Asthma and Jogging

Factual Questions
1

Well, I’ve recently started jogging. Amazing how out of shape one can get in a couple years without really noticing.

Thing is, I quit smoking almost two years ago. Oh, and I picked up asthma. That one’s new to me. The muscles can handle the running, and the ankles aren’t giving me any problems.

The difficulty turns out, of course, to be lack of lung capacity. As soon as I start running, each breath contains less and less air to the point that I feel like I’m holding my breath after a couple minutes. Then I need to walk for a few minutes until my lungs recover.

I can’t be the only person with asthma trying to get some more exercise. And my doctor isn’t particularly good - if antibiotics or cortisone cream won’t fix a problem he’s not really good for anything.

Anyone out there have any advice? Any particular way I should try breathing? Anything I should eat, drink, or do beforehand to make the breathing easier?

-Joe

2

You do know that when you can’t breathe with asthma it’s because you aren’t emptying your lungs completely? So, if you feel like each breath contains less & less air, the key is to breathe OUT as much as you can. Very counter-intuitive but it does help. Eventually you will probably build up better lung capacity unless you are actually having an asthma attack in which case you’ll need medical help. But if you try huffing & puffing OUT the air, it ought to help.

3

[QUOTE=kayT]
You do know that when you can’t breathe with asthma it’s because you aren’t emptying your lungs completely? So, if you feel like each breath contains less & less air, the key is to breathe OUT as much as you can. Very counter-intuitive but it does help. Eventually you will probably build up better lung capacity unless you are actually having an asthma attack in which case you’ll need medical help. But if you try huffing & puffing OUT the air, it ought to help.
[/QUOTE]

I’ll give that a shot. Like I said, the whole asthma thing is new to me, so I did NOT know all that.

I’ve never had an attack that I know of, I just run out of breath very easily - like two flights of stairs and my lungs start hurting.

Thanks
-Joe

4

Albuterol. Do a couple of puffs before you start and keep your inhaler with you.

You’re going to have to get a prescription, sorry. Go see a doc. Asthma can be serious.
In my experience OTC inhalers don’t work, although a guaifenesin/pseudoephedrine mix might help if taken ahead of time.

I am not a doctor!

5

I used to have asthma so bad that many times I couldn’t cross a major street without stopping on the median.

It was bad. But I started running, it took me a year to work up to 30 straight minutes on the treadmill. Now my asthma is about 95% gone.

And ironically when I run now I have LESS asthma. That is because during bad asthma attacks you are given Epinephrine (bettger known as Adrenaline). This opens your airways. So when your run your body itself produces that.

I found if I have a little tightness in my chest, if I start slow on the bike, in ten minutes the airways open and I can move to the treadmill or other running machines.

I rarely use my albuteraol or resuce inhaler. Probably 3 times this year so far. I can’t tell you from not being able to cross a street or having to sit in the snow, cause I ran out of breath to now, is amazing and it’s all due to exercise.

But it takes A LONG TIME to work up to that phase. As I said it took me a year to be able to do 30 mintutes straight. So carry your rescue inhaler with you and start slow on the bike and don’t give up. Even if you have to do 5 mintues on the bike to start. And if you can’t do the five mintues. Do a minute rest till you get your breath back, then do another minute, rest and repeat.

6

I second what Bobotheoptimist said - I run and I have asthma and that’s what I do.

Of course, see your Dr. blah de frikin’ blah…

7

Oh, Jesus. If your doctor won’t treat your asthma, find one who’s competent. People do die of asthma attacks, you know. This seriously strikes me as something not to be screwed around with.

8

[QUOTE=Merijeek]
And my doctor isn’t particularly good - if antibiotics or cortisone cream won’t fix a problem he’s not really good for anything.
[/QUOTE]

Get a new doctor.

9

Please see a better doctor. While atebuterol(sp) can help a lot it is usually only a rescue medication and if you need it more than a couple times a week/month then your asthma is not under control.

You really need a doctor that understands asthma and is willing to work with you to find a treatment regime that will allow you to work on increasing your exercise loads and breathing.

Jon

10

[QUOTE=Tannim]
Please see a better doctor. While atebuterol(sp) can help a lot it is usually only a rescue medication and if you need it more than a couple times a week/month then your asthma is not under control.

You really need a doctor that understands asthma and is willing to work with you to find a treatment regime that will allow you to work on increasing your exercise loads and breathing.

Jon
[/QUOTE]

What he (and others) said.

Commit a few felonies in Wisconsin, and I’ll get you tuned up in no time! I’m good at asthma. :cool:

11

[QUOTE=Tannim]
Please see a better doctor. While atebuterol(sp) can help a lot it is usually only a rescue medication and if you need it more than a couple times a week/month then your asthma is not under control.
Jon
[/QUOTE]

I’ve had asthma my entire life and I’ve regularly been prescribed albuterol (both inhalers and nebulizer solution) to use on a regular basis. While I know no one should constantly use rescue inhalers, I believe it is acceptable to use the inhalers more regularly than a couple times a week.

12

[QUOTE=dalej42]
I’ve had asthma my entire life and I’ve regularly been prescribed albuterol (both inhalers and nebulizer solution) to use on a regular basis. While I know no one should constantly use rescue inhalers, I believe it is acceptable to use the inhalers more regularly than a couple times a week.
[/QUOTE]

An asthmatic who needs a rescue inhaler more than one a week should also probably be on a maintenance medication to reduce inflammation and decrease the frequency of flare-ups and the risk of lung damage.

