Do you ride with Bronchitis?

Bestest Handsander said:

Every winter I get Bronchitis (sometimes developing into pneumonia).
Hasn't affected my riding because I usually don't go in the snow.
Now I'm coming down with it for the first time in the spring. I
really don't want to take time off the bike... that would put me way
behind. But if I continue to ride with it, am I going to drag the
illness out over months when it would have cleared up much sooner
with rest? I know you see pros riding with it all the time, but is
it a good idea of an amateur?

It doesn't seem to affect me during the ride, but afterwards it's all
I can do to keep the lungs in my chest I'm coughing so hard.

Thanks

I've been riding the past 3 weeks with a chest cold, guess it could be
Bronchitis, doing mostly Mountain Biking, also a few 70km fire road rides,
and certainly it hasn't helped my cold. I also almost cough my lungs up by
the end of the ride, or when on single-track and doing some quick spirts to
get up steep hills, have to stop to cough for a few minutes.

It can't be helping the situation, but ride I must!

Quoted message said:

I also almost cough my lungs up by
the end of the ride, or when on single-track and doing some quick spirts to
get up steep hills, have to stop to cough for a few minutes.

healthy stuff, this cycling ;-)

Cheers, helen s

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In article <[email hidden]>,

Bestest Handsander said:

Every winter I get Bronchitis (sometimes developing into pneumonia). Hasn't
affected my riding because I usually don't go in the snow. Now I'm coming
down with it for the first time in the spring. I really don't want to take
time off the bike... that would put me way behind. But if I continue to
ride with it, am I going to drag the illness out over months when it would
have cleared up much sooner with rest? I know you see pros riding with it
all the time, but is it a good idea of an amateur?

It doesn't seem to affect me during the ride, but afterwards it's all I can
do to keep the lungs in my chest I'm coughing so hard.

_ It's a dumb idea. You're digging yourself a hole that's going
to be hard to get out of. One of the side effects of heavy
exercise is a reduction in the immune system. Anybody can
train themselves into a wreck, the difference between
winners and losers is the ablity and self discipline to
know when to rest. You actually might be quite suprised
at how fast you come back after a real rest. It's very
common to have your best results after an illness break,
if you're habitually overtraining.

_ The other thing to keep in mind that you are risking long
term damage to your lungs. A severe lung infection can
cause damage to your lung capacity that might take years
to recover from.

_ Booker C. Bense

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bbense+rec.bicycles.misc.May.13.0 said:

_ It's a dumb idea. You're digging yourself a hole that's going to be hard
to get out of. One of the side effects of heavy exercise is a reduction in
the immune system. Anybody can train themselves into a wreck, the
difference between winners and losers is the ablity and self discipline to
know when to rest. You actually might be quite suprised at how fast you
come back after a real rest. It's very common to have your best results
after an illness break, if you're habitually overtraining.

You are probably right. But I still tend to do like the original poster. I
catch a cold once a year, usually around february, and keep coughing till
spring. It is usually something quite irritative that does not "feel" like
a serious illness, but who knows ? I assume that if I stopped cycling for a
full month it could perhaps go away faster, but it would be a real pain.
I have also noticed that during the effort, taking deep breaths even in
cold weather, I do not cough. My doctor never told me to stop cycling...
but did I tell him I was, in the first place ?

Jacques

On Wed, 12 May 2004 17:12:54 -0600, "Bestest Handsander" <[email hidden]>

wrote in message : said:

Every winter I get Bronchitis (sometimes developing into pneumonia). Hasn't
affected my riding because I usually don't go in the snow. Now I'm coming
down with it for the first time in the spring. I really don't want to take
time off the bike... that would put me way behind. But if I continue to
ride with it, am I going to drag the illness out over months when it would
have cleared up much sooner with rest?

If I am not well enough to ride the bike, I am not well enough to go
to work - and vice versa. During the winter and the rape pollen
season I am prone to exercise induced asthma, so I take Salbutamol
before I ride. In winter I have been known to suffer chest infections
and virus-induced asthma so I generally take Beclamethosone. Since
doing this I find that I have not had a bout of bronchitis (which
previously I used to get on a fairly regular basis: I was discharged
from the Army reserves for chronic bronchitis).

