Asthma

OzarkMtbr said:

I was wondering if any of you gents or gals have exercise induced asthma? I have come to the
conclusion that I may be suffering from this ailment. I have yet to seek medical help on it, but
am near that point. Before I do, I was wanting to check my symptoms. I feel it in a sprint or a
climb. It is as if I can't get air into my lungs fast enough. I have had this problem for several
years and always though I needed to train more. Lately I have hit a wall, no matter how much more
I train it continues to plague me. I mentioned it to my doctor once before but he knows the guys I
ride with and said we ride too fast (jokingly). I only recently found out about exercise induced
asthma and it seems to match.

Ozark "gasp-wheeeez" Mtbr

Ooh! ooh! me me me!

Definitely have it. EIA follows a pattern, in like 95% of the cases - it kind of builds up for a
while, usually about 20 minutes after you start really exercising, then you can't breathe at all
(your lungs burn usually too, and you wheeze, it just feels like you're suffocating... 'cause you
are). This hits for like 2 or 3 minutes, then it slowly goes away, then ramps back up to a full or
near-full attack a couple more times. Then it fades, and you're pretty much asthma free for a couple
hours or so. I have an inhaler, but what I've noticed is it just seems to prolong the time before I
get a full blown attack, and makes the symptoms less, but last longer. I personally prefer to just
get the damn thing over with, and then I'm fine.

Its not ideal, because your muscles are still oxygen deprived for a good amount of time while you're
still having attacks, but its better than having not-full-on but still plenty nasty symptoms for
twice the time.

Sprinting or hill climbing are definitely triggers, because you use your lungs a lot more, but
unless you feel like you literally can't pull air into your lungs, or that you can't breathe deeply,
its probably a matter of lung capacity, and its somewhat trainable, although difficult.

Have your doc refer you to somebody who specializes in asthma, they'll do some tests and see
whats going on.

Jon Bond

I've been mt.biking for about 6 years now. For the past couple of years I noticed I would kinda of
weez after a strenous ride. Last year I was riding at Walker Ranch here in Boulder on a hot and very
dry day and found that I could barely breath when I was in the middle of a difficult
climb. My lungs tightened up and I had to stop riding for a couple of minutes. It was weird. I asked
my doc about it and he concluded that I had EIA. He wrote a prescrition for an inhaler which
I only use before rides and now things are great. I no longer have shortness of breath or
weezing after rides. I highly recommend going to your docter. You will leave your friends in
the dust on climbs again.

Incidentally, I'm also a type 1 diabetic....

ride on.

-B

OzarkMtbr said:

I was wondering if any of you gents or gals have exercise induced asthma?

Yep.

I

Quoted message said:

have come to the conclusion that I may be suffering from this ailment. I have yet to seek medical
help on it, but am near that point. Before I do, I was wanting to check my symptoms. I feel it in
a sprint or a climb. It is as if I can't get air into my lungs fast enough. I have had this
problem for several years and always though I needed to train more. Lately I have hit a wall, no
matter how much more I train it continues to plague me.

This could still be caused by exertion. Everybody has their limits, which will be most felt on a
sprint or climb. It could well be that you've reached your peak. Even when I've not got asthma, I
still get the feeling of being heavily out of breath, but there's a big difference between maximum
lung capacity and EIA.

EIA is a completely different feeling that comes in a range of severities. Asthma is caused by
irritation to the bronchi and in the case of EIA, the stimuli is the bronchi trying to open too
quickly to accomodate increased intake of air. In this case the bronchial walls spasm and expand
causing a narrowing of the airways.

Rather than the feeling that you can not get the air in fast enough, it feels more like you have a
huge weight on your chest which is only allowing a little bit of air to enter your lungs. In the
worst cases, it feels like you're being suffocated.

Even when you stop and rest, recovery (even with medication) can take 30 minutes or more before you
feel you can breathe normally. It will also, in the recovery stages and sometimes after exercise,
manifest itself as wheezing.

I

Quoted message said:

mentioned it to my doctor once before but he knows the guys I ride with and said we ride too fast
(jokingly). I only recently found out about exercise induced asthma and it seems to match.

There are a couple of things that IME will trigger more severe attacks. Going from zero activity to
high intensity within a very short period of time causes big problems. When I jump on the bike, I
have to force myself to start really slowly, and gradually pick up the pace allowing my lungs to
adjust as I increase the intensity. Avoiding steep climbs and sprints for the first 20 minutes or so
allows the lungs to aclimatise.

Cold weather makes things worse. The cold air against the warm bronchi is a bad stimulus which
causes them to spasm more. Warming up properly in these conditions is even more important.

