I think I may have this. I get all the symptoms on reasonably hard exercise (tight chest, wheeze, coughing (during and after), piles of mucus running down my face), and so propose to see the doc.

So, other than explaining the above – to which I’ll no doubt get his usual laconic response – what ought he be looking for to confirm whether I have diagnosed myself properly or am just a hypochondriac?

And if I am right, what’s the treatment?

Cheers

Tom

No idea, mine just gave me an inhaler and told me to go away!

Mrs Flash – I might just visit your GP instead.

Did you find the inhaler makes a difference?

Yes. I don’t need to use it that often tbh, I have it very mildly, but it definitely helps ease the wheeze.

(see what I did there??)

Puntastic!

Hmm. This is something that has always affected me, I think but, before I took riding more seriously, I could get away with it playing team sports (stop start, rather than the continuous battering of cycling).

Right, I’ll make an appt and see what he’s got to say for himself.

No idea, mine just gave me an inhaler and told me to go away!

Mine did much the same.. But I did get a peak flow meter to play about with, bit hard to drag it out of your camelbak at the top of a steep climb..

How severe is it? If you stop for 5 minutes until your heartrate drops a bit, do you still struggle to breathe?

Personally I think I may have it occasionally – certainly I have a bit of trouble breathing easily after about 8 miles of running, but then I slow down a bit and stop thinking about it and it goes away – but I do realise others probably have it rather worse than me!

Rare to have solely exercise induced asthma, most have mild/mod asthma made worse by exercise. You should go and see your GP, who may, depending on a more detailed history, give you a therapeutic trial of a “reliever” puffer such as ventolin, or a peakflow meter and diary for you to record the drop in flow with exercise.
He/she may however tell you (nicely) to MTFU, not having the lung performance of Lance Armstrong doesn’t necessarily make you diseased.

Lactic

I suspect there is also that aspect. I’m quite conscious of this, and would be quite happy with that diagnosis.

A bit of background:

The effect is most keenly felt when exercising at a reasonable level. I had a bad, bronchial cough over the winter, which would see my doubled up coughing as I was riding. Gradually, this has got better, but any exercise of noticeable intensity results in heavy coughing. After last night (club TT), I was coughing hard for the following hour, and my chest still has some residual tightness now.

Historically, I understood (from the family doc) as a child that I was close to having asthma (quite what that meant, I don’t really know. though I have suffered whooping cough during childhood and with more than one bout of croup.

Additionally, some things cause a varying degree of (always mild) allergic reaction. These include orange squash (and worse, barley water), perfume, alcohol (bottled lager specifically – this is a weird one). The reaction is to become “wheezy”.

In spite of being a sportsman all my life, I’ve noticed that, after three winters of chest infections/hard, bronchial coughs, the effect of this on my exercise has increased. Hence, coming to the conclusion that it might be exercise induced asthma.

I have exercise induced asthma. I take medication before training (I run at least once a day and roughly 50 miles per week and have done for the last 25 years)
If I dont take the medication I couldnt run more than a couple of minutes, with it I can run for hours if I choose.

With the correct medication and assuming you are sensible in taking it and recognising symptoms and triggers you should see no limitations.

Always see the peak flow meter as a challenge!

Ourmaninthenorth
With the usual caveats about the pitfalls of internet diagnosis it does sound like you have quite irritable airways. This could be self-limiting and a result of your bad run of chest infections, or the predispositon to chest infections could be a symptom of undiagnosed asthma. See your own GP but it sounds as if a ventolin trial/Peakflow diary might both be worth a go.
Good luck, hope you feel better.

Lactic – interesting. Thanks.

I was getting similar symptoms as yourself a couple of years ago and only got them when exercising, It was mainly a cough which was just **** annoying more than anything else, Anyway seen my GP and asthma nurse and I am now on a preventer inhaler taking two puffs in the morning and two at night. Problem solved.
Although you do need to make sure you rinse your mouth out quite well after using or it can give you thrush!

or it can give you thrush!

Not sure Mrs North would be overly keen on that….

So, by way of update:

I went to see the GP the other day and, after exhanging a few pleasantries, got down to business. I don’t normally have massive faith in him, but he seemed pretty convincing.

His conclusion (based purely on my description of the symptoms) was that it may well be EIA or exercises induced bronchoispasm (which I understand to be the same effect, but without the other asthma effects).

The upshot is that I have a peak flow meter and a salbutamol (ventolin?) inhaler. I used it for the first time tonight before a road chain gang and interval session. Rather than suffering the Darth Vader chest and coughing, I had none of that. Sure, it didn’t turn me into Tom Boonen, but I could ride harder for longer as a result.

So, thankls all for your help and advice. Really appreciated.

Tom

Good news Tom, glad you’re feeling better. Now try not to lose your inhaler down the back of the sofa, they have a tendency to wander off and hide when you’re not watching them.

All the pro’s have it so why should we do without a little help to open the airways?
When your Dr gives you the flow metre test, dont blow too hard and you get a prescrip/ medical exemption

When your Dr gives you the flow metre test, dont blow too hard and you get a prescrip/ medical exemption

Bloody hell I’ve been doing it wrong all these years!

Glad it seems to have helped.

Now try not to lose your inhaler down the back of the sofa, they have a tendency to wander off and hide when you’re not watching them.

Was talking to one of the guys at the chaingang last night (which I survived for the first time..!), he said that he bought a dozen cheap (4 euros each) in Spain and has managed to lose all of them..!

When your Dr gives you the flow metre test, dont blow too hard and you get a prescrip/ medical exemption

Whatever is wrong with me (if anything!) isn’t too bad, though it’s interesting how the peak flow differs noticeably between morning and night.

Cheers all!