When I have a chest infection (or just the cruds) I find that riding
clears my chest rather than making it worse, provided I take
Salbutamol.

I went to the asthma clinic once feeling a bit low because I had a
chest cold. The nurse had me blow in the peak flow meter: 750 l/min
(the scale only goes to 800). Apparently of her 1,500-odd patients
only a dozen or so can get to that reading, and all the rest are
athletes. Cycling is marvellous for the lungs.

Does your medical practice have a chest / asthma clinic?

Guy
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88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

No.

If it's below the neck, get off and rest.

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In article <[email hidden]>,

Jacques Moser said:

bbense+rec.bicycles.misc.May.13.0 said:

_ It's a dumb idea. You're digging yourself a hole that's going to be hard
to get out of. One of the side effects of heavy exercise is a reduction in
the immune system. Anybody can train themselves into a wreck, the
difference between winners and losers is the ablity and self discipline to
know when to rest. You actually might be quite suprised at how fast you
come back after a real rest. It's very common to have your best results
after an illness break, if you're habitually overtraining.

You are probably right. But I still tend to do like the original poster. I
catch a cold once a year, usually around february, and keep coughing till
spring. It is usually something quite irritative that does not "feel" like
a serious illness, but who knows ?

_ The one thing I've learned that works for me is to take a day
off of everything, ( work, training, life ) and just rest when I
start to feel a cold coming on.

Quoted message said:

I assume that if I stopped cycling for a
full month it could perhaps go away faster, but it would be a real pain.

_ If you don't dig the hole in the first place it takes a lot
less time to get out of it. Chronic colds and cough are classic
signs of overtraining. It shouldn't take a month to shake a
cold, a week or two weeks at most. You don't lose any fitness
in a week.

Quoted message said:

I have also noticed that during the effort, taking deep breaths even in
cold weather, I do not cough. My doctor never told me to stop cycling...
but did I tell him I was, in the first place ?

_ The classic advice is to stop training if it's below your
head. If you aren't healthy to start with, I don't know how
much real good training does you.

_ Booker C. Bense

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i hate to ask the obvious question but i will anyway.

why ask this bunch of bikeheads?

ever consider going to a DOCTOR??

CHEERS

DON
"Bestest Handsander" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Every winter I get Bronchitis (sometimes developing into pneumonia).

Hasn't

Quoted message said:

affected my riding because I usually don't go in the snow. Now I'm coming
down with it for the first time in the spring. I really don't want to

take

Quoted message said:

time off the bike... that would put me way behind. But if I continue to
ride with it, am I going to drag the illness out over months when it would
have cleared up much sooner with rest? I know you see pros riding with it
all the time, but is it a good idea of an amateur?

It doesn't seem to affect me during the ride, but afterwards it's all I

can

Quoted message said:

do to keep the lungs in my chest I'm coughing so hard.

Thanks

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

i hate to ask the obvious question but i will anyway.

why ask this bunch of bikeheads?

Because the question wasn't "Should I ride with bronchitis?", but rather
was "Do you ride with bronchitis?" A doctor could maybe answer the
former, but certianly not the latter question.

Quoted message said:

ever consider going to a DOCTOR??

CHEERS

DON

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

Quoted message said:

Every winter I get Bronchitis (sometimes developing into pneumonia). Hasn't
affected my riding because I usually don't go in the snow. Now I'm coming
down with it for the first time in the spring. I really don't want to take
time off the bike... that would put me way behind. But if I continue to
ride with it, am I going to drag the illness out over months when it would
have cleared up much sooner with rest? I know you see pros riding with it
all the time, but is it a good idea of an amateur?

It doesn't seem to affect me during the ride, but afterwards it's all I can
do to keep the lungs in my chest I'm coughing so hard.

Personally I would keep riding through bronchitis (but probably not
pneumonia). I find when I have a bad chest cold that cycling seems to
temporarily soothe my symptoms. However this is going at a nice, easy
pace. If I push it, I'm guaranteed to make things worse.

I think you've answered your own question though when you say how it
affects you after the ride.. if it makes things worse, sounds like a
good idea to take it easy and try to rest and clear things up as soon
as possible.

Quoted message said:

I went to the asthma clinic once feeling a bit low because I had a
chest cold. The nurse had me blow in the peak flow meter: 750 l/min
(the scale only goes to 800). Apparently of her 1,500-odd patients
only a dozen or so can get to that reading, and all the rest are
athletes. Cycling is marvellous for the lungs.

