Asthma

sazzyanne14
sazzyanne14 Posts: 77 Member
edited November 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Is there anyone that suffers with fairly bad asthma that can give me tips on increasing my cardio levels. I know that the fitter you get the less you asthma affects you, but at the moment whenever I do anything cardio wise my chest gets really tight and I struggle and have to use my reliever inhaler (blue one) a lot.

Thanks

Replies

  • duckykissy
    duckykissy Posts: 285 Member
    edited April 2015
    The past month I've been on a preventor which has been amazing. Still not upping my cardio very well, but 90% of my asthma issues are gone now. Personally I think it may be useful to talk to your asthma specialist/ gp and see if they can do something for you. My dr. said that if I'm using my reliever nearly every day, I need something else. Perhaps you're the same?
  • tiny_clanger
    tiny_clanger Posts: 301 Member
    Go to your doctor and have an asthma review. It sounds like your preventer regime needs to be reviewed and changed. I had a crisis in November and was changed from beclometasone to Seretide, and the difference has been amazing, I feel like I've got a whole new set of lungs!

    There's a lot of treatment possibilities out there, so if what you're using isn't working, get it changed. Also, consider getting a peak flow meter (not sure where you are, but in the Uk they are cheaper to buy over the counter than on prescription) and keeping a peak flow diary for few weeks, so you understand your asthma better (do you flare in mornings/evenings, what are your triggers, etc) It does make getting treatment so much easier too.
  • sazzyanne14
    sazzyanne14 Posts: 77 Member
    Yea i've been taking the preventor and reliever (brown and blue) for a long while now. I had an asthma attack a couple of years ago where the doctor came close to giving me a nebuliser for use at home but decided against it and put me on intense steroid treatment and i had to pop in every other morning for a couple of weeks to use the one at the doctors.

    I did have a peak flow meter (in the UK, prescribed to me) but with all my moving I think it's gotten lost. I need to see the doctors to try and get them to xray my ankles for arthritis anyway so I can talk about my asthma then too.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Best to take medical advice on this one

    But I have to say once your weight goes down it does get easier but then I didn't have exercise induced asthma (I am now med-free)

    I think part of the problem with asthma is the psychological aspect as well - the I can't breathe leads to OMG, I can't breathe .. I found having my trainer with me helped me panic less and after that it was just building and building resistance and length
  • sazzyanne14
    sazzyanne14 Posts: 77 Member
    My weight is going down at a nice rate now which I know will help.

    I definitely agree about the psychological aspect. I've purchased a heart rate monitor (a tip from a friend) so that I can see my rough heart rate as I'm exercising so I know I'm not pushing it and will be fine. It's just breaking through the wall I think.

    Doctors appointment is booked anyway so I'll chat with him and maybe he can give me an action plan.
  • Tomm88
    Tomm88 Posts: 733 Member
    When i was younger i was in and out of hospital with astma, it almost killed me several times. It all stopped though when i was 15 and started lifting weights, could be an age thing or maybe it helped. I know what you're feeling though and it really sucks. Add me if you want and let me know how it goes!
  • belimawr
    belimawr Posts: 1,155 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Best to take medical advice on this one

    But I have to say once your weight goes down it does get easier but then I didn't have exercise induced asthma (I am now med-free)

    I think part of the problem with asthma is the psychological aspect as well - the I can't breathe leads to OMG, I can't breathe .. I found having my trainer with me helped me panic less and after that it was just building and building resistance and length

    This.

    Before losing my weight, I was using my rescue inhaler several times daily. On a summer day just walking to the subway station would cause me to wheeze. If I hustled to make a train it felt like I was unable to breathe and feel like I was going to pass out. If I thought about it, even worse.

    Now, maybe on a bad air day I'll use it, on occasion before bed - although I think the later is more emotional than physical. Now everyone's different but you'll probably see a great improvement.

    I'm following the NHS couch 2 5k program and I never need my inhaler while running.

    My advice is to take it easy at first. Be patient in regards to improvement. Pace yourself, and if your asthma bothers you back of on the exertion. Better to take a little while longer to improve than risk having an attack.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    About 4 years ago I was in horrible shape. For 4 months I literally had either bronchitis or my asthma was flaring. One day i had to pull over while driving my kids because i coughed so hard i almost passed out (i could see my vision going fuzzy around the edges) . At one point I was on antibiotics and steroids, a pill for my asthma, a maintenance inhaler, a rescue inhaler AND had a nebulizer for emergencies.


    My asthma specialist told me to pre medicate with my rescue inhaler before doing cardio. As my symptoms decreased, I played with not using it as often. Currently, I have only used my inhaler a handful of times in 6 months. I haven't used the other meds in 2 years.

    I have had a few close calls. Times when my trainer pushed me a little too hard, and my chest started to tighten, and I started to have trouble breathing. When that happens, I stop what I'm doing and concentrate on breathing deeply. So far I have had success with this method, and can continue my workout.
  • tiny_clanger
    tiny_clanger Posts: 301 Member
    Oh yes, forgot about that. I also take my reliever (blue) before exercise. I'm exercise-triggered, but find once I settle into a breathing rhythm, any asthma symptoms settle. I think my asthma reacts to the deeper breaths I take in the first few minutes of cardio work. The reliever makes those initial breaths easier, and gives you time to settle in without feeling the panic of a tightening chest.

    There is, in my opinion, a bit of a psychological thing too. I found that, while I was acclimatising to exercise, my body was interpreting normal increase in breathing speed and slight breathlessness as an asthma attack, and I was quite afraid of the sensation, having had attacks in the past. It was a bit of a barrier for me to overcome, and my asthma nurse was very useful teaching me breathing methods to ride out the sensation.

    Make sure as well that you are fully exhaling. Take the time when exercising to do a deep, conscious, exhale every so often, asthma affects exhalation, so you do not efficiently gas exchange, retain air in the lungs, triggering the breathless, tight feeling. Concentrate on your exhale, rather than your inhale as well.
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