I'm gradually trying to wean myself off the medication, by understanding better how my body works,
but at times there's no avoiding it. Certainly, if your doctor diagnoses you, initially it's a good
idea to take the med preventatively 20-30 minutes before you start exercising.

--
a.m-b FAQ: t-online.deambfaq.htmOpen ↗

b.bmx FAQ: t-online.debmx faq.htmOpen ↗

Thanks guys for the info.

I should have added that I also feel this way when running. On a steady flat run with no sprinting,
I will be fine for the first mile and then I will begin to have trouble getting enough air into my
lungs. I will start to get light headed and have to stop for a few minutes until it subsides.

I will make an appointment and go from there. Hopefully it just a lung capacity problem and I can
just work on that.

Thanks

OzarkMtbr

"bomba" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

OzarkMtbr said:

I was wondering if any of you gents or gals have exercise induced

asthma?

Quoted message said:

Yep.

I

Quoted message said:

have come to the conclusion that I may be suffering from this ailment.

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

have yet to seek medical help on it, but am near that point. Before I

do, I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

was wanting to check my symptoms. I feel it in a sprint or a climb. It

is

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

as if I can't get air into my lungs fast enough. I have had this

problem

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

for several years and always though I needed to train more. Lately I

have

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

hit a wall, no matter how much more I train it continues to plague me.

This could still be caused by exertion. Everybody has their limits, which will be most felt on a
sprint or climb. It could well be that you've reached your peak. Even when I've not got asthma, I
still get the feeling of being heavily out of breath, but there's a big difference between maximum
lung capacity and EIA.

EIA is a completely different feeling that comes in a range of severities. Asthma is caused by
irritation to the bronchi and in the case of EIA, the stimuli is the bronchi trying to open too
quickly to accomodate increased intake of air. In this case the bronchial walls spasm and expand
causing a narrowing of the airways.

Rather than the feeling that you can not get the air in fast enough, it feels more like you have a
huge weight on your chest which is only allowing a little bit of air to enter your lungs. In the
worst cases, it feels like you're being suffocated.

Even when you stop and rest, recovery (even with medication) can take 30 minutes or more before
you feel you can breathe normally. It will also, in the recovery stages and sometimes after
exercise, manifest itself as wheezing.

I

Quoted message said:

mentioned it to my doctor once before but he knows the guys I ride with

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

said we ride too fast (jokingly). I only recently found out about

exercise

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

induced asthma and it seems to match.

There are a couple of things that IME will trigger more severe attacks. Going from zero activity
to high intensity within a very short period of time causes big problems. When I jump on the bike,
I have to force myself to start really slowly, and gradually pick up the pace allowing my lungs to
adjust as I increase the intensity. Avoiding steep climbs and sprints for the first 20 minutes or
so allows the lungs to aclimatise.

Cold weather makes things worse. The cold air against the warm bronchi is a bad stimulus which
causes them to spasm more. Warming up properly in these conditions is even more important.

I'm gradually trying to wean myself off the medication, by understanding better how my body works,
but at times there's no avoiding it. Certainly, if your doctor diagnoses you, initially it's a
good idea to take the med preventatively 20-30 minutes before you start exercising.

--
a.m-b FAQ: t-online.deambfaq.htmOpen ↗

a.bmx FAQ: t-online.debmx faq.htmOpen ↗

Asthma is really a apin in the ass when you get it from something you love doing, it has stopped
me from doing XC races for years. The thing i get really annoyed about is that it doesn't affect
me at all when im jogging, just when i'm on my bike. Try getting an inhaler, because they really
do help a lot.

bomba said:

OzarkMtbr said:

I was wondering if any of you gents or gals have exercise induced asthma?

Yep.

I

Quoted message said:

have come to the conclusion that I may be suffering from this ailment. I have yet to seek medical
help on it, but am near that point. Before I do, I was wanting to check my symptoms. I feel it in
a sprint or a climb. It is as if I can't get air into my lungs fast enough. I have had this
problem for several years and always though I needed to train more. Lately I have hit a wall, no
matter how much more I train it continues to plague me.

This could still be caused by exertion. Everybody has their limits, which will be most felt on a
sprint or climb. It could well be that you've reached your peak. Even when I've not got asthma, I
still get the feeling of being heavily out of breath, but there's a big difference between maximum
lung capacity and EIA.

EIA is a completely different feeling that comes in a range of severities. Asthma is caused by
irritation to the bronchi and in the case of EIA, the stimuli is the bronchi trying to open too
quickly to accomodate increased intake of air. In this case the bronchial walls spasm and expand
causing a narrowing of the airways.

Rather than the feeling that you can not get the air in fast enough, it feels more like you have a
huge weight on your chest which is only allowing a little bit of air to enter your lungs. In the
worst cases, it feels like you're being suffocated.

