(just a suggestion... don't use the trade names for your asthma drugs. It's common for the same drug to be sold under many different trade names for asthma, and with many different delivery methods. If you use the medical name, there's less chance of an accidental overdose. Also memorize the doses you take in milligrams rather than number of pills/inhaler puffs if you can.)

My asthma started kicking in again last week (after 14 years of no attacks). Tight chest, rapid breathing, increased mucus production... all only when exercising. Exercise induced asthma, right?

Wrong.

We're pretty sure I'm reacting to some kind of plant pollen (spores are unlikely since it's been very dry here, and I have minimal animal contact and no history of trouble with animal dander). Probably not pollution levels, since similar activity levels in Los Angeles gave me no trouble and Madison has less pollution. Definitely *not* exercise induced, since I'd been exercising regularly before this started with no trouble. So we're blaming pollen since there are several sorts of pollen that have triggered me in the past.

The increased breathing needed for heavy exercise means you take in more animal dander, pollen, spores, and pollutants through your lungs. More of your trigger means... an attack! Yay! That's why even someone who doesn't have exercise induced asthma can have an attack while exercising.

Solution? Put me on a maintenance medication and start tapering activity back in.

For what it's worth asthma attacks have stages. Not getting to the coughing your lungs out and wheezing stage means you're stopping the attack early. This is *good*, but it doesn't mean you don't have attacks. Shortness of breath, a "tight" feeling chest are usually the first signs of an attack. I'd had a ride or two where I got that far and went "huh" hydrated and not thought more about it. Dumb, but it really did feel a lot like I'd been pushing a bit too hard.

Pulmonary specialists are good. Some allergy specialists are good too. If the doc comes up with a treatment plan and hasn't checked a peak flow, used a spirometer on you, or checked your blood oxygen content this is Not A Good Sign. Good asthma doctors want baseline tests of your lung function, so they can judge how well the medications they prescribe work. It's not unusual for a stethoscope exam to sound clear, when in reality your lungs are at reduced capacity.