gambithunt

Hi all

I've got something weird that happens to me occasionally when cycling. I get like an asthma feeling in my chest and I battle to get air in and out. Funny thing is that I dont have asthma and never have.

It been cold here and the air is dry, I'm not sure, perhaps that could be the reason but it is a terrible feeling. My legs are fine, I find my self battling just to work my chest to get air in and out and it ends up draining me. Sometimes it last the whole ride and other times it goes away after and hour or two but it leave me tired as hell from all the breathing.

Does anybody experience the same thing? Does any body have any solutions to prevent it?

G

jfmckenna

...

steve_wmn

If your air flow is suddenly a lot more restricted when you exercise then you're probably developing asthma. Exercise induced asthma is pretty common and it can develop out of nowhere as an adult. See a Doctor about it. All of the good asthma medications are only available (in the US anyway) by prescription. I have plain old allergen induced asthma and exercise really helps with mine, though I sometimes feel like I'm coughing up a lung when I'm going at 100%.

steaktaco

This is very common with aluminum bikes. Consider upgrading to carbon.

Hanu

I have effort induced asthma.

Never had asthma as a kid.

I found out I had it after a 30 mile ride in hot, humid conditions.
I thought I was going to die when I finally made it home!

Called my doctor and she had me go in to listen to my lungs. They were fine for the appointment, but she took into consideration what my symptoms were and prescribed a couple different asthma pumps. One to take 1/2 hour before my ride, and one to bring along incase of a sudden attack.
Those worked for a few years, but I was finding they were't working much anymore.
Went back in to give her my new symptoms, and she put me on something else. That new prerscription is working great! Better than the original prescriptions.

What I'm saying is that you should consult with your doctor first, and work with him/her to find the best prescrtiption if indeed you do have asthma.

steaktaco

Carbon bike.

GRedner

Now you do

Talk to your doctor, have him/her prescribe a rescue inhaler (typically albuterol) that you can carry with you on rides. That will open your chest back up if your breathing gets dangerously constricted. There are also "controller medications" that can be taken regularly that will make your lungs less susceptible to attacks.

DO NOT just ignore this. It only takes one bad attack to put you in the hospital or worse, but most attacks can be prevented by a combination of the right medication, and some understanding of your condition. Asthma treatments are quite good nowadays (I could tell you awful stories of what they were like when I was first diagnosed...). Go see your doctor!

bluecd

i have exercise enduced asthma. only affects me in cold dry air (summer time i'm fine). doctor prescribed an albuteral inhaler to be used right before exercise & it is much better.

steaktaco

Seriously, did your lungs feel like it's filled with liquid? Were you breathing like you needed to expel some phlegm? If that's the case I recommend AHEM orbea orca you ask your doctor for a sample of Albuterol or the like. I had excercise-induced asthma growing up. Only happens when work past my ventilatory threshold and reach the limits of my breathing. Consequently, getting tickled has the same effect.

waterrockets 

+1 to a Dr.

I have it too, and albuterol controls it 100% for me. If it's dry out, I'll take 2 pufs, 5 minutes apart, 15 minutes before my ride. If it's humid, just one. I have no symptoms after that unless it's a race that's longer than 2 hours, in which case I need to take a couple puffs on the bike.

If I don't treat, my lungs tighten up such that it's tougher to exhale, but inhaling is fine.

steaktaco

Anyone ever try to hide taking puffs of albuterol before a race? I do.

I even had an idiot teammate try it just cause he really wanted the win. idiot.

waterrockets 

No, I use the old steel bike, hairy legs, 36h wheels, unattached rider kit, and albuterol to throw people off. "That guy will be off on the first surge."

Yeah. Off the front.

AnthonyG

Bingo!!

I harp on about magnesium defficiency often enough but at least I'm not the first one to suggest it on this thread.

I've suffered frome EXACTLY the same symptoms as the origonal poster. I NEVER had asthma as a child but suddenly I was getting that feeling when it was hard to get a breath of air that satisified after/during hard exercise. It also leads to muscle cramping and other muscular/skeletal symptoms.

I discovered magnesium defficiency and it cured EVERYTHING.

Regards, Anthony

Dahon.Steve

It sounds like your condition is getting worse. Seriously.

