Can't breathe

[cherinyc]

Hi - I have read that some of you have "Exercise Induced Asthma" on this forum, and I am not sure if that's what I have. I don't want to run to the doctor telling him I have something wrong with me if what I am suffering from is normal.
Sometimes when I am riding, I will feel fine with my legs feeling strong, pacing myself on the gears, then I will feel like I am starting to get short of breath - and before I can even think to slow down, I am having an attack of some kind. It comes on fast - like within a 30 sec period of when I start to feel it. I can recover in a couple minutes though which doesn't sound like asthma.
When it hits, I can't get a full breath in - like I need to yawn really bad. My breaths are super short and I can't exhale well. I really try to breathe in through my nose, out through my mouth - I flatten out my back and try to give my lungs room to expand, etc. But when it happens I get super scared. I am afraid that there will be a time when I CAN'T catch my breath.
Am I just psyching myself out? and hyperventilating? that's not really like me, but.......
I have no idea how I would explain these symptoms to the doctor - or what doctor to go to.
Any ideas?

[maillotpois]

Start with your GP/internist and tell her you think you may have exercise induced asthma because you have difficulty breathing when you're riding - describe the symptoms, but leave out the hyperventilation speculation. Ask for a referral for a pulmonary function test.

It's possible you may have EIA and a "rescue inhaler" like albuterol may do the trick. But they should do a test and make sure there's nothing else going on. (Says the person who struggled for months with "asthma" only to find out she also had pulmonary emboli....)

[tulip]

If you can't breathe easily, it's best to get things checked out right away. I had similar experiences when I was racing, and turns out I had asthma related to allergies. It was just more noticeable when I was exerting myself. Albuterol was my solution, but yours may be different.

Doctor time! That's what they're there for!

[mary9761]

from someone who has asthma that it not only exercise induced but with trigger allergies etc, the symptoms you describe sound very familiar. I would definitely have a doctor check to see what is going on. sometimes, when you start to have an asthma attack, most of the time they are sudden, you can get a sudden panic attack along with it due to the fact you can't get a breath. your mind focuses on the fact you can't breath and you panic that you don't know if it will ever stop (been there, done that)
first things first though, set up an appointment with your doc to be check for exercise induced asthma to rule out anything else and as others have said, you will likely be given an albuterol inhaler for rescue (attacks) and possibly a second inhaler of some sort (I use Qvar) as a preventative to heal the lungs. My asthma has been acting up quite a bit lately as well, but if it continues to get worse instead of better, I'll be having it checked as well to make sure I haven't got something else other than my asthma going on as well (like maillotpois)
Asthma can be a scary thing because it's like you're trying to breath through a straw, but it can be managed.
Good Luck and keep us up to date,
Mary

[Bikingmomof3]

I figure it is best to error on the side of caution. Call your doctor's office and describe your symptoms. Keep us posted.

[chickwhorips]

i use to have asthma really bad as a kid then it got better. only needed meds every once in a while. a few years ago i had an asthma attack for 2 weeks straight. couldn't sleep or lay down or anything. had to do with nail products that leaked in my bathroom. i finially broke down and went to the dr and got in big trouble (good thing my dr was use to me showing up a few weeks later when things were pretty bad, did it once with a malconcussion.) so she gave me an strict regimine of drugs. felt much better.

since moving to cleaner air i have no problmes at all, except once when i first started cycling, but that had to do with a number of things.

moral of my story: don't do what i do and get it checked out if your worried about it. better safe than sorry.

[ReneeLynne]

I have asthma, both allergy and exercise-induced, and use Advair.

Yes, it is the Reflux that exacerbates the asthma. But if you have allergies, a cold or sinus infection or whatever that causes a bad post-nasal drip (as I do), that continuous drainage down your throat can cause the reflux that makes the asthma worse...so it can be a big bad cycle!

As far as the ADVAIR is concerned, I tend to rinse after use and spit out, then gargle, then drink a glass of water. My logic behind this is that I want to rinse out whatever powder is in my mouth without swallowing it if possible, but then I also want to cleanse the back of my throat of whatever's gone down there when I inhaled that the gargling won't get out...

[eclectic]

Yes, it is the Reflux that exacerbates the asthma. But if you have allergies, a cold or sinus infection or whatever that causes a bad post-nasal drip (as I do), that continuous drainage down your throat can cause the reflux that makes the asthma worse...so it can be a big bad cycle!
.

that is exactly the problem my son has and it is miserable - I am blessed that I am not bothered by it.

When my asthma is under control I am fine, when I have an attack I eventually get heartburn

THANKS for the great report Cheri and glad you are feeling better- just think it took cycling up hills and coming to TE to get something very important treated

Once I started on Singular and got my bronchi working better also I noticed my right LUNG hurting (not my left). I asked the Doctor if this was normal and he emphatically said NO.

I always told him "it is right here" and patted where my right bronchi is. CAT scans, xrays etc don't show individual lung inflation (you can't exactly shut off one lung to check the other and I think my left lung was doing all the work. When my right lung finally got air into and had to expand it went WHOAAAAAA - now I need to get both lungs into working condition

[bmccasland]

Along with the exercise induced asthma (I take flovent and seravent), how much does the weather affect you? Today was warm and extrmemely muggy, and I was coughing to clear my lungs when I hit rest-stop one (mile 15). Decided to bail and ride back to the start - OK the pending thunderstorm also weighed in on the decision. This isn't the first time I've had lots of trouble breathing when it's very muggy out. So now, hours later I still feel whoped.

[emily_in_nc]

Along with the exercise induced asthma (I take flovent and seravent), how much does the weather affect you? Today was warm and extrmemely muggy, and I was coughing to clear my lungs when I hit rest-stop one (mile 15). Decided to bail and ride back to the start - OK the pending thunderstorm also weighed in on the decision. This isn't the first time I've had lots of trouble breathing when it's very muggy out. So now, hours later I still feel whoped.

I have most breathing problems on hot, humid days (pretty much describes all of summer here in NC), and on cold, dry winter days. Fortunately, Advair seems to be helping a lot - just started it a month ago, and my breathing while riding has improved noticeably. However, I have mild asthma - yours may be a worse case if you're still having problems despite your meds.

Hopefully it will cool down for you soon!

Emily

[wawaski]

I just spent two mos having a respiratory specialist order a hi res CT scan, A PFT test, 2D echocardiogram, a C-Reactive Protien and an oxygen uptake test all to be told "they don't know". They know I run out of oxygen in under a min during a 6 min walk test, numbers are between 84-86%, but haven't a clue why. So be persistant and patient, you may find out what you don't have as opposed to what you do!
Second and third opinions are worth the $ and time as well!
Good luck!
S.