Asthma.........

davelakers

Anybody here suffer with Asthma?

Im 36 and just been diagnosed with it. I was under the impression the wheezing was an allergic reaction to things but they reckon its Asthma and Ive been given an inhaler.

How does it affect your cycling and what do you do to self medicate other than the inhaler?

nicensleazy

I was just having this conversation with a friend of mine who's a Doctor. Apparently Asthma is on the increase in this country. However, with the correct medication you should be able to keep it under control. Also, my friend 'The Doctor' also has Asthma and rides extremely well, in fact, he's always one of the fist up the hills!

mask of sanity

I do, but it's pretty mild.

I don't do anything specific really, just take the daily dose of seretide and take some salbutamol before each ride. But my asthma gets a lot worse come December/January time so I'm not sure how it will affect my cycling then as I've not cycled in the winter before (other then to commute).

One thing I've noticed about it is how your mentality about it really has an impact. The more you think about it and expect it the more it's likely to be a problem. A good example for me is that when I forget to bring my inhaler I'm way more likely to need it as it's always on my mind that I don't have it with me so I kind of induce it myself.

Hope this helps.

Rich.

FeynmanC

I can say, from experience, MoS can certainly ride up the hills. Well, i think it was MoS, but he was so far in front of me by the end of it, it could have been anyone

davelakers

mask of sanity wrote:

I do, but it's pretty mild.

I don't do anything specific really, just take the daily dose of seretide and take some salbutamol before each ride. But my asthma gets a lot worse come December/January time so I'm not sure how it will affect my cycling then as I've not cycled in the winter before (other then to commute).

One thing I've noticed about it is how your mentality about it really has an impact. The more you think about it and expect it the more it's likely to be a problem. A good example for me is that when I forget to bring my inhaler I'm way more likely to need it as it's always on my mind that I don't have it with me so I kind of induce it myself.

Hope this helps.

Rich.

Im only just getting my head round the fact that Ive got it. Im not worried about it as it doesnt make me short of breath, just makes me wheeze. When I cough the flem up Im ok

Ive only been on my bike once since the doc told me and I was constantly thinking about my breathing, I wasnt any different than usual, but I thought I was, if that makes sense.

I now need to find the trigger for it. Im allergic to dust, cats, dogs pollen etc etc, but Ive never wheezed as bad as this!! My wife reckons its to do with certain types of mold in the damp air.

jellybellywmb

I found I had it 15 years ago and apart from one seriuos bout it doesnt stop me from doing anything.
I just use the brown inhaler twice a day and carry the blue for just in case.

My trigger is severe temperature changes hot to cold or cold to hot so it winter that screws me up a bit, dont let it worry you its so common now.
The one time i did get caught out without my inhaler at least 5 people around me all offered inhalers.

whyamihere

Using your inhaler while riding is an excellent way to practise riding no handed.

teagar

Should ask Petacchi about it.

http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/news/lat ... itive.html

mingmong

davelakers wrote:

Anybody here suffer with Asthma?

Im 36 and just been diagnosed with it. I was under the impression the wheezing was an allergic reaction to things but they reckon its Asthma and Ive been given an inhaler.

How does it affect your cycling and what do you do to self medicate other than the inhaler?

I was diagnosed with it when I was 28. I'm not 39. I found out about it when I went running on a cold winter's eve. Just stopped me dead in my tracks and I collapsed in the gutter. Thankfully, a fellow suffer pulled up in his motor and gave me a 'puff' on his inhaler. He then took me to the hospital etc. Very grateful to that person.

I 'get short' from most triggers, even getting in the shower can start the sneezing. If I manage it properly, i.e. I take my meds when I'm supposed to, it hardly stops me doing anything.

On the remedial side, I've had a recent breakthrough. A riding buddy of mine (that just happens to be a top nutritionist) asked if I had tried EPA for 'inflammation mediation' :?:
He recommended that I try fish oil, good fish oil that has a high EPA
http://www.drhoffman.com/page.cfm/84 content. Apparently, through his nutrition work with athlete's, the research results have shown a lowering of chest inflammation. Taking this has helped my asthma no end. In the night I'm sleeping through and I've noticed that I cannot 'hear' my breathing at rest. I can also really belt it up the steepest hills in Wharncliffe and not be suffocating at the top

I take 2000mg of EPA per day and it's helped.

