Any asthma sufferers?

alidaf

After months of prodding and poking it seems I have asthma. The irony is that I'm fitter than I have ever been since leaving school and all of the suffering over the last 6 months or so could have been avoided if the doctor hadn't asked "do you have asthma?". I hadn't been diagnosed so I said "no". Finally I have an answer, even if it was an unexpected shock.

Anyway, it doesn't seem to adversely affect my cycling, or visa-versa. The few times, retrospectively, that I may have had an episode were mild and brought about by long, steep hills. I thought I was just unfit and often think I still am because steep hills can be a struggle. I brushed off the breathlessness and carried on, regaining my 'capacity' after another mile or so. Is this normal? Should I always be prepared when out and about? My really bad episodes have all been at home. I would have expected cycling to be a positive and preventative thing to do. I don't want to rely on the inhaler when I've managed without in the past. How do other sufferers manage it with their cycling?

rjsterry

Cycling is generally good for your respiratory system, but as you exercise more, you will tend to 'bring out' symptoms more, whereas sitting on the sofa doing nothing can mask them. Plenty of pro cyclists are asthmatic to some degree. Also, if your episodes tend to happen at home, there might be something triggering them - dust allergies are an obvious example. Might be worth investigating.

UndercoverElephant

Depends how bad you are: Mine only shows up these days when I have a heavy cold or there's too much dust mite crap about. At the moment I need to carry a Blue inhaler in my jersey pocket, but that's not real hardship.

Miguel Indurain and Jan Ullrich had asthma, you know.

bigmat

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Miguel Indurain and Jan Ullrich had asthma, you know.

Of course they did! Its surprisingly common amongst pro athletes. In fact, its amazing how many endurance athletes have risen to the top of their sport whilst being dependent on salbutamol (legitimately of course...)

From personal experience, I find cycling does help but there are periods when my chest gets a bit tight. Can be hayfever season, or where there is a bit of smog, or when the air is particularly cold. I should really use the brown inhaler twice a day and carry the blue one, but generally I don't bother and seem to manage OK - clearly my symptoms are pretty mild these days. Worth having the blue one handy though just in case, particularly if you have been feeling a bit wheezy.

vermin

First off, most asthmatics don't 'suffer' with it, they live with it and MTFU. I was diagnosed about 30 years ago and can count the times I've been in real trouble (hospital) on the fingers of one hand. Those who 'suffer' really have a bad time of it, and have my sympathy.

Like UE said, carry a blue and be prepared to have to use it. When riding I always consider how my tubes are feeling before making any changes in effort - sometimes everything feels great and I can just go for it, other times I know that any increase in effort will bring on an attack and cause me to to abandon the whole ride. That can be annoying, but I could be much worse off. It hasn't stopped me rowing to a decent level in the past and now enjoying cycling.

A surprising proportion of top athletes are asthmatic and I have a pet theory that the additional strain placed upon the entire oxygen transportation system (from nose/mouth to blood vessels) as a result of asthma actually has a beneficial training effect, so look at it as a positive!

Re training benefit, healthy athletes pay for this product to effectively replicate asthma symptoms!

http://www.powerbreathe.com/

estampida

Big mig also got a lot of heat from the UCI as the level of salbutamol in his system was high..... Some say too high

But the doctors note excused him.......

Read into that what you will... but convenient all the same

I only really use mine when snowboarding the difference in breathing at 10,000ft when using an inhaler is remarkable.....

mudcow007

yep

im mudcow and am too an asthmatic

had it really bad when i was a wee nipper but gradually grown out of it now, only needed Ventolin occasional

everybody will have a "trigger" which sets them off, mine is cats an really cold weather

just carry your blue inhaler an relax, if you chest does kick off panicking makes it worse

Ben6899

Asthmatic here, as well.

It raises its ugly head when the air is cold and dry and I exercise; otherwise, it doesn't affect me. My GP called it 'EIB - Exercise Induced Bronchospasm'. The first time I ever noticed it enough for me to visit the Dr (and subsequently have it diagnosed) was on the home leg of a ride on a section where I wasn't particularly trying - in that same ride I had just been up to the communications mast at Emley Moor (posting what appears to be the 13th fastest - out of 89 - Strava time). What I am trying to say is that it has a funny way of making a nuisance of itself - it didn't bother me once as I climbed up Denby Dale Road.

alidaf

Thanks to everybody that has chimed in. Its all a bit new to me.

EKE_38BPM

vermin wrote:

Re training benefit, healthy athletes pay for this product to effectively replicate asthma symptoms!

http://www.powerbreathe.com/

I bet a cigarette before training has the same effect. Resistance training for the lungs.

daviesee

I had* asthma until I left the family home. Look for triggers.

Exercise is good for asthma.

Cycling is good for asthma. :P

PS:- While I had asthma bouts I came to the conclusion that a lot of the trouble breathing stems from not exhaling properly so think about that while cycling. Coincidentally, I was recently at a talk by Graeme Obree and he mentioned similar when he was talking about breathing techniques.

