[Closed] exercise induced asthma surfers

I've not been, i did ask about it, but the asthma nurse at my rural drs hadn't even heard of it! I suffer when the weather is cold and have had weeks of the bike this last 6 months where every time i get a cold it turns into a chest infection. I just keep getting given steroid tablets which make me light headed (but strong on the bike)!

Would be interested to hear of your experience with it.

I used to get it and was on Becotide and Ventolin.
Not had an asthma attack since I moved out of London.

Started the 28 day course yesterday so I'll let you know how it goes , this is my 3rd chest infection this year normally get steriods and clarithromycin but doc wants to see what happens with just clarithromycin and the montelukast . Did 4 days riding out of 5 got cold and soaked once then the infection is back .

Exactly the same as you, in the summer when weather is good my lung capacity is great, but as soon as cold weather comes along, then i have months of colds and chest infections, I live in rural Norfolk and trouble is each time i see a doctor i get different advice than the from the one before.

How does it start in the first place?

I always 'thought' it was because of heavy repeated excersion in cold/damp weather rides?

True?

Interestlingly, something like 45% of Tour De France riders suffer with it and if you look at cross country skiers, then the figure is something like 65%, people who are doing prolonged physical exertion outside.

Joanna Rowsell, or Olympic track fame, tweeted the other day about her asthma and problem with chest infection in the weeks leading up to world champs.

Apparently it is one of the functions of the lungs to warm air as it enters into the lungs, prolonged exposure to cold air means the lungs struggle to do this and become inflamed and "close up".

Things i have found helpful are riding in winter with a Buff over my mouth nose and mouth, so that the material becomes wet with your breathe and as you breathe in it is warmed and more moist (if that makes sense), also if you are racing a Powerbreathe is good as it warms up the lungs in the same using a turbo-trainer would the legs.

Also worth a read is this book:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Breathe-Strong-Perform-Better-McConnell/dp/0736091696/ref=sr_1_8?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1398345457&sr=1-8&keywords=performance+breathing

I used to get this a lot...lost a chunk of weight and now I don't. Clearly not the case for everyone as Scud's post demonstrates, but worth thinking about if you're carrying a few extra, ahem, stone.

My youngest uses Montelukast granules. V effective and has kept her out of hospital. Her trigger is viral, so coughs and colds etc. We start her on the granules at the start of a virus and then theres no asthma. Before we had this, viral triggered asthma would develop quickly and typically result in hospital.

So great stuff and works very well imo.

OP - just checking that you've looked at diet, etc rather than medication alone?

I used to get this a lot...lost a chunk of weight and now I don't. Clearly not the case for everyone as Scud's post demonstrates, but worth thinking about if you're carrying a few extra, ahem, stone.

Conversely I got EIA a lot when I was very serious about sport and training. Now I'm not, it's far less common and interestingly I've just realised that the last couple of years have been the most free from EIA that I can recall being and I'm fatter in general than I have been...

Does anyone else have weird triggers for it? I never get actual asthma attacks, but other than cold air and coughs/ colds, some weird things completely crease me up, lime cordial, Fairy Sensitive washing up liquid, bathroom limescale remover etc, just need to look at the container and my lungs shrivel.

Some bathroom cleaners certainly make me cough lots (but don't have the same effect on Mrs Clubber) but that's very different from EIA for me.

I used Montelukast. It too about 2 months but it sorted me out and I was struggling to walk 5 minutes to the shops at the time without struggling for breath. I took it for nearly 6 months.

The side effects at the start were pretty bad for me and my mum who has been taking it continuously was the same but overall worth it for both of us. I'd be interested to know if you get really irritable and snappy.

lime cordial

I can't bear anything like plug-in air fresheners and a lot of perfumed cosmetics 'get on my chest' too.

How does it start in the first place?

Mine was triggered by cats - interesting seeing as I've always had cats, but black males are (apparently) more likely to do it to you.

Interested in this Montelukast; have review on Monday and will bring it up - usu. Symbicort sorts out ok, have only had one proper attack in the 5 years I've had it and that was after beasting round NyA to see how fast I could do it - felt ****ing awful for hours.

Reckon I go faster though...

I have an appointment to discuss it with the GP.

@ hora , cold and damp are big triggers for me plus theres a lot of oil seed rape on our local trails at the moment .
@clubber , diets pretty good and just had a health check done as part of the asthma tests and thay were happy with the results apart from slightly low good cholesterol levels .

I have to use my ventolin inhaler before every bit of exercise, usualy 5-10mins before, it gets worse in winter but very very rarely I suffer from any chest infections etc

You lot made me feel better, been suffering for weeks from what initially I thought was my asthma playing up but turned out to be a real bad bout of trachea titis , not quite as painful as bronchitis but equally disabling, clarithromycin didn't touch it either. Was fine in the cool clean air of the Highlands walking but as soon as I stepped back in the house seemed to come back with a vengeance. Still the worst is over so I had my first ride out today for weeks ventolin assisted and it was a real joy just to be able to ride again without feeling like death! It seems like locally to me there has been loads of folk with similar bronchial/ trachea infections. That's dirty polluted Midlands air for you!,

Been taking Montelukast, Loratidine (anti histamine) and Symbicort for the last 2 years on and off, took the montelukast and loratidine over hte winter this year and only one episode of bronchitis which is a massive improvement. Get the anti histamine as well imo and if you can avoid / deal with the side effects you'll probably find it's much much easier to control the asthma.

The side effects at the start were pretty bad for me and my mum who has been taking it continuously was the same but overall worth it for both of us. I'd be interested to know if you get really irritable and snappy.

Yes - we'd been warned about that so we only give the dose in the evening just before bed. Although we'd be hard pushed to spot more irritable kiddie behaviour anyway.... 😉

Just because a tdf rider is prescribed athsma drugs or is diagnosed with it doesn't mean he has it.

Been on montelukast for years seems to work along with symbicort not has an attack for years. I have also recently been using theophylline just finding a dosage balance with doctor at moment. Used to suffer when I had a chest infection etc but tbh not had an issue for a long time now. I still maintain my dosage even though everything is fine I used to get complacent & when things were good I would reduce or even forget it and then sure enough something would happen. I don't take any risks at all.

Thanks for the replies , one Side affect I have seems to be poor spelling , the treat title should have said sufferers not surfers 😳

5 months on the steroid inhaler and Montelukast , how often are you guys having a review with your doc/asthma nurse ?

That's a laugh.........last check five years ago at least.....they just rely on me getting chest I factions to go back, they're funded better for their attention to my diabetes more, despite trying to poison me with contraindications drugs......so I've swapped doctors to a more local smaller surgery with the hope I won't just be a number with a five minute slot!

I get it on and off - and that can be years apart.

When I am suffering, I find that avoiding dairy helps at least pre rides.

I've never taken anything other than ventolin for it but haven't done for many years now.

I cant remember my last review. must be years and years. i just keep getting ventolin and the brown which i use if i have a gammy chest.

a years loan of a cat is not helping.

I'm on my second chest infection in 6 weeks after the asthma nurse changed me to a pink combination I haler at my last review about 3 months ago. Asthma was pretty good until that point, only really needed the blue inhaler on a tough prolonged climb or if I really pushed my self hard.

Now had two lots of steroids, and 2 weeks of erythromycin and a week in Spain for better weather. Still haven't completely shifted it so will ask the doc about this stuff.

Cats and dairy set it off for me too funnily enough.