Thanks for the replie!

[Onix]

PS. I wish I could start with a long hill sans hills...but, unfortunately I live in a really hilly area...and I can't really get anywhere without going up a hill!

[itself]

I was diagnosed with asthma ten years ago and am symptom free now. I went to a homeopath who did ELISA blood test, and milk and tomatoes were off the chart! Food elimnation has been tough, and I do cheat and pay the price with small attacks, but I was so glad the testing figured it out.

Also, accupuncture hugely helped. The allegeries here in AZ are horrible due to importation of plant life that simply does not belong in the desert.

A neti pot can work nicely for sinuses as well, but some people don't like the funkieness of it.

Lisa

[Onix]

Thanks again for more tips and commiseration

I went to my doctor. I got allergy tested---and tested completely clean!! Totally unexpected. They didn't however do the extensive ELISA ? food testing that someone mentioned earlier.


They have started me on daily flovent (2x day), which hopefully will help. And, albuterol for rides.

Interestingly, my allergist told me that my albuterol will be more effective if I warm up before using it (not 30 minutes before like I had always been told).

Something about your body starts creating the "fight asthma" stuff in your body when you are warming up...then you use the inhaler, which doubles the effect, while at the same time keeping your body creating the "fight asthma" stuff instead of your body solely relying on an inhaler pump before a ride. Sorry I can't be more scientific here It did seem to help today though. YAY!

[retread]

I have exercise induced asthma, ferocious allergies which have transcended to the food group as well. I react to my allergies shots for heavens sake. I do albuterol and sometimes a powdered inhaler. I have my good times and bad with my cycling. I do a tough ride on Sats "the old man's shoot-out" here in Tucson and sometimes especially winter I simply have to let off -or die. Most of the time I can hang until right before the bridge as the ascent increases and strains my lungs to the max. It is uphill that puts such a high demand on our bodies for blood and oxygen.The men I ride with understand I have a problem and wait for me,hard to ignore this locamotive coming down the line.I have been doing Mt. Lemmon 2x's a week with a long warm-up and then into intervals, sometimes I try to go farther, I feel like this has helped.I do El Tour de Tucson but my warm-up is hampered by having to stand still too long for the start after my warm-up. Last year when they said go, its a sprint start, I was struggling with drowning in mucus, couldn't get air,debated pulling over and calling a paramedic,kept pedaling once out of the pac cleared all the clutter in my lungs and kept going, catching onto pacs as they passed. I eventually caught back to my son, then my husband who had blown up several miles down the road(did that feel good or what) I fell off once again at Rattlesnake pass,due to the climb,but once again clawed my way back on the other side. I was shocked to see that I had won the female portion of the mileage distance we signed up for(not the full race of 100 miles!). I am 60 years old so I just keep plugging along. For me warm-up is the key to racing and as far as hills go, I have small improvements and sometimes I am not last!

[lo123]

I react to my allergies shots for heavens sake.

OMG - so glad to know I'm not the only one! I quit taking them because the reactions got so bad.


I've found that if I 'tough it out' for climbs I do better if I keep riding. If I stop after getting totally worked up, it's like my body freaks out. So that may be something to keep in mind for others. Just don't push too far-it's a fine line