The problem with exercise-induced Asthma, for the athletic sort of person,
is that you really need to get a pre-exercise and post-exercise reading to
be terribly relevant (because, as you found out, your static reading was
nearly off the charts).

It's a screwy thing, to be sure. I've ridden with people (including one
doctor) who are positive that I suffer from exercise-induced ashtma, and I
don't have trouble believing this; my lungs sound like a steam engine going
up hill. Yet I feel a ton better after a hard ride than before. I feel
like I can actually get air into my lungs, my head clears, and, even while
I'm riding, my allergies seem a whole lot less severe than at other times.

I think some of us were simply designed by God to ride a bike. Everything
else is secondary.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
IMBA, BikesBelong, NBDA member

"Just zis Guy, you know?" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Wed, 12 May 2004 17:12:54 -0600, "Bestest Handsander" <[email hidden]>

wrote in message : said:

Every winter I get Bronchitis (sometimes developing into pneumonia).

Hasn't

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

affected my riding because I usually don't go in the snow. Now I'm

coming

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

down with it for the first time in the spring. I really don't want to

take

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

time off the bike... that would put me way behind. But if I continue to
ride with it, am I going to drag the illness out over months when it

would

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

have cleared up much sooner with rest?

If I am not well enough to ride the bike, I am not well enough to go
to work - and vice versa. During the winter and the rape pollen
season I am prone to exercise induced asthma, so I take Salbutamol
before I ride. In winter I have been known to suffer chest infections
and virus-induced asthma so I generally take Beclamethosone. Since
doing this I find that I have not had a bout of bronchitis (which
previously I used to get on a fairly regular basis: I was discharged
from the Army reserves for chronic bronchitis).

When I have a chest infection (or just the cruds) I find that riding
clears my chest rather than making it worse, provided I take
Salbutamol.

I went to the asthma clinic once feeling a bit low because I had a
chest cold. The nurse had me blow in the peak flow meter: 750 l/min
(the scale only goes to 800). Apparently of her 1,500-odd patients
only a dozen or so can get to that reading, and all the rest are
athletes. Cycling is marvellous for the lungs.

Does your medical practice have a chest / asthma clinic?

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

Quoted message said:

Every winter I get Bronchitis (sometimes developing into pneumonia).

Hasn't

Quoted message said:

affected my riding because I usually don't go in the snow. Now I'm coming
down with it for the first time in the spring. I really don't want to

take

Quoted message said:

time off the bike... that would put me way behind. But if I continue to
ride with it, am I going to drag the illness out over months when it would
have cleared up much sooner with rest? I know you see pros riding with it
all the time, but is it a good idea of an amateur?

The real question here is whether it's a good idea to ride when you're sick,
and I think this probably varies greatly from person to person.

For myself, I can be as sick as a dog and I'm still going to find a way to
get out there on my bike. My theory (which may eventually kill me) is that
giving in to a cold is like telling it that it has my permission to party
inside my body. I hate that idea. So I ride myself into the ground,
believing that somehow that's going to beat those beasties into submission
and they're going to figure there's a more hospitable place to party!

To the extent that the body responds to positive thinking etc., there may be
something to this. Or maybe I'm just one of those lucky people who don't
get sick very often, and, when they do, it tends to be very mild. Thus far,
I have no obvious ill affects from riding when I shouldn't (which includes
going out in cold rain when feeling feverish & achy)... meaning that I have
yet to feel that riding myself into the ground has induced a state of
exhuastion such that I remained sick longer than I should have.

And yes, I admit this could all simply be rationalization, and I'm just
darned lucky. Or maybe I'm just trying to prolong the feeling of being
young & stupid & having no future far longer than it's safe to do so?

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
IMBA, BikesBelong, NBDA member

On Fri, 14 May 2004 23:23:12 GMT, "Mike Jacoubowsky/Chain Reaction

Bicycles said:

The real question here is whether it's a good idea to ride when you're sick,
and I think this probably varies greatly from person to person.