13

[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan]
An asthmatic who needs a rescue inhaler more than one a week should also probably be on a maintenance medication to reduce inflammation and decrease the frequency of flare-ups and the risk of lung damage.
[/QUOTE]

That should read: “a rescue inaler more than once a week”. If you’re going thru one albuterol canister a week, there’s trouble.

14

So, is it wrong for a doctor to prescribe albuterol to be used 3 times per day before Flovent is used?

Most of the treatment programs I’ve had over the past ten years or so have always had me using the albuterol (nebulizer) used before another inhaler with Flovent being the most recent one?

Also, is a pulmonologist the correct specialist to see for asthma treatment?

15

[QUOTE=dalej42]
So, is it wrong for a doctor to prescribe albuterol to be used 3 times per day before Flovent is used?

Most of the treatment programs I’ve had over the past ten years or so have always had me using the albuterol (nebulizer) used before another inhaler with Flovent being the most recent one?

Also, is a pulmonologist the correct specialist to see for asthma treatment?
[/QUOTE]

Albuterol rescue inhalers can be used up to every 4 hours if needed for asthma attacks in many cases.

Flovent is a maintenace medication, not a rescue medication. It is not necesssary to use albuterol before using flovent, unless you’re instructed to do so by your doc.

I’ve found that allergists have the best handle on average regarding asthma treatment. Many pulmonologists can be quite good too.

It’s rather hit or miss whether or not an internist or family medicine specialist like me is knowledgeable about asthma or not.

Current recommendations by asthma specialty organizations strongly recommend the use of inhaled steroids in asthma patients who require more than one rescue treatment a week. I concur with those recommendations.

You see, asthma is a disease of inflammation. If someone is having spasm in ones bronchioles more than once a week, that implies that there is persistant inflammation in the bronchiole tubes that is not being treated by the rescue inhaler. The rescue inhaler just relaxes the muscles around the brochiole tubes, opening them up. But it does nothing for the swelling and mucus that is plugging up those tubes in people that have regular attacks.

Enter the maintenance medication. Inhaled steroids, like Flovent, are considered the first line. Regular use of them dampens down the swelling and inflammation of the bronchiole tubes, leading to less mucus plugging, and hence a bronchial tube that’s not always on a hair-trigger to go into spasm again.

If inhaled steroids alone are unsufficient, one can add long-acting inhaled dilators like salmeterol (serevent) in combination with the inhaled steroid (Advair is a lovely steroid/salmeterol combo). Pills such as leukotriene inhibitors (accolate, singulaire) can also reduce inflammation, without all the troubling side-effects of oral steroids. Theophylline both dilates the bronchioles and reduces inflammation, but has fallen out of favor because of its narrow therapeutic window, nasty side-effects if taken in excess, and the need for blood monitoring.

Prednisone, via IV, IM shots, or pills remains the gold standard for really knocking out the swelling and mucus, but regular prolonged use of it is fraught with perils such as weight gain, bone softening, diabetes, steroid psychosis, etc.

here is the webside of the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology, with lots of great resources for asthmatics: http://www.aaaai.org/

16

Another vote for Albuterol. That stuff is nothing short of magic when your lungs are feeling tight.

17

Merijeek, are you truly certain you have bona fide asthma? Have you done lung spirometry, both before and after using a rescue inhaler or nebulizer treatment? Has anybody listened to your lungs while you’re short of breath, or measured your peak lung flows when you’re having problems?

If not, get a better doctor, and a decent pulmonary evaluation, before concluding you have asthma.

18

[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan]
I’ve found that allergists have the best handle on average regarding asthma treatment. Many pulmonologists can be quite good too.
[/QUOTE]
And what are general internists? Chopped liver? :wink:

19

[QUOTE=KarlGauss]
And what are general internists? Chopped liver? :wink:
[/QUOTE]

Pretty much, yeah. Diced spleen, too. :eek:

99% of asthmatics don’t need anything more than a competent internist or family doc. The key is getting one that’s knowledgeable about current asthma treatment.

I did the Peer Review and Quality Assurance programs for a 110 MD HMO years ago, and getting our primary care docs (IM and FP) up to speed as far as asthma went was a daunting task. Half were quite good, another 1/4 knew their basics, but fully 1/4 were terribly outdated, and seemed to treat every asthma flare with amoxicillin and nebulized albuterol. It was scary.

20

Merijeek: here’s my experience. I took up running about 5 years ago. I started having asthma problems about 2 years ago. My attacks usually come in the middle of the night, but occasionally do occur while running. On average, I run a race per month - that is, sign up, pin a number on my shirt, and have a great time. I’ve completed 8 marathons in the last 5 years.

I’m on a maintenance medicine, and carry an inhaler. I have never had to abort a race or training run due to breathing problems.

If you’re new to running, I can imagine that the symptoms of breathlessness might be mistaken for asthma. If you ask me (and I’m not a doctor) the things you describe in the OP don’t sound like asthma, they sound like you are running too fast for your level of fitness, which is a very common occurance.

Get yourself checked out - I don’t think there’s any reason why a person with asthma can’t enjoy running, with the proper medication.