Hope this helps. It's not the end of the earth Asthma - If you manage it, you beat it

Gorillaman

davelakers wrote:

Anybody here suffer with Asthma?

Im 36 and just been diagnosed with it. I was under the impression the wheezing was an allergic reaction to things but they reckon its Asthma and Ive been given an inhaler.

How does it affect your cycling and what do you do to self medicate other than the inhaler?

Asthma is (partially) caused by your lung tissue getting inflamed- this can be because of an allergic response.

I've had asthma to a greater or lesser extent since I was a young un and have had a few bad asthma attacks. I currently take a few different drugs to control it- Symbicort; Singulair and Cetirizine HCl regularly and Salbutamol to control the most intense attacks. TBH, my cycling isn't affected as much as my rowing- you're using a lower percentage of your muscle fibres so your lungs are working less hard than in rowing (or maybe I'm not working hard enough!!).

Occasionally I go through bad patches where I get lung infections or there is a trigger setting me off- we had a mouse in my flat and that made my lungs go mental!

Any other questions stick them up here and I'll do my best to help you out- when I was going through a bad patch with my lungs I e-mailed Olaf Tufte (asthmatic, 2x olympic gold medallist in the single scull) and got some top tips from him- for rowing but some bits still applicable. His tips were:

-Work closely with your doctor to make sure it's being controlled as best possible.
-Warm up well and have the same protocol each time you race.
-Develop an asthma drug taking protocol for when you race and tweak to get best effect
-Race plan (less controllable in cycling than in rowing so less useful I guess..) go out at 98% and then get the hammer down for the last two minutes (of a 7 minute race) once your lungs are fully open.

If you get the right drug protocol there's no reason why it should slow you down too much- and in all likelihood you've been exercising with it all your life anyway- knowing you've got it is only going to improve things!

/End essay.

ademort

I also have Asthma and its only brought on when i,m doing anything energetic or if i quickly walk up a flight of stairs..When i go cycling i use Ventolin according to my GP it,s good for 2-3 hours and for longer rides i use Seretide Salmeterol according to the GPits good for 12 hours. In all the years of cycling i,ve met many asthma sufferers and almost all have no problem with it. Asthma shouldnt have such a big impact on your life, but a lot depends on you and how you see your problem. In certain situations, people become panicky, they suddenly realise they do not have there inhaler with them and begin to panic. You would be surprised in such a situation how many people around you would offer their inhaler for a moment.On a sadder note my Mother died of an Asthma attack, she had severeAsthma for many years.
Ademort

davelakers

Whenever I have strenuously exercised in cold conditions, I always had a coughing fit for about 15-20 minutes after Id finished. I never gave it a second thought as it was never that bad but maybe I have had it for a long time. Ive had a chest infection recently and I have wheezed a lot but I just thought that was normal. last night I woke up at 3am and was wheezing my arse off and needed my inhaler. I cant remember that happening before ever.

shouldbeinbed

@davelakers

Have you been under stress etc recently? If so a 2nd opinion might be an idea (if not, Ignore me ) I was diagnosed with asthma out of the blue at 33 at a time when there was a lot of death and bad things going on around me. 3 years later when I'd got a better grip on things I was told I'd never really had it and to stop using the inhalers.

my cycling was great then as I was opening up already relaxed tubes

John C.

I used to have bad ashma but it's clearing up now I'm 50 and I only use a ventolin a couple of times a year. It has made me a better climber though. The reason for this is you have to prepare yourself, you have to get your breathing right. Don't be put off cycling just know your weakness and work around it.

de_sisti

I'm 48 and was diagnosed with asthma earlier this year. Be aware the using an inhaler
and taking pain killing tablets can affect your breathing.

I have a bad back and needed some pain relief to be confident of tackling the Marmotte this
year. I was taking some pain killing tablets (name eludes me at the moment) and using my
Symbicort 200 inhaler as directed. On the first climb I knew something was wrong because
my heart rate had barely touched 135 and it felt like someone was standing on my chest.

Throughout the ride I had the same sensation and had to wait for my hr to drop to about
100 before I could continue. I also had to be aware of not letting it get too far above
the 130 mark.

The result of all of this meant that I finished the Marmotte inside of the time limit, but well
short of the time I estimated I'd do. On the positive side, because my hr didn't allow me to
go into the red I finished the ride quite fresh.

