Has this happened to you?

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tristalin
tristalin Posts: 108 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
A couple of months ago I started running during my workouts. I got a cough right afterward that didn't go away. I ended up getting a really bad cold that stuck around for about 5 weeks.

I finally rant today for the first time since then & I suddenly have a cough again...

Is this normal? Eventually will I stop coughing after I run?

Replies

  • Loseittoo
    Loseittoo Posts: 74 Member
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    I would go see a doctor. Colds don't last 5 weeks. That aint right at all
  • dtummel
    dtummel Posts: 7
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    i have exercise induced asthma. If i don't use my inhaler before exercising, I'll start coughing until i can't breath. If you are coughing for that long, it could be the after effects of asthma hanging around, but only your doc could tell for sure
  • mem50
    mem50 Posts: 1,384 Member
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    Sweetie, go and check with your doctor!!! That don't sound normal to me at all!!!!
  • JAGWIRE13579
    JAGWIRE13579 Posts: 63
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    I don't run, ever. However, my daughter also has exercise induced asthma and the main symptom isn't wheezing (for her) it's coughing. I think seeing a doctor is a good idea.
  • darkrider42
    darkrider42 Posts: 5,342 Member
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    You didn't say, but I assume you're running indoors on a treadmill where the air isn't cold. If so, that might be something to check out with your doctor. If you're running outdoors and the temps are below freezing, that's mostly normal. You could minimize that by wearing something over your mouth & nose to warm the air you're breathing just a little.
  • tristalin
    tristalin Posts: 108 Member
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    I am way past the cold that I had for 5 weeks. I gave myself two full months to recover before attempting to run again. I always run indoors on a track...no treadmill & no outdoor temperatures to contend with. I was thinking it was maybe just because I am not used to breathing so hard for so long? I cough the most right after finishing and it will usually last anywhere from 2 hours to 2 days, then it goes away until I run again. I don't think it would be asthma because I don't cough continually and I'm not wheezing or feeling like I can't breathe. I have not been consistant enough with running yet to know if it is something that will go away once I get my body trained a little more. I was just curious to see if any one else experienced this when they were first starting out with running.
  • jbqueen
    jbqueen Posts: 89 Member
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    I never knew I had asthma until I went to the doctor with severe bronchitis, so it's very possible to have asthma and not know it - symptoms can be so mild that they're easy to dismiss. Even after I was diagnosed, I didn't do anything to treat it because it was so innocuous. Eventually, I did have to do something.

    You might have exertion-induced asthma (EIA):
    http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/88849-overview
    http://www.clevelandclinic.org/health/health-info/docs/2200/2208.asp.

    Coughing during or after exertion is certainly a symptom. When I would go running in cooler temps and then come inside I would experience wheezing and coughing, but strangely, I never *felt* like I was having trouble breathing or being deprived of oxygen; I mainly noticed that I could hear myself wheezing! But even if you're not running inside, you're breathing through your mouth instead of your nose, which means the air you're inhaling is cooler than usual. This is one thing that can trigger EIA.

    See your doctor. He/she can examine you and, based on your reports, diagnose any problems. Keep in mind that treating EIA can be really simple: using an inhaler 15 minutes before exercise, or if it's more severe, using a maintenance inhaler to keep symptoms under control. And the best part is that you can exercise more consistently without the worry of inducing an annoying cough!

    Good luck!
  • ivyjbres
    ivyjbres Posts: 612 Member
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    Check with your doctor. It may be exercise induced asthma as already mentioned, or it could also be an allergy or sensitivity to something in the air that you only notice after running because your lungs aren't used to the strain.

    I got persistent bronchitis/pneumonia every year in junior high and high school because the sports teams I was on worked out outside in pretty much all conditions. (And the cows did not help- there was a persistent poo fog until at least 8 am every morning, and we worked out at 6 am Monday through Friday). Now that I've moved away from my home town, I've only had that problem once maybe every 5 years instead of every year. And it only lasts maybe a month or two instead of lasting from October to April.

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