Exercise induced asthma

[BillA]

So last night I rowed 2000m on a machine (7:28, chestbeat!) which was pretty difficult and as soon as I stopped I felt like shit. I didn't puke or anything, but I didn't even start the crossfit workout we were doing afterwards. So I went home and on the way home my lungs felt really bad and had a rattly sound to them and I was coughing a lot. It kind of freaked me out so I went to my paramedic next door neighbor and he listened to my chest and told me it sounded like exercise induced asthma. I've never had a problem like this before. Does anyone have any experience with this? It's kind of got me freaked, I don't want asthma, obviously...

[Mr_Phil]

Yes.

[BillA]

Thank you for your helpful comment.

[fern]

if you think you have a medical condition wouldn't a doctor be a better person to talk to than a paramedic?

 

feeling like shit after rowing is normal. I attribute it to a hunched posture which alters how you would normally inflate your chest, and also changes how you process lactic acid. I usually try to go for an easy short jog as soon as I can after getting off the rower and generally feel better after that.

 

I thought that exercise induced asthma was one of those things aggravated by breathing cold air ... so if in all your alpine and winter adventures you have never had problems maybe it is just a rowing thing.

 

7:28 puts you at around 1360th in the world on concept2.com ... how does that compare to your 8a.nu score?

[iluka]

Do you remember exactly what your paramedic heard? Did he use the term "wheezing" by any chance. This is sometimes what people sound like when they are having an asthma attack. Has this ever happened to you before?

 

One would need more information to label someone as having exercise-induced asthma but from what you describe it is certainly a possibility. Many asthmatics or people with exercise-induced asthma will have difficulty breating or chest tightness when they have an attack. In other cases, people may only develop a cough. Exercise-induced asthma can certainly be aggravated by breathing cold air, but cold air is not a necessary condition for it to occur. Even if you have never have had problems with asthma before, it is possible for it to start later in life. There are many people who develop adult-onset asthma.

 

The best thing to do at this point would be to see your physician. They can take a proper history from you and get full information about what happened. From there, the logical first step in working up the problem is to do pulmonary function tests (breathing tests) including what's called bronchodilator testing. Further testing can be done from there if that doesn't provide an answer.

 

I wouldn't freak out just yet. While asthma can be a severe problem in some people, in many many others, it is a disease in which achieving good control and maintaining a active life is fully possible.

 

If you're concerned, check in with your doctor and he/she can help you sort this out.

[Mr_Phil]

Thank you for your helpful comment.

 

No problem. Ask a simple question and get a simple answer.

[tvashtarkatena]

I've had it. Got it later in life. My doctor misdiagnosed it, BTW. A friend (and doctor) I adventure race with came up with the idea when I had an attack. After that, I started carrying an inhaler for long athletic events.

 

What helped me kick it (I haven't experienced it in a couple of years and no longer carry an inhaler) was swimming laps. For some reason the pressurized breathing exercises involved in that kind of work out stopped whatever mechanism was causing it. I have no idea if there is any other info on this...that was just my experience.

[iluka]

I've had it. Got it later in life. My doctor misdiagnosed it, BTW.

 

If BillA is not satisfied with the work-up his primary doctor does or he doesn't think they're looking into this possibility enough he can just ask for a referral to see a pulmonary specialist. This stuff is right up their alley.

 

What helped me kick it (I haven't experienced it in a couple of years and no longer carry an inhaler) was swimming laps. For some reason the pressurized breathing exercises involved in that kind of work out stopped whatever mechanism was causing it. I have no idea if there is any other info on this...that was just my experience.

 

As to why this exercise-induced asthma got better, I doubt it's because of the pressure breathing. Probably something else related to the swimming or something else that changed over time. You definitely do hear of cases of asthma (exercise-related or not) that simply goes away over time. In cases where allergy plays a big role as a trigger, it's because the exposure to the allergen was eliminated. In other cases it's not clear why it finally goes away but it does.

[Mr_Phil]

As to why this exercise-induced asthma got better, I doubt it's because of the pressure breathing. Probably something else related to the swimming or something else that changed over time. You definitely do hear of cases of asthma (exercise-related or not) that simply goes away over time. In cases where allergy plays a big role as a trigger, it's because the exposure to the allergen was eliminated. In other cases it's not clear why it finally goes away but it does.