My GP and a colleague in our club (who's also a GP) confirmed that some of the ingredients
of pain killing tablets and inhalers, mixed together, can cause breathing problems.

muchalls

Asthma is an allergic condition: acute wheeze usually comes from muscle contraction causing narrowing of your 'tubes' & can be countered by a blue 'reliever'
More chronic symptoms (persistent cough/ wheeze/ regular need t use blue inhaler>4 times per week) is mucosal congestion in the tubes & is countered by an inhaled steroid 'preventer' (blue/ brown)
I get primarily exercise induced asthma; blue inhaler before exercise but if going through a bad patch & needing a steroid I use Symbicort as it has a long acting reliever which can also be used for acute wheeze.
Seretide also has a long acting reliever but it cannot be used for acute wheeze

Stewie Griffin

Wiggins is on Salbutamol iirc

http://www.bikeradar.com/road/forum/vie ... sc&start=0

Several Team GB members, including Paula Radcliffe, Bradley Wiggins and Jo Pavey have asthma but have not let it stop them achieving their dreams. Has asthma ever been an obstacle for you in your career?

Is from the below
http://www.asthma.org.uk/a_memorable_olympiad.html

Pross

There are lots of top level athletes with asthma as well as many club level cyclists. As everyone else has said it shouldn't stop you - an old friend of mine used to have to use his puffer after racing up hills but he still managed to be national juvenile champion.

davelakers

To be honest Im beginning to doubt that it is Asthma. My readings that Im getting on my peak flow meter do not indicate that I am. Im due a Spirometer (sp) test next week and that will confirm either way. My mate who is a GP reckons it is something post viral after a rather nasty chest infection that Ive just got rid of. Ive never ever struggled or wheezed in my breathing, apart from occasional coughs in cold weather after heavy exhertion, and he reckons that the sudden onset is very unlikely.

Anyways, Its quite alarming how many top level athletes who do suffer from "asthma". Nothing to do with that fact that it is easily diagnosed and the great benefits of inhalers......

eh

Another Symbicort user here, to be honest as long as I take time to warm up in cold weather I'm usually fine. Two points:

1) I find cycling helps with asthma control, seems to help clean the lungs out.

2) Adrenaline must act as a preventer to a degree, since I've only ever suffered from asthma once in a race in my life. So don't let it put you off racing.

hammerite

I think I was 4 when I was diagnosed with having asthma. To be honest I don't let it affect me, it used to p*ss me off when other kids at school pemanently used asthma as an excuse not to do PE..... anyway I'm now in my 30's......

Like some of the others I use Simbicort daily, and I always carry my salbutamol (ventolin) inhaler with me just in case. I rarely need to use it, but usually have a puff before a run or a ride just in case.

My breathing is generally OK, the only times I have particular difficulty is when I have a cold or recovering from a cold, hayfever season, August when there are a lot of mould spores flying about, or if it's thunder stormy - dunno why might be change in atmospheric pressure.

If you can keep it under control there's no reason for it to stop you from doing anything.

keef66

I don't think it sounds like asthma. Your comment about feeling OK once you've coughed up the phlegm sounds much more like an infection or the aftermath of one.

Couple of jobs ago our secretary was treated as an asthmatic for 18 months before being diagnosed with T.B. :shock:

The Mechanic

I have had asthma all my life. I have raced and run competetively in my younger days and run half marathons and now audax. I usually take a couple of puffs of ventolin before I start out on hte bike but still get wheezy for the first 15-20 minutes. After that I tend to settle and, apart from normal out of breath due to steep hills etc, it doesn't bother me. I have always had the philosophy that I won't let it change my life. It has work so far.

I take the above mentioned ventolin when needed, Q-Var inhaler night and morning - that is a preventative and Singulair tab once a day. Seems to work.

When I was very young I had it really bad but never got any treatment - but that's another story.

muchalls

Adrenaline is indeed a bronchodilator: acts like a reliever to open the airways.

ris

like a lot of the previous posters i have been a mild asthmatic since i was a child. i am currently using seretide am/pm and ventolin as and when (rarely, these days). i think regular cycling has been to the benefit of my symptoms, in general.

i have found that swimming and yoga have also had a great benficial effect on my symptoms. swimming is allegedly good for lung capacity, although i know of some asthmatics who have problems with chlorine.

yoga has been the biggest help though, in helping me to work on slowing and calming my breathing, relaxing muscles in the chest, torso and diagphram; and breathing in different areas of my lungs.