Even when you stop and rest, recovery (even with medication) can take 30 minutes or more before you
feel you can breathe normally. It will also, in the recovery stages and sometimes after exercise,
manifest itself as wheezing.

I

Quoted message said:

mentioned it to my doctor once before but he knows the guys I ride with and said we ride too fast
(jokingly). I only recently found out about exercise induced asthma and it seems to match.

There are a couple of things that IME will trigger more severe attacks. Going from zero activity to
high intensity within a very short period of time causes big problems. When I jump on the bike, I
have to force myself to start really slowly, and gradually pick up the pace allowing my lungs to
adjust as I increase the intensity. Avoiding steep climbs and sprints for the first 20 minutes or
so allows the lungs to aclimatise.

Cold weather makes things worse. The cold air against the warm bronchi is a bad stimulus which
causes them to spasm more. Warming up properly in these conditions is even more important.

I'm gradually trying to wean myself off the medication, by understanding better how my body works,
but at times there's no avoiding it. Certainly, if your doctor diagnoses you, initially it's a good
idea to take the med preventatively 20-30 minutes before you start exercising.

Sounds like me running, except mine usually hits a little earlier. I've run through it before, and
ended up actually blacking out and falling in a field next to the road. I was only like 200 yards
from the crew boathouse (I was actually on the driveway), and just kinda kept going. Hey, where's my
peripheral vision going? OH well, I can deal with a tunnel... make that a blurry tunnel... no, a
black... [censored].

Running gets to me because of the constant impact - it ain't easy on anything in the body, and the
lungs are no exception. Cold air also gets me going REAL quickly. Therefore, my doctor recommended I
NOT take up XC skiing 😉

Jon Bond

OzarkMtbr said:

Thanks guys for the info.

I should have added that I also feel this way when running. On a steady flat run with no
sprinting, I will be fine for the first mile and then I will begin to have trouble getting enough
air into my lungs. I will start to get light headed and have to stop for a few minutes until it
subsides.

I will make an appointment and go from there. Hopefully it just a lung capacity problem and I can
just work on that.

Thanks

OzarkMtbr

"bomba" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

OzarkMtbr said:

I was wondering if any of you gents or gals have exercise induced

asthma?

Quoted message said:

Yep.

I

Quoted message said:

have come to the conclusion that I may be suffering from this ailment.

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

have yet to seek medical help on it, but am near that point. Before I

do, I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

was wanting to check my symptoms. I feel it in a sprint or a climb. It

is

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

as if I can't get air into my lungs fast enough. I have had this

problem

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

for several years and always though I needed to train more. Lately I

have

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

hit a wall, no matter how much more I train it continues to plague me.

This could still be caused by exertion. Everybody has their limits, which will be most felt on a
sprint or climb. It could well be that you've reached your peak. Even when I've not got asthma, I
still get the feeling of being heavily out of breath, but there's a big difference between maximum
lung capacity and EIA.

EIA is a completely different feeling that comes in a range of severities. Asthma is caused by
irritation to the bronchi and in the case of EIA, the stimuli is the bronchi trying to open too
quickly to accomodate increased intake of air. In this case the bronchial walls spasm and expand
causing a narrowing of the airways.

Rather than the feeling that you can not get the air in fast enough, it feels more like you have a
huge weight on your chest which is only allowing a little bit of air to enter your lungs. In the
worst cases, it feels like you're being suffocated.

Even when you stop and rest, recovery (even with medication) can take 30 minutes or more before
you feel you can breathe normally. It will also, in the recovery stages and sometimes after
exercise, manifest itself as wheezing.

I

Quoted message said:

mentioned it to my doctor once before but he knows the guys I ride with

and

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

said we ride too fast (jokingly). I only recently found out about

exercise

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

induced asthma and it seems to match.

There are a couple of things that IME will trigger more severe attacks. Going from zero activity
to high intensity within a very short period of time causes big problems. When I jump on the bike,
I have to force myself to start really slowly, and gradually pick up the pace allowing my lungs to
adjust as I increase the intensity. Avoiding steep climbs and sprints for the first 20 minutes or
so allows the lungs to aclimatise.

Cold weather makes things worse. The cold air against the warm bronchi is a bad stimulus which
causes them to spasm more. Warming up properly in these conditions is even more important.

I'm gradually trying to wean myself off the medication, by understanding better how my body works,
but at times there's no avoiding it. Certainly, if your doctor diagnoses you, initially it's a
good idea to take the med preventatively 20-30 minutes before you start exercising.

--
a.m-b FAQ: t-online.deambfaq.htmOpen ↗

a.bmx FAQ: t-online.debmx faq.htmOpen ↗