You better find a way to get off those drugs because they lose their effectiveness with time. You'll find yourself using the most powerful as inhalers and steroids in the very near future. There's going to come a time when you're going to need a powerful inhaler to stay alive but the one you're using is all there is! You better get off those drugs and ride slower.

Mose

Not specific to the OP, but it can be easy to confuse the effects of inflammed lung tissue due to over exposure to ozone (especially prevelant on humid and hot days, especially near metropolitan areas) with an asthmatic attack. I think asthma is inflammation due to an exposure that is not typically an irritant. While ozone affects people in varying degrees, it is a universal irritant.

Dahon.Steve

Interesting.

I have exercise induced asthma but refuse to take any medication because I don't work out hard enough for the condition to flare up. However, I never heard of this before and I'll may have to add this one to my medicine cabinet.

Thanks

late

1) See a Doc. A doc can beat on you, and shoot you full of radiation. Docs have all the fun

2) There is an herb called cordyceps. I find it helps with my asthma. Not as well as my inhaler, but some. But talk about it with your Doc first. I don't want you barking up the wrong tree on my account.

ri_us

+100 - Talk to your doctor, not the internet, about health issues. If you don't like your doctor, get a new one and talk to him or her. Even if everyone on the internet was a doctor they wouldn't be able to diagnose you electronically.

steaktaco

No. Don't consult with your physician. Listen to the forums.

Pedal Wench

It's not something you want to leave untreated. My pulminologist warned that people with mild and untreated asthma are turning up later in life with emphyzema (sp?) because of the repeated stress to the bronchial tubes.

Brian Ratliff

I've experienced this same thing but for much shorter durations. It happens under extreme cardiovascular work. Usually, for me (don't take this as medical advice or anything), I just slow up until my breathing returns to normal. I've had this since I was a kid and the only cure for me is get into better cardiovascular condition.

An inhaler might be a good thing, especially if you are in a race environment where stopping is not an option. For me, it doesn't happen often, not even when I was swimming competetively in highschool and pushing heartrates of 180 or higher in swim training. It really only happens to me when I am out of shape and under hard efforts.

For me, it only occurs for time spans measured in a few minutes. I slow up and it goes away and I am no worse for wear. If you are getting this for full rides, I'd probably see a doctor; you are probably developing asthma.

Mouserue

I second the suggestion to see your doctor. A lot of people don't seem to know that asthma can actually damage your lungs. I've had asthma all my life, currently my lungs are 20% scarred from it. Hence, I can only use 80% as much air as the average person my age, build, gender. Just imagine how much speed is being senselessly stolen from me. Furthermore, asthma is becoming increasingly prevalent due to all the pollution and ozone being put into the air. Many people with no history of it are suddenly, freakishly having symptoms. If you think you may be developing asthma, get it taken care of before it hurts your lungs and thus your performance.

Machka 

I have EIA (Exercise Induced Asthma) ... I've been through testing and had the results analyzed by a Heart & Lung Specialist to determine that.

To reduce the effects of EIA, I have been prescribed inhalers ... and they do help.

LostBoizdown

What?? Am I missing sarcasm here, or what? That's the worst idea ever, stop taking asthma medication, yeah right I never go anywhere without my inhaler just in case. You never know when some random bit of dust (or for those that are more sensitive: a whiff of certain scents) will set you off, and I know from experience how much it sucks to not have an inhaler nearby.

If you have asthma, there are two ways of dealing with it: taking medication, or learning to live with the feeling of suffocation.

jmarkley710

I've had exercised induced bronchoconstriction for 11 years since I was diagnosed in High School. Remember a lot of people that have bronchodialation don't use inhalers because they can "work around it". Not saying that asthmatics don't need inhalers just that you can learn when you need on and when you don't.
Couple things that work well:
1.) Inhaler with a spacer (the spacer let's the medication mix with air as you inhale, common mistake is that people using inhalers don't intake enough air when "shooting" the inhaler, that or they aim it at the roof of their mouth or their tongue and completely miss the purpose)
2.) Slow deep breaths. Practice breathing exercises to slow your breathing pattern down. Their is a fine line between keeping the heart rate in a certain zone and breathing properly. If you keep the breathes smooth and draw them out you'll be able to breath easier.
3.) This one might get some negative comments but... If you can find Ephederine supplements they will work well for suppressing the symptoms by dilating the bronchial tubes. This one works very well (used it and still use it to this day, in moderation).