Asthma & general rant

[abejita]

I cough too sometimes. I found that if I practice my 'yoga breath' that I can catch my breath faster. I try to concentrate on on slow deep breath. My yoga instructor says that when you do fast shallow breaths, it makes your body panic. who knows, but the purposeful slow deep breathing works for me.

[lo123]

another thing to think about.... Though I doubt it's the case since albuterol helps....
If you only experience problems when riding, and only at high exertion, a heart issue could be at play.

I thought all my breathing issues on the bike were my asthma (had it all my life), but turned out I have a congenital heart defect. Now, if I watch my exertion (I have HR alarms on my HRM to help with this) and don't push so hard, no "asthma".

If there's a ton of pollen, then I need my inhalers, but otherwise, I'm good. Contrast that with last fall: I was at the point of taking 6-8 puffs on the inhaler and still not being able to breathe.

[RoadTrekkie]

For me, it just feels like I have no energy to tap when I'm riding. Only rarely did I actually wheeze on a ride. And my heart rate skyrockets when I have to exert myself on hills. Hoping some of that will self correct if I can ever lose weight. On a randomly-related note, I threw away my scale yesterday.

[Vega]

I'm surprised to see so many people with asthma that are riders. I have asthma also and have had it since I was about 7 (34 now). I usually get exercise induced asthma attacks but I'm also allergic to cats and dust and some pollens. I take Claritin to keep my allergies in check and to keep them from sparking an asthma attack. I've always used a rescue inhaler(albuterol) and it will increase your heart rate. Don't use your rescue inhaler too often in a short time as it can become dangerous for your heart. I've read of several people who have died from over-using their rescue inhalers. Aside from that, I've used so many different other inhalers to manage my asthma. I've been on beclovent, serovent and singulair. The only one that has worked for me really well is Advair which is a combo of beclovent and serovent or fluticasone and salmiterol. I take the Advair generic Seroflo that I get from India because it's too expensive in the US. Since using Advair, I use my rescue inhaler about once a month compared to once a day before taking Advair. I still can't go all out like sprinting without wheezing but at least it's manageable and I've learned to live with it. And my asthma hasn't stopped me which is most important.

[colorisnt]

Glad to know that there are tons more women like me out there coping with asthma. I have learned to tame mine pretty well, but when it flares up, my asthma is very, very serious. Last week, out of the blue, I had the worst flare up in 6 years. The day before, I was prepared to ride 42 miles and in great shape. I had to go to my specialist and get injections and was almost admitted to the hospital. I was at home for a week before I felt okay to go back to work. We didn't know what had caused the flare up.

Then, I realized that I had serious pain on Monday morning. I couldn't breathe and realized I needed to go to the ER. I had kidney stones that had moved out of the kidney. It was unbareable and they think the inflammation that had been going on for over a week (I just ignored it) caused the reaction. Scary stuff. I had to have surgery to remove it today and already feel a ton better (still can't ride, though, as I have a stent in).

Mine is usually fine, but I don't push myself to run in very humid/hot conditions. I just love the sun and heat, but it makes it very difficult for me to breathe (and mine isn't even EIA). I just don't need to make myself ill. I take about 3 maintenance medications a day to control it. I used to run 5 miles a day and that was MUCH more touch and go, but biking seems to actually help build up my lungs, so you may find that it actaully HELPS your PF over time. My peak flow is always pathetic for a normal person - my 100 year old-great grandmother had better Pulse ox levels than I did on a good day, but I don't let it get me down.

When I was a teenager, my asthma was so out of control that I was terrified to leave my house alone for fear that I would have an asthma attack, die, and have no one notice. I was hospitalized all of the time and even had to have sinus surgery as a kid (I'm ironically in a medical journal somewhere). I feel so much stronger on my bike. It's a great feeling of confidence, which is why I think I love it so much. For a couple of hours, I can be in control of my body!

[rain]

colorisnt- hope you feel better soon

& agreed, I had no idea there would be so many of us though i guess asthma has become common. I had awful asthma as a kid. It's upsetting to think back on. My exercise consisted of walking until I was in my mid-twenties. that's why I love biking, it feels so good --it's amazing. And I get better and better at it. (relatively speaking ;-)

Yesterday the group ride I did started at 9:00 and the air was already hot. I had to take my inhaler right off the bat, which I usually never need to do. I have made it a principle to exercise below the threshold where I need medication. I've worked HARD to get off the meds, I can't imagine giving that up.