Asthma and cycling

jockyfoost

Do any of you have asthma? Been having tests and it's looking like i might have it in a mild form at the moment.
I just wondered how it affected your cycling. I'm currently looking forward to my first century and wondering how this might affect my training. The doctor has advised me to keep off the bike until it's confirmed thats what it is.
Hope someone can help.

lfcquin

I have a mild ashtma. Picked it up about 20 years ago. It is the only time I have ever been the doctor about it. I always find that it is worse in the cold weather and for me there seems to be a certain fitness level that when I get past that level it doesn't affect me as much.

Obviously if the Doc says don't ride then that is the advice to follow, but if you are diagnosed then (based on my personal experience) there is no reason at all that it should affect your riding. You will just need to make sure you carry your inhaler with you for those times when you need some relief.

Hopefully some others out there can give you their experience as a more serious form of asthma may need to be handled differently.

nasahapley

I've got fairly mild asthma too, but it doesn't really affect my cycling that much. I have a toke on my inhaler before most rides and that seems to do the trick (although I sometimes forget and I'm usually fine anyway). The only time it gets me is if it's really cold and I start off too fast - not much of a problem on the bike but affects my running a bit more. I shouldn't worry too much if asthma's all it is.

Bhima

If your doc says it's asthma, the best thing you can do is ride!

When I first started cycling for fitness, I had bad asthma after 3/4 miles but, as the weeks went on, it was more like every 20/25 miles. Now I can do 75 miles with NO ASTHMA at all! It was literally cured in 2-3 months! I didn't ride for a few weeks in February and, when I returned, the asthma had returned. It's been a few weeks now and it's gone again, which proves that there's a link between cycling and asthma in there somewhere...

whyamihere

I have asthma, have done for all of my 20 years. How you will be with relation to cycling depends on what your triggers are. Mine are allergens such as pollen and exercise. Because of this, I'm able to control my symptoms effectively through riding. The exercise seems to essentially get rid of the exercise induced part, presumably to my body learning to adapt to the heavier breathing effectively. Being outside seems to have helped with the allergens causing asthma too, presumably through the same effect.

I can tell how much cycling helps me. Last year I was forced off my bike for 6 months, in which time my symptoms got a lot worse. Now, riding multiple times every week, I basically don't have symptoms any more.

flanners1

I have asthma diagnosed finally when I got my own Dr at Uni 20 years ago!!!

What a revelation no more wheezing on bikes or x country runs feeling like I was going to suffocate especially in cold weather.

My inhaler Bricanyl does the trick, a steroid can help as well. It is true the more cycling you do the better it is, mine is triggered by dust, pet hair, cold, alcohol (yes really) don't consider it bad but nice to have the inhaler with me on all rides for piece of mind.

jockyfoost

Thank you for all your replies. Thats made me feel alot better. As usual i find this forum nothing but helpful. Cyclist are a great bunch!

iain_j

I've had asthma most of my life (I'm 28 ). When I first started regular exercise - cycling, hillwalking - the exercise brought it on and I had to use my inhaler two or three times during the day. But as time went on, I guess the exercise strengthened my lungs and asthma barely bothers me these days, though I still take my inhalers on long days out just in case.

magliaceleste

I had chronic asthma as a child, could barely run. Went away when I was about 10. Then I started getting it again in my 20s, at the same time I started getting Hayfever.

Mine is usually brought on by either allergy - hay fever (I love may and june) or a cold chest. It's usually at it's worst, late at night or first thing in the morning. Becatide (steroid based inhaler) keeps it under control unless hay fever is rampant.

Cycling/Fitness definitely makes it better. Once I'm out and get going I never get it, to the extent I don't need to carry the Ventolin inhaler. Now that I've gained a decent level of fitness, I'd say it doesn't have any impact on cycling - on long rides or shorter hard efforts.

So it's not too much of a problem at the moment, although I do worry about when I'm old and decrepit!

woody-som

I was diagnosed with a more severe form than you of asthma last year a 35, but still run, bike and swim. I find the cold air a problem, so have taken to wearing a buff the bike and run. It's now under control with twice daily dose of steroid and long acting beta agonist (keep lung airways open).

It takes a while to work out what medication will work for you, so be patient. When I presented to my doc with symptoms, he told me to just keep doing all that I was currently doing, the ECG,Bloods and X-ray took over 2 months, and no one knew what was wrong with me, so you should be fine to do some easy rides.

jockyfoost - what are the symptoms? tight chest, cough, wheeze, shortness of breath? any one or more can be asthma, but others are possible.

tbutch

I've suffered from Asthma since birth, and although it's sometimes been a hindrance It's always been kept well under control and never stopped me being on my bike.

I agree with the above, keeping your fitness level up will help things no end and sticking to whatever medication the Dr advises will mean that it will barely be an issue.

Cold mornings sometimes cause a bit of a wheez and going flat out from to word go also leave's me occasionally breathless but if you warm up and cool down i.e. ease yourself into a ride and ease off slightly towards the end you'll be fine.

