Allergic to jogging?

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  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    sarahlou1114 wrote: »
    Ok I know I can't really be allergic to exercise since I can do any other exercise routine I want, but, every time I try jogging for a period of time I break out in blotches and itch like crazy. My brother in law starting jogging when he was extremely overweight and never experienced this problem. Has anyone ever heard of this? Or experienced it? I would love to jog and complete a 5K as one of my fitness goals but this is crazy!!!

    Um. Actually you CAN be allergic to exercise. Look up "exercise-induced allergy" and "exercise-induced anaphylaxis." I have exercise-induced anaphylaxis. Jogging is THE WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORSTTTTT for it.

    First I start wheezing a little. Then I break out in hives. Then eventually, if I don't stop, it gets harder and harder to breath and I throw up or get diarrhea.

    Mine is food mediated. So I exercise before I eat. It's also aggravated by NSAIDs, so no NSAIDs before exercise. My total allergy load affects it, too. And finally, the TYPE of exercise matters. The more stop/starts and intervals, the better it is. Steady-state jogging is literally the worst thing possible for it.
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    Oh, since you like jogging, after you address other possibilities (and take an antihistamine before!), you should run until you START to feel the reaction. Then back off it and either jog or walk slowly until the sensation recedes. Then run again.

    Unfortunately, the hormones and excitement of race day make it worse then. :(
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    killerqueen21 wrote: »
    It's typically Cholinergic Urticaria or Exercise Induced Urticaria. It is indeed an allergy. I suffer from this and Exercise Induced Anaphylaxis. I have to carry an epi pen. How wonderful and not lame at all.

    Sometimes if you work out consistently, your body will adjust to it (the urticaria) after a few days and it won't bother you. But if you have more than a few days in a break, it'll flare up all over again. Antihistamines don't work for mine.

    If you're just out of shape I got nothing for you lol. Except that it'll get better as you get more in shape :)

    Hey, an EIA buddy! :D
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,986 Member
    Another idea: could you be allergic to your washing powder in combination with sweating? Then you might washing ALL your running clothes just with water and see if it helps. Or are those new garments that are treated with something chemical?
  • terar21
    terar21 Posts: 523 Member
    Push through and don't feel bad about it happening to you. It happened when I first started running. I could swim a mile but a quarter mile of running and I felt my like ripping off my skin the itching was so bad. I'd scratch and there would be giant welts. It's a circulation issue. Just keep pushing through it and it'll stop. It mildly pops up for me if I take a couple of weeks away from running (even though I run 5ks with no issue now). Try to resist the urge to scratch
  • Sickpuppyapb
    Sickpuppyapb Posts: 12 Member
    sounds like prickly heat to me.
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    dbomb76 wrote: »
    You should ask a doctor, not random internet people.
    What if my doctor recommended I stop worrying about approval from authority, and instead focus on group validation for my mental health?
  • sarahlou1114
    sarahlou1114 Posts: 17 Member
    Thanks for all the comments! So glad I'm not the only one! :)
  • MamaBirdBoss
    MamaBirdBoss Posts: 1,516 Member
    dbomb76 wrote: »
    You should ask a doctor, not random internet people.

    Would be better advice if fewer doctors were idiots.

    My EIA was misdiagnosed for years.
  • sarahlou1114
    sarahlou1114 Posts: 17 Member
    That's funny! And true :lol:
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