* I guess that I still have it but I haven't had a bad bout since, with the one exception being when I got pneumonia. Now that's not a nice combination. :evil:

prawny

I'm mildly asthmatic.

Excercise has controlled it pretty much, maybe take 3 or 4 doses of ventolin a year now. Autumn is the worst time for me.

Once you know you've got it, you can look out for triggers as has been said, and as long as you've got your inhaler handy you should be fine. I only seem to get wheezy when decorating, so I avoid it now

anti_podean

I was diagnosed with asthma when I was 11, IIRC. It used to hit me harder when I was a kid than it does now, almost 30 years on. There was a time when I used it as an excuse for why I was crap at athletics, XC running, etc, and then I became friends with the cousin of an Olympic swimming gold medal winner and subsequently the chap himself -- who had asthma far worse than me. Sure exertion with asthma is usually like breathing through a straw and it hits me worse when I'm ill or it's hayfever season, but ultimately it's not a reason not to MTFU and just get on with it.

I still keep a blue Ventolin inhaler within staggering distance (glovebox, backpack, each floor of the house), but I've not had to use it in almost 10 years. I know people who have/had it so bad they're on a nebuliser daily, but even those people can make use of their better days. Doesn't have to be a "disability" for all but the worst afflicted.

mudcow007

Anti_Podean wrote:

I still keep a blue Ventolin inhaler within staggering distance (glovebox, backpack, each floor of the house), but I've not had to use it in almost 10 years. I know people who have/had it so bad they're on a nebuliser daily, but even those people can make use of their better days. Doesn't have to be a "disability" for all but the worst afflicted.

i was really really bad when i was a kid, i was on steroids an nebulisers an all of a sudden i just stopped that was over 10 years ago

all of a sudden is back but no where near as bad

i think most people just grow out of it

vermin

mudcow007 wrote:

i think most people just grow out of it

*drums fingers on desk*

rjsterry

vermin wrote:

mudcow007 wrote:

i think most people just grow out of it

*drums fingers on desk*

Quite. Don't count your chickens Mr Cow. Minor asthma as a child, but I'd not had anything at all for years until minor symptoms re-emerged a couple of years ago due to poor air quality on my commute.

UndercoverElephant

rjsterry wrote:

vermin wrote:

mudcow007 wrote:

i think most people just grow out of it

*drums fingers on desk*

Quite. Don't count your chickens Mr Cow. Minor asthma as a child, but I'd not had anything at all for years until minor symptoms re-emerged a couple of years ago due to poor air quality on my commute.

Yeah, I've been clear since I moved to Scotland, 12 years ago. This year's been bad, we're currently trying to ding someone who cleans the ducts of air conditioning for the office.

arthur_scrimshaw

Me too, started when I was 45, late developer :?
Spent 4 years trying to find a suitable treatment and tried countless preventers before finding the magic bullet which was seretide, symptoms for me were coughing, so bad sometimes that I passed out on a few occasions through lack of oxygen! Only been riding seriously for 3 years and can't say it's helped my condition but don't think it affects me much either (not at my level anyway)
No coughing now, don't find I need to use the preventer every day, although can get a bit wheezy now and then.

Paul E

Another seretide user here, I changed docotrs when I moved down here and was put on qvar and my symptoms and general health went down hill until I managed to get him to put me back on seretide and bingo.

As other have said I can have days when my lungs feel huge and I can go and go and go but on other days I hardly make it up hills I can dance on the pedals up on my good days.

Only managed to be hospitalised a couple of times and been on a nebuliser etc etc, no make that three times. Late to develop it here too I was in my early 30's and it came out of the blue after a bad chest infection.

cornerblock

Another one here, used to get really bad attacks as a child but thankfully it has become less of a problem as I've got older. I think cycling and swimming have both helped to improve my condition but I do still take the blue ventolin out on rides with me just in case.

The biggest triggers for me now, when I really feel my chest tightening, are cats and nail varnish, (not cats with nail varnish!) Really annoys me whenever my wife does her nails in the bedroom, I have to leave the room to breathe. Mmm hold on maybe she's trying to tell me something!

I do wish I had better lung capacity, on long climbs it's never my legs that are a problem but my breathing, I try to stay relaxed and control it. For the occasions when I don't control it so well I'm glad I've got the inhaler.

rjsterry

When my symptoms returned (persistent dry throat/irritating cough) they checked me out pretty thoroughly (to make sure it wasn't anything more sinister), including a peak flow test. I remember the nurse commenting that my result was good, but then that didn't prove much as asthmatics frequently do have good peak flow when they aren't having an attack.

vermin

rjsterry wrote:

When my symptoms returned (persistent dry throat/irritating cough) they checked me out pretty thoroughly (to make sure it wasn't anything more sinister), including a peak flow test. I remember the nurse commenting that my result was good, but then that didn't prove much as asthmatics frequently do have good peak flow when they aren't having an attack.