 

Ya, tvashtarkatena has his head up his ass.

 

I haven't figured out what triggers mine. I've gotten it while long distance cycling in the summer heat of the south near sea level and winter climbing on Rainier. After that winter climb, I kept hacking for a month or so afterwards. Went to the doc and got an inhaler. Used it a few times on subsequent trips, and then quit. Haven't had an episode in the four years since.

[tvashtarkatena]

Ya, tvashtarkatena has his head up his ass.

Save comments like that for Spray. They are inappropriate here, particularly on a forum about helping other climbers.

 

A previous poster authoritatively discounted that it might be the pressurized breathing, without offering any supporting evidence. I started swimming, the athsma stopped. I suspect it was the swimming. Perhaps it was mere coincidence. I hope this helps the original poster with their problem. Enough said.

Edited October 25, 2006 by tvashtarkatena

[fern]

a reminder to everyone to keep the discussion civil and reasonably on track. thank you

[PLC]

"7:28 puts you at around 1360th in the world on concept2.com"

 

I wouldn't rely on the numbers on concept2.com - pretty much any college rower should be able to break 7 minutes, and I'm sure there are a lot more than 1360 people rowing in the US alone...

 

Back when I was in college, my 2000 meter time was about 6:35 and I was a lightweight. We had several people on the team who beat 5:30...

[BillA]

Thanks for the helpful info everyone. It was definitly wheezing I was experiencing. I felt alright yesterday and then last night when I laid down to go to sleep the wheezing came back and my lungs felt like crap. This morning they still feel a little funky but not as bad as before. I can't really afford to go see a doctor right now, so I'm hoping that it fixes itself (yeah right). As far as the being 1360th in the world or whatever, that's highly doubtful seeing that at least two people I workout with have done it faster. I was just psyched because it was my second time ever rowing 2000 and I thought it was pretty good.

[Mr_Phil]

Save comments like that for Spray. They are inappropriate here, particularly on a forum about helping other climbers.

 

Presenting pseudo-science as fact is also inappropriate. In your second post you started backpedaling on your assertions. Good for you.

 

A previous poster authoritatively discounted that it might be the pressurized breathing, without offering any supporting evidence.

 

I believe the previous poster knows a bit about pulmonary medicine.

[fern]

I wouldn't rely on the numbers on concept2.com

 

ya that was the joke. I wouldn't rely on the numbers on 8a.nu either.

[G-spotter]

I wouldn't rely on the numbers on concept2.com

 

ya that was the joke. I wouldn't rely on the numbers on 8a.nu either.

 

You mean I'm not the 2547th best climber in Canada after all?

[iluka]

A previous poster authoritatively discounted that it might be the pressurized breathing, without offering any supporting evidence. I started swimming, the athsma stopped. I suspect it was the swimming. Perhaps it was mere coincidence. I hope this helps the original poster with their problem. Enough said.

 

I didn't offer much suppporting evidence because there isn't a much evidence regarding "pressure breathing" and management of asthma.

 

Asthma, in general, is thought to result from three processes that occur in the airways of the lungs: inflammation of the airway walls, over-production of mucous in the airway glands which plugs up the airways and overly reactive smooth muscle in the airway walls that causes them to constrict. All of the processes cause the airways to narrow down and make it hard to move air in and out. There are lots of triggers that can make those processes worse and start an attack. Exercise-induced asthma is though to occur because the heavy breathing with exercise causes one to move large volumes of cool, dry air (a known trigger for asthma) by those airways. Breathing humidified air that is warmed closer to body temperature helps attenuate the process. This is one reason it is often recommended that people with exercise-induced asthma who climb at altitude use a balaclava or bandana over their mouth (it's not foolproof, but can provide some additional help in addition to appropriate medications). There are a lot of other factors that play a role -- too much to write about here.

 

Swimming might have helped -- not because of the "pressure breathing" -- but because the air in the pool area is warmer and more humidified which can calm the asthma process a bit.

There are many medications that can also play a beneficial role in treatment of this problem.

[chelle]

Mr. Phil...check your pm's.

[chelle]

Oops...I think I sent my pm to the wrong person...and didn't keep a copy. Phil, can you copy it and send it back to me so I can send it to Bill?