Exercising with Bronchitis

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eeyore9394
eeyore9394 Posts: 7
in Fitness and Exercise
Yesterday I went to the hospital with a 103.3 degree fever and was diagnosed with bronchitis and/or sinusitis . This morning I woke up and my temp is normal and the only symptoms I have left are coughing and brown mucus and some sinus pressure. I'm a varsity athlete and this is driving me insane. The doctor said if I exercise by going to practice [usually about 2 hours] I don't know if it will do more harm than good. I'm on about 500mg of Levofloxacin until next Sunday. Thoughts?

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  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
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    I've dealt with bronchitis quite a bit. How about you only practice for an hour at half speed. From experience, you may feel fine while you're on the drugs going through daily life, but when you start taxing your system you'll notice you've lost a step. Right now your body needs it's resources to recover. If you go all out on a work out it will take you longer to recover from both.
  • MinnieInMaine
    MinnieInMaine Posts: 6,400 Member
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    Your body's already working on overdrive trying to fight off the infection. Don't add more stress by working out/going to practice. Rest, recover quicker and get back to sports when it passes. And make sure you're drinking lots of water/juice to stay hydrated. Take care of yourself!
  • Derpes
    Derpes Posts: 2,033 Member
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    I have exercised with bronchitis.....it did not end well.....ended up having breathing treatments at the hospital.
  • BamaBreezeNSaltAire
    BamaBreezeNSaltAire Posts: 966 Member
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    Having bronchitis is one of the worst things I've ever been through when being sick. No, absolutely not exercising. Your body needs the time to heal, not be stressed that much more.
  • data3567
    data3567 Posts: 21
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    I am just getting over a chest cold and my doctor has told me absolutely no elliptical training. He said it is OK to exercise if you have a head cold, but not a chest cold.
  • eaglefish
    eaglefish Posts: 130 Member
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    Well, having recently fought off a nasty case of bronchitis myself I'd say no to the exercise.. You really don't want it turn into pneumonia !!
  • firstsip
    firstsip Posts: 8,399 Member
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    Who are you, me?! Rest. Rest for LONGER than you think you need to.

    I got sick a month ago (seemed almost like a flu). Took one week off and went full-throttle again for 2-3 weeks. Ended up developing bronchitis or sinusitis (I got the same rundown) and had to take a further 1.5 weeks off. Now I'm easing back into exercise by only lifting at a deload weight, going easier with light runs or yoga. Still coughing and needing a vaporizer.

    Everything I've read (and been scolded with) is that you're recovering even when you feel "100%." Give yourself time to rest. Doctors always seem to defer to "When you feel better," but as a varsity athlete, you may be more accustomed to push yourself. I'd wait until your symptoms are gone... then wait even longer, or go very light for a week or so after.
  • amethyst7986
    amethyst7986 Posts: 223 Member
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    Not allowing your body to properly take care of the infection by depriving it of rest and energy can cause many problems. You run the risk of injuring yourself during workouts because your body isn't getting the rest, energy and hydration that it needs. You can also end up back in the hospital for breathing treatments, pneumonia, exhaustion, etc.
    I say rest, rest, rest and hydrate and slowly go back into workouts. You will definitely be tired after the first week or so, but you don't want to create another problem for yourself.
  • CipherZero
    CipherZero Posts: 1,418 Member
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    Any time I've had bronchitis that required medication I waited until a day AFTER I've felt normal to resume heavy workouts. If I tried earliest it just extended the illness and misery.

    tl;dr: Get healthy first, then go and kill it.
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    Your body's already working on overdrive trying to fight off the infection. Don't add more stress by working out/going to practice. Rest, recover quicker and get back to sports when it passes. And make sure you're drinking lots of water/juice to stay hydrated. Take care of yourself!

    ^^^^ this

    rest and recover first, then focus on getting back into your usual routine.


    exercise stresses the immune system, which is fine when you're well because your body's quite capable of handling it. But when you're ill and you exercise, your immune system is effectively fighting on two fronts, and so will do less well against the infection, leaving you open to secondary infections and the like.

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