Right after Christmas, I got the worst cold ever. I'm pretty sure it wasn't the flu as I had no fever nor the body aches. It started as a head cold, with the usual stuffiness, runny nose, coughing, etc. I'm usually over these things in a few days or a week, but this one hung around and after 2 weeks I started wheezing, especially when trying to sleep, and was short of breath just climbing the stairs. I finally went to the doc and she said it was not the flu, not bronchitis, but was caused by the particular strain of cold virus which had a characteristic of spreading to the lungs. Her diagnoses was "reactive airways disease" and she prescribed 2 inhalers - Qvar, a steroid that she said would take a few days to work, and a "rescue inhaler" Albuturol, which works right away. After a couple of weeks, I felt well enough to get back on the bike. What I'm finding after a week or 2 of riding, is that if I take a puff of Albuturol before the ride, I have no shortness of breath and my ride times are back to pre-sickness levels. But if I go out without the puff of Albuturol, I'm severely out of breath on the steep climbs and have to pull over just to catch my breath. I have never had these symptoms in years of riding, even when I am out of shape, and I've been doing similar daily 25 mile rides just about every day for the last 8 years. It sounds like "exercise-induced asthma" but having it happen incident to the cold makes me think that's not it. I am 65, don't smoke, and have never been diagnosed with asthma.

Anyone else have a similar experience and, if so, how long did it take for you to be able to ride without the rescue inhaler?