For myself, I can be as sick as a dog and I'm still going to find a way to
get out there on my bike. My theory (which may eventually kill me) is that
giving in to a cold is like telling it that it has my permission to party
inside my body. I hate that idea. So I ride myself into the ground,
believing that somehow that's going to beat those beasties into submission
and they're going to figure there's a more hospitable place to party!

I do the same on the possibly mistaken theory that virii and bacteria find
exercise induced conditions hostile. The biggest factor, IMO, is heat. So
if I'm ill but don't have a fever, I'll wear an extra layer of clothes and
really do some serious sweating.

If you have a fever, it's probably not a good idea to do a lot of
exercising. YMMV.

Like your take on it. Tiny livestock, beware! ;->

-B

In article <[email hidden]>,

Badger_South said:

If you have a fever, it's probably not a good idea to do a lot of
exercising. YMMV.

I'm no physiologist by a long shot, but I wouldn't be
surprised if oxygen was key, especially in the context
of riding while suffering respiratory ailments. If your
body can't distribute the 02 it takes in to where it
needs to go (including of course, the brain) and do what
it should with it, maybe it's best to hang it up for awhile.
But if it can - go for it. Why not?

I get the occasional touch of bronchitis, and a half-hour
of moderate riding clears it. After that, I'm good to go.
I've found avoiding eating dairy products (easier said than
done) and /dehydrating/ a little during the first hour or so
of riding, helps a lot. But then, I live in a climate where
one can almost hydrate by osmosis (well, by breathing, anyway.)

It's also important to get rid of one's horks /as soon as/ the
opportunies present themselves. I prefer to do it the gracious
way (Kleenex), rather than leaving a trail of 'smoked oysters'
behind me. I can't even blow my nose when people are looking.
But that stuff has to be jettisoned one way or another. That's
how your ride and your breathing gets progressively better.
Sorry for the graphic-ness, but bronchitis ain't pretty.

I agree with you about fevers. During fevers the body is
so preoccupied with self-repair, it's probably best to just
let it take care of business. Just like it's best not to
interrupt your your plumber with offers of tea & cakes until
the job's done. And his hands are washed. Prob'ly wouldn't
even wanna move, let alone ride, during a fever anyway.

But riding well with mere bronchitis is mostly just a
balancing act of timed hydration and consuming (or not
consuming) stuff. It's probably easier than working
around asthma. As I say this, I'm hoping we're talking
about plain, ol' bronchitis, and not pleurisy, or worse.

Quitting smoking also helps a great deal. !

cheers,
Tom

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On Fri, 14 May 2004 19:54:28 -0400, Badger_South <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

I do the same on the possibly mistaken theory that virii and bacteria find
exercise induced conditions hostile. The biggest factor, IMO, is heat. So
if I'm ill but don't have a fever, I'll wear an extra layer of clothes and
really do some serious sweating.

From the posts, I assuming that everyone is discussing hard riding. If
the doctor lets you walk, you can ride. Big difference, though, if you
plan to ride hard. Serious bronchitis or pneumonia will take care of
itself - you try to ride hard, someone will be picking you up off the
pavement. In the real cases, you simply don't have the air throughput
to keep you moving fast. Perspective changes and visual distortion is
a good sign to slow down or stop...

Real pneumonia is when you wake up and your dog is staring at you in
the middle of the night, wondering why you're making all that noise.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

On Fri, 14 May 2004 19:10:50 -0700, [email hidden] (Tom Keats)

Quoted message said:

But riding well with mere bronchitis is mostly just a
balancing act of timed hydration and consuming (or not
consuming) stuff.

Mere bronchitis? Well, there is a wide range. Like tendinitus - I used
to wonder why Yannick Noah would quit tennis tournaments just because
of 'mere tendinitus' - until I had it bad enough myself to walk up
stairs backwards for two weeks. Changed my perspective altogether.

If its mild, sure, try riding. If it is anything other than very mild
and the weather is cold and damp, I wouldn't recommend hard riding to
anyone, including the young and foolish.

Curtis L. Russell
Odenton, MD (USA)
Just someone on two wheels...

On Fri, 14 May 2004 23:13:19 GMT, "Mike Jacoubowsky/Chain Reaction
Bicycles" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
<[email hidden]>:

Quoted message said:

I think some of us were simply designed by God to ride a bike. Everything
else is secondary.

Now why didn't I think of that? ;-)

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University