Exactly. Like I said, I'm pretty sure that asthma actually helps to train and condition the lungs so, when symptoms are not present, an asthmatic will often demonstrate excellent lung function.

Speaking for myself, unless I am wheezy, I always ping the end of Peak Flow Meters, giving a reading in excess of 1000l/min, cf the normal for my age of about 650.

I just haven't found the silver bullet to get it under control yet.

Paul E

rjsterry wrote:

When my symptoms returned (persistent dry throat/irritating cough) they checked me out pretty thoroughly (to make sure it wasn't anything more sinister), including a spirometer. I remember the nurse commenting that my lung function seemed good, but then that didn't prove much as asthmatics frequently do have good lung function when they aren't having an attack.

My last assesment by the nurse I gave her a shock with my resting heart rate as it was lower than the range it is "supposed" to be, she asked if I did any excersize as my peak flow is good too, just a pity it doesn't stay that way

cornerblock

Thank gawd for the inhalers today, some of us are old enough to remember the dreaded spinhaler, by the time you had set it up you'd already be turning blue and then you had to actually try and find, from somewhere, enough breath to actually get the medicine into your lungs! :shock: I'm amazed I'm still here today.

Agent57

I'm asthmatic. I used to just use the "blue" relief inhaler (Ventolin- salbutamol), but now I have a "red/yellow" preventer (Symbicort - budesonide/formoterol). The preventer takes care of most of my needs; I can't remember when I last used the blue one.

Certain things will probably trigger your asthma. You can avoid some of them to an extent (cigarette smoke is one for me), but others you just have to bear - cold, damp air makes winter hard work for me.

anti_podean

Arthur Scrimshaw wrote:

symptoms for me were coughing, so bad sometimes that I passed out on a few occasions through lack of oxygen!

This is the reason I still take Ventolin out of the house: the "asthmatic cough" nearly got me a few times.

The last time it hit, I was driving on a busy freeway in Oz at 110kmh... :shock:

simon_masterson

UndercoverElephant wrote:

Miguel Indurain and Jan Ullrich had asthma, you know.

As do Lizzie Armitstead and Laura Trott...

I'm asthmatic (was diagnosed at 7; now 23), though pretty mildly. I've only had one incident that I'd call an 'attack', and that was this year, and it wasn't an ambulance job (and my wife is much worse than me and has had them that bad, so I have some perspective!). I use a preventer twice daily (Pulmicort/brown turbohaler) - doubled dose in winter - and a reliever when I need it. Cold air does the lungs no good but my asthma is very much under control and doesn't interfere with my cycling at all.

mudcow007

rjsterry wrote:

When my symptoms returned (persistent dry throat/irritating cough) they checked me out pretty thoroughly (to make sure it wasn't anything more sinister), including a peak flow test. I remember the nurse commenting that my result was good, but then that didn't prove much as asthmatics frequently do have good peak flow when they aren't having an attack.

my peak flow is rubbish i think i can get to about 400 now i should be at 600!!

Paul E

mudcow007 wrote:

rjsterry wrote:

When my symptoms returned (persistent dry throat/irritating cough) they checked me out pretty thoroughly (to make sure it wasn't anything more sinister), including a peak flow test. I remember the nurse commenting that my result was good, but then that didn't prove much as asthmatics frequently do have good peak flow when they aren't having an attack.

my peak flow is rubbish i think i can get to about 400 now i should be at 600!!

I went as low as 250 once (I was in a&e though) usually it's around 800 so 400 would have me thinking of a gp visit to get my lungs listened to.

magoo289

Looking at this thread I'm starting to wonder if this is an age thing!?

I'm on Seretide too plus 2 other steroids! Diagnosed last year at the age of 40 with chronic asthma!? I was assessed as having 47% lung capacity and told I had the lungs of person who had smoked all their life. Needless to say I don't smoke nor does any of my family. Over 12 months I tried various inhalers and tablets before settling on the drugs I am now on. Side effect is that I lose my voice due to the strength of the inhalers. Lung capacity now up to 69%. However, now I notice when I am short of breath, which I never noticed before. I only went to the doctor because I was wheezing when I ate too much diary products.

Paul E

magoo289 wrote:

Looking at this thread I'm starting to wonder if this is an age thing!?

I'm on Seretide too plus 2 other steroids! Diagnosed last year at the age of 40 with chronic asthma!? I was assessed as having 47% lung capacity and told I had the lungs of person who had smoked all their life. Needless to say I don't smoke nor does any of my family. Over 12 months I tried various inhalers and tablets before settling on the drugs I am now on. Side effect is that I lose my voice due to the strength of the inhalers. Lung capacity now up to 69%. However, now I notice when I am short of breath, which I never noticed before. I only went to the doctor because I was wheezing when I ate too much diary products.

Regarding the losing your voice thing, you are breathing in too quickly when taking the inhaler, breath in as slowly and as gently as possible, the inhaler is not making the turn into your lungs and is hitting the back of your throat, your gp should have showed you how to take it, it will work a whole lot better too.