I've recently cycled from Chester to Swansea covering160 miles over the Welsh mountains in a single day and had no issues at all with my breathing - carried my inhaler with me just incase but didn't need it once.

Don't let the thought of asthma get you down, it's no big deal!!

eh

Unlike most above I don't find being fitter makes any difference to my asthma. Although I do equally suffer doing exercise in cold conditions. I'm pretty good now I use Symbicort inhaler twice a day which is a combined reliever/steriod I think.

But basically asthma shouldn't prevent you doing anything you did before unless it is very severe.

Bhima

I think training at high cadence and relatively low resistance is supposed to improve your breathing capabilities somehow... Not tried it much though...

jockyfoost

Thanks for all your advice. I just can't believe it takes so long to diagnose. They aren't sure if it's asthma or it's been a virus left over from having the cold about a month ago. Had symptoms for about 3 weeks. Felt short of breath with a tightness in chest and unable to take a satisfying deep breath. I have never coughed at all though.
I did keep training through having the cold but felt it'd be ok as it was only a head cold and never felt it in my chest. I'll just have to wait a little longer to see what transpires.

binlinus

Jockyfoost

Get back on the bike and ride. Take it easy and be sensible. And keep active in other ways. Your doctor (like most I've met) is over cautious.

Take a longer warm up than usual and don't go rushing about. Asthma is an immune system problem. If you give your body time to adjust like riding easy until you are properly warmed up then your body will respond properly. As others have said, in the cold weather it is a problem. Take it very easy for maybe half an hour and breathe through your nose. This will give your body's immune system time to work.

Also start your day earlier to give you more time to do things in your routine. This will stop you having to rush about. If you are in a hurry it can cause anxiety and this can exacerbate your asthma.

I've suffered asthma for 40 years and only recently weaned myself off the drugs. The drugs only mask the symptoms -- particularly the reliever inhalers. The drugs I've found can weaken your immune system in the long run. Though this is reversible as I've found.

Keep active but be sensible.

Bin

woody-som

jockyfoost, those symptoms are the same as I presented to my doc with last year. When all the tests he could do came back clear, I still had the symptoms, but he didn't suggest asthma, I did, as I had been swimming in a pool the day before the symptoms startted but never made the connection until I discovered high chlorine levels can cause asthma. He agreed to try ventolin and see it that helped, it did so the booked in a spiromitery test, which confirmed asthma, then 4 months of working out which meds work.

During all this time I was encouraged not to stop doing any of the sports that I had done before, but I did ease up a little. The biggest thing I've noticed though, is that the number of colds and sore throats you get is very high, and must breath in warm air when out in the cold, hence the use of a buff now.

Take care, hope they decide soon what it is, and start the trials for the medication level you need.

chris

Max Weber

Another cycling asthmatic here.

Like others, the fitter I am, the less I notice my asthma. The main problem it causes seems to be a susceptibility to chest infections if I get a cold in winter. Also, if unfit/carrying a few spare pounds it's more easily triggered. Cold weather is also hard work at first on the bike.

In 2007, when I was in pretty good shape I barely took the inhalers at all during the summer. For long rides and time trials there was no problem.

Frank the tank

I have asthma but it generally affects me more in summer as it's linked to my hayfever.

However, I use Beclometazone on a daily basis and this keeps it under control and my peak flow has been the same for four/five years now. Take the medication and it can be controlled. Mind you if tou were a pro rider ya could have problems.

Alibran

I've only just come back after a few months away and found this thread.

I have chronic asthma, and have done for the last 35 years (since I was born). I've recently had my most severe attack for nearly 10 years, which meant 6 weeks off work, and completely stopping any form of exercise. I was on a high dose of steroid tablets on top of my normal medication, and just getting to the top of the stairs was a struggle.

The point of this story?

Asthma can take a lot of different forms and behave in very different ways even in one individual. Usually, it is completely under control, doesn't stop me doing anything I want to do, including running and cycling, and I never bother to carry my reliever inhaler.

What made you go to the doctor in the first place? I'm guessing you were starting to feel unusually breathless in certain situations.

It's probably worth avoiding situations that make you feel unusual breathlessness until you have a definite diagnosis. Asthma can come on very quickly in some people if they're exposed to triggers, and it can become life threatening without much warning. (This isn't meant to scare you, and it isn't very likely, but it's a blase attitude to asthma that causes most deaths.)

The important thing to remember is that asthma is totally controllable, and it shouldn't stop you doing anything you enjoy. My asthma is probably worse than most people's here, and my lungs don't work perfectly even when I'm "well", but I can still cycle, still run, and am looking to a target of running the London Marathon in 2010.

woody-som

Alibran, great to hear you are not giving up just because your asthma is bad, Pednisolone (Steriod tablets) can cause some pretty severe side effects, you must have been bad to get them. You are quite correct in pointing out that asthma is/can be very serious, IIRC 1 person dies in the Uk daily because of asthma.

For anyone who wants to know more then why not try the asthma UK forums http://www.asthma.org.uk/applications/discussion/

Full of friendly people (well I'm there) and some great advice, the site is moderated by trained asthma medical staff.