I have been diagnosed with a mild case of bronchitis. My doctor prescribed a cortisone inhaler (don’t remember the exact name) and Aerius antihistamine pills. No antibiotics.
The only symptom I have is coughing up a little mucus. No blocked nose, no fever, no drowsiness, no fatigue. Is there any reason I shouldn’t exercise?
Good question to ask your doctor, who’s examined and prescribed for you.
I don’t discourage exercise in my otherwise healthy patients with bronchitis, unless they have a history of exercise-induced bronchospasm. They’ll cough more, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. They’re usually smart enough to limit themselves to an appropriate level of exertion.
But you’re not my patient.
I am the stubborn kind that won’t miss a training session even when sick or with a sprained leg (I know, I am stupid). So I was exercising daily (one hour running and some light weight training) all along this time. I am even more stupid because I had this case of bronchitis for the last three weeks and I only decided to go see a doctor yesterday, when I realized it won’t go away on its own.
When I mentioned exercise to my doc he went apeshit crazy! But he’s old and may not be up to date with more modern practices. Besides I was doing it all along and didn’t feel make my condition any worse. On the contrary, after an hour of running I felt that I could breathe easier. That’s why I am asking for a second opinion. Anyway, I’ll skip training for a few days because I think this anti-alergy pill is sapping my energy.
Words on a message board do not constitute a second opinion.
[sub]not even when it’s my words[/sub]
Otherwise I expect you’ll survive, and it sounds like your doctor is following modern medical teachings by not giving you antibiotics, which are not needed for 99.99% of cases of bronchitis.
Adults with bronchitis symptoms for over 2 weeks should also be evaluated for pertussis.
Thanks. BTW the inhaler is this strange device: Fluticasone/salmeterol - Wikipedia. He prescribed the 250+50 dosage, twice a day.
I didn’t know what pertussis is so I googled it. From wikipedia: “If not treated within the first 24 hours the chances of death increase by 90%.”
I am still alive so I doubt I have this bug. 
Just goes to show you that Google is not a good way to find out information about adult pertussis.
Nice pearl, USCDiver.
That’s correct. Bordetella pertussis causes ‘whooping cough’ in infants and children and can be quite deadly. That’s why you should be immunized against it as a child as part of the DPT (diptheria, pertussis, tetanus) course. The immunization fades as you get older, but you are rarely given a booster like you would be for tetanus (actually, the tetanus booster we give in the ER if you cut yourself is a combo of diphtheria and tetanus). In adults, pertussis is usually less severe and self-limited, but it is still contagious and can be passed to any un-immunized children in the community.
USCDiver, MD