About those lungs

[Bklynmom]

OK and thanks for confirming what I thought - my son suggested the Advir too - guess he should go to medical school!

I have the 250 Advir and was taking it twice a day - are you on the same? Do you also take Zyrtec - I was on it this spring too.

I will also ask the Dr. about the EIA test - good advice, much appreciated.

lisa

[Kathi]

OK and thanks for confirming what I thought - my son suggested the Advir too - guess he should go to medical school!

I have the 250 Advir and was taking it twice a day - are you on the same? Do you also take Zyrtec - I was on it this spring too.

I will also ask the Dr. about the EIA test - good advice, much appreciated.

lisa

Yes, Advair 250 2x a day. I take Singulair and use my Maxair inhaler 20 min. before I ride. My Dr's pa told me that the serevent in the Advair helps EIA. I've also noticed that I don't respond to any of my other triggers while I've been on the Advair.

I use the Singulair because it helps me with allergies.

Yesterday, I went hiking at 9,500 ft and just bopped right along. It was so easy and I could easily climb without huffing and puffing.

I too was warming up for at least 20 min. but now that I'm on the Advair I don't need the warm-up.

[Bklynmom]

Karen-
I absolutely notice a distinct change after mile 5, then everything seems to get going, legs, lungs, etc.

More than 10 min at a rest stop seems to be a problem for me too - takes me a while to get back up to speed.

Is this an age thing? I'm 48.

Lisa

[Starfish]

I'm 41, and I find I need more warm-up than I used to. Although, truthfully, I always have needed a good warm-up. I am NOT a sprinter. Not in any way, shape or form. I seem to take awhile to get really going, but then, when I do, I might not go fast, but I can go long.

I find that if I don't get a really good warm-up, and I try a hard effort too soon, I never really do hit my stride for a ride nearly as well as when I warm up more slowly.

That said, I am finding that now, in July, my HR does not go nearly as high (nor do I gasp for air in the same way), as it did in February on the same early hills in any given ride.

I don't have asthma. For me, I think it is a combination of fitness level and age.

[Kathi]

I'm 59, have been riding seriously for 12 years. I too thought it was my fitness level, or age, until I ended up in the ER with a severe asthma attack. I was on a week long tour, Ride the Rockies, and felt worse as the week went on. Fortunately, the attack happened in the morning before I took off on the bike.

I've had asthma for a few years but this was the first attack that my inhaler didn't work for.

I'm not sure why but I've unknowingly struggled with it this whole season. I knew something was wrong but couldn't figure out what.

I thought my asthma was controlled but I obviously it wasn't. I also find that it hits me unexpectedly, just when I think I know everything about it something else pops up that sets me off.

[Kano]

Karen-
I absolutely notice a distinct change after mile 5, then everything seems to get going, legs, lungs, etc.

More than 10 min at a rest stop seems to be a problem for me too - takes me a while to get back up to speed.

Is this an age thing? I'm 48.

Lisa

Well, maybe an age thing -- I'm 49, and nothing is quite as quick as it used to be! Heck, my ride starts are much like my mornings: the snooze button is my bestest friend, and gets well used! And yeah, I think my body decides I must be finished riding if I stop for any length of time too!

Karen in Boise

[Pedal Wench]

One of the ways that I've heard to avoid an asthma attack is to do a nice long, slow warmup. So, the fact that your symptoms change depending on the length of the climb might be indicative of asthma. I have similar symptoms, and take Singulair, Q-Var (like Advair) and an inhaler right before I exercise. Talk to an asthma specialist if you can.

[Deblog]

I agree with the other posts, just because you get better with long climbs does not rule out asthma. My son and husband are asthmatics and I happen to have been a respiratory therapist. Advair right before exercising is not the way to do it. It is a controller and should be taken routinely (one part-Serevent is a long acting bronchodilator that is indicated for EIB but onset is 20-30 minutes). Several most common triggers for asthma are exercise and viral infections, so many times poeple think it is EIB when other things trigger it as well, ie colds, smoke, allergens. Just because you do not have daily problems, does not mean it is just EIB. Like another poster said, treatment helped them do better all of the time. Things do not trigger them as easily. I bet most of the colds you get also go right to your chest with a very congested cough? Patients with asthma seldom just get a "head cold" with sniffles- they usually get it in their chest. I agree with above poster- see a specialsist.

[Bklynmom]

I am going back on Advair and Singular as my Dr. suggested. I have never had a real asthma attack, just the tightness in the chest, in Spring time I cough until I get on my meds regularly. I don't get chest colds (I am the stuffy nose queen) - never even had bronchitis. My blood test for allergens was negative - chest x ray completely clear too.

Unfortunately my problems started after September 11th - we live just down wind of lower Manhattan, and although I wore a paper mask to pick up my son at school, my Doctor thinks this is what triggered the asthma.

I am going to see how I feel after a week back on Advair and Singular - if I don't see improvement, I will ask about a specialist. What kind of a specialist do you recommend?