Whenever my missis does any remotely vigorous exercise, hill walking, cycling, running, it feels like she has a tightening around the throat, and it gets a bit “clagged up” with mucus.

She is trying to get a bit fitter but this is really getting in the way.

Any idea what it might be, or how to stop it?

A bit more background….

12 plus years ago went skiing in the States, fairly high up, she got a dry throat problem that felt like she couldn’t get any air in, so had a middle of the night hospital trip. They diagnosed “strep throat” gave her a shot, and kept in for obs until morning. They did say that it might plague her for a year or two from time to time.

She still has a problem, within a few minutes of starting exercise she feels the same now, to the point that she gets very scared as it feels that her breathing is restricted by a noose, to the point where sometimes she hits full panic mode and I have to really look after her to calm her down and get her sorted.

She has been to docs and tried inhalers to no effect.

Currently trying antihistamines with Ibuprofen which can take the edge off but not stop it.

She was great on the bike and really active, but at the moment is struggling to do any activities and this is really putting her off….and need I say making her quite grumpy.

HELP!

Angina?

(the latin translation of this word means “to choke”).

Exercise induced symptoms of the neck/arm/chest would always prompt me to see a Dr swiftly, as they could indicate potentially significant heart issues.

I used to get a tightening of my throat when I did an all-out effort such as a sprint or very steep hill, especially when the weather was cold, and worse if I was stressed (e.g. doing a race). I was investigated for asthma, but got the all-clear. It was assumed to be exercise-induced bronchospasm. I have an inhaler for just in case.
I would suggest going to the GP.

Does she suffer from heartburn? I sometimes experience a milder version of the same problem and GP diagnosed acid reflux. Even a crew neck T-shirt becomes uncomfortable.

Now on Lanaoprazole which has helped a bit. Not sure the ability to empty a room with one fart is worth it though.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Pretty sure it’s not angina.

I think Vickpea might be close. Inhalers don’t touch it.

Looks like another GP visit.

Flaperon – I’m the one who can empty a room, and I have nothing but a healthy metabolism

Having had a Google of bronchospasm, that is definitely it. Brought on by exercise.

Vickpea – what type of inhaler works for you?

She’s tried one but that didn’t touch it. Not sure what was in it though.

Hi, it’s the blue Ventolin inhaler. I found that 2 puffs didn’t do much but my GP said I could take a few more as I was only using it occasionally. It’s not been a problem recently but I’m not sure why!

I used get something similar but only if it were cold or I started too hard. I haven’t suffered from it for 30 years now. It may be a coincidence but it stopped around the time I stopped eating any dairy products. I occasionally do have them now but they certainly aren’t a regular part of my diet. Another thing that changed when giving up dairy was that colds have never been as bad since it terms of being bunged up with mucus. In fact for me I’d say giving up meat made no obvious difference to how I felt but giving up dairy had very definite benefits. I wouldn’t suggest they can cause the problem just that when it comes to anything involving mucus they can exacerbate the problem.

Hi, it’s the blue Ventolin inhaler. I found that 2 puffs didn’t do much but my GP said I could take a few more as I was only using it occasionally. It’s not been a problem recently but I’m not sure why!

the asthma nurse took me off ventolin years ago and put me on Symbicort (budesonide) as both preventer & reliever. She said they were trying to move people away from using Ventolin.

Also, as above, symptoms improved dramatically when I stopped consuming dairy (& wheat) regularly.

I had very similar symptoms for 10 yrs and was told throughout it was asthma. After pushing the docs (due to a mucus cough that I’d had for months) I got sent off for thorough tests. Turns out I don’t have asthma, I have a blockage at the top of my nose which causes mucus to run down my throat making it feel constricted and wheezy. It’s related to allergies, as some things will make me produce more mucus. The answer was a steroid nasal spray which has made a massive difference. No inhalers or tablets for months now, just the nasal spray.

However, it was only because I asked the asthma doc if it might be a nasal issue that he thought to refer me to ENT. 2 mins with a camera up my nose and they knew immediately what the problem was.

Doctor here: Get her to her GP’s! If it’s exercise-induced asthma it needs to be treated but could be a multitude of things. Over the internet diagnosing is not a sensible thing!

Thanks for the responses.

Vickpea….hmmm, that’s the she’s tried. Might get her to try a few extra toots.

avdave2 – we’ve already cut out dairy, some tome ago. Was reading about nuts and this the other day, she does like a cashew. So that’s next one the cut list.

Thanks zilog6128 – will look in to that one. And yep, gluten is pretty much all but out too.

Julzm – will stick that in the options too, well, stick up the snozz! Is that a prescription steroid spray?

Speed star – agree very much thanks. Asking on here as a few years of trotting to the gp every few months hasn’t got us any further forward, so just looking for ideas to try. I have convinced her to go again though, as she is now really trying to get her running and riding sorted.

I suffer from a similar problem, laryngospasm, it’s the bain of my life. can be brought on by anything, even a drink of water. It’s worse when i have a cold and throat’s inflamed. Anti-inflamatorys can help a bit. If she gets an attack get her to try not to panic (not always easy) and breath through her nose. Does she snore badly making a weird wheezy noise? This is a constant source of amusement to mates who have the misfortune to share a room with me on biking trips, although my mrs stopped seeing the funny side years ago!!