Exercise Induced Asthma - What's It Like?

PeachyPlum · April 2012

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me what having EI Asthma feels like?

I have very mild asthma that is typically only aggravated by respiratory tract infections - I have an albuterol inhaler that I have been instructed to start taking the minute I feel a cold coming on, etc... So I really only know what an asthma attack feels like when I already have bronchitis.

I am trying to start the Couch to 5K program and yesterday evening was my first time out. It was a nice 70 degree evening with moderate humidity - perfect jogging weather. About 30 seconds into the first jogging bit, my lungs started to feel like they were on fire, as did my nose. By the end of the second 60 second jogging interval, the burning sensation was just miserable and I had to walk the rest of the way, coughing as I went.

The burning stopped after about 10-15 minutes, but my chest still felt tight and short of breath several hours later when I went to bed. Throughout the evening, I coughed periodically although I had felt perfectly fine earlier that day.

This morning, I feel fine again.

Could this be EI asthma? I'm not terribly out of shape, I walk 5-6 miles a day but I've not done a lot of running before this. However, my friend who is much more out of shape than I am was able to run a lot more than I was on her first training day.

Note: I know asthma is not something to mess around with and try to self diagnose - I'm planning on making an appointment with my doctor this afternoon just to be on the safe side. But shy of sprinting to her office, I'm not sure how to let her check these symptoms.

mfanyafujo · April 2012

I've only had a few attacks, and they were while running, after pushing myself far past my usual limits (or in extremely cold weather). It wasn't a burning sensation, but my chest and throat got very tight, started coughing, and had trouble breathing for a while.

I don't have any problems with it when I'm in good running shape. If you want to keep trying to run, just take a slower pace and use shorter intervals. Hopefully the problem will go away, and maybe your doc will have some suggestions.

persilcolours · April 2012

I have exercise-induced asthma -- what happened to you could be asthma or just being generally new to running/endurance sports.

But coughing and having chest tightness several hours after working out definitely sounds like exercise-induced asthma to me.

I take one-two puffs from the albuterol inhaler about five-ten minutes before running (or any exercise) and then I am perfectly fine.

Also, it's usually much worse when it's cold outside -- in fact, running outside in very cold weather (even if I use an inhaler) will have me coughing for several hours, and I don't recommend it.

lisaidem · April 2012

Yep, sounds like Excercise-induced asthma. I have had two real "attacks" in my life--trying to go "balls to the wall" with Zumba for my very first time, and when I ran a couple of weeks ago in the cold. And I use "run" every so lightly. I was doing a slow jog, and the cold just made the EI asthma start. Got one of those inhalers you can't from the pharmacist, and it's OK.

I experience wheezing, shortness of breath and slight chest constriction. It's actually very similar to me to a panic attack, oddly enough. I have to concentrate on breathing.

ktfitzgerald · April 2012

I have anything-and-everything induced asthma and have had countless severe attacks. But I completely agree with Persilcolours:

I take one-two puffs from the albuterol inhaler about five-ten minutes before running (or any exercise) and then I am perfectly fine.

Also, it's usually much worse when it's cold outside -- in fact, running outside in very cold weather (even if I use an inhaler) will have me coughing for several hours, and I don't recommend it.

This has worked for me....mostly.

MrsLVF · April 2012

I'm wondering if anyone can tell me what having EI Asthma feels like?

I have very mild asthma that is typically only aggravated by respiratory tract infections - I have an albuterol inhaler that I have been instructed to start taking the minute I feel a cold coming on, etc... So I really only know what an asthma attack feels like when I already have bronchitis.

I am trying to start the Couch to 5K program and yesterday evening was my first time out. It was a nice 70 degree evening with moderate humidity - perfect jogging weather. About 30 seconds into the first jogging bit, my lungs started to feel like they were on fire, as did my nose. By the end of the second 60 second jogging interval, the burning sensation was just miserable and I had to walk the rest of the way, coughing as I went.

The burning stopped after about 10-15 minutes, but my chest still felt tight and short of breath several hours later when I went to bed. Throughout the evening, I coughed periodically although I had felt perfectly fine earlier that day.

This morning, I feel fine again.

Could this be EI asthma? I'm not terribly out of shape, I walk 5-6 miles a day but I've not done a lot of running before this. However, my friend who is much more out of shape than I am was able to run a lot more than I was on her first training day.

Note: I know asthma is not something to mess around with and try to self diagnose - I'm planning on making an appointment with my doctor this afternoon just to be on the safe side. But shy of sprinting to her office, I'm not sure how to let her check these symptoms.

Be sure to do the lung function test. Be very careful, this can be very serious. My man had the same issues, was misdiagnosed by one DR as having emphysema. Three moths later, after a week of troubled breathing & coughing he ended up in the emergency room, only 1/2 of one lung was functioning. The specialist said if he wasn't fit he would not have made it, and it was just a severe undiagnosed asthma attack.

raydot · April 2012

I have exercise induced asthma but do not have regular asthma, and to be honest, after I finish exercising my lungs return to their normal state within about 10 minutes. I don't have "attacks" - I literally just start running and about 60 seconds in (like you) feel extreme congestion and my breath leaves me. I don't cough, I just hack up tons of mucus... I might be wrong, but I thought I read somewhere that EI is different from standard asthma because the lung itself doesn't constrict, it just gets swollen with mucus and liquid (please bear in mind I know very little about asthma so you must take what I say with a grain of salt).

Anyway I've never had a situation where it went beyond 10 or 15 minutes. Once I stop moving and clear my throat of all the icky build up that's cutting off the air flow, my system starts to calm down. What you had sounds like a genuine asthma attack.

WickedGarden · April 2012

I have it. Usually when I'm outside hiking and it's hot out, and the air quality is bad, my chest feels tight, and I'm wheezing, almost faint. Not that I'm trying to overexert myself, I just happen to hike with someone who is a speed hiker and doesn't bother to look back to see if I'm ok or not.

Usually I make sure I have my albuterol inhaler with me, take 2 puffs before I hike and I'm good, sometimes I have to stop to take a few more puffs. I have been doing P90x for the last 2Â½ months, and a few times I had to stop to take a few puffs.

I do remember when I was in school, and I'd try so hard to keep up with the rest of the kids, and after a while I'd be all sweaty, hot and couldn't breathe. My PCP at the time refused to give me albuterol, so I had to go to an allergist, and they said I shouldn't go anywhere without it.

If you feel that something isn't right, then please go to the doctor about it.

PeachyPlum · April 2012

Thanks everyone! I plan to take my Albuterol this evening before I go out, and see if that helps. If it doesn't, I won't push myself until after I've been checked out - I have an appointment with the doc next week.

Exercise Induced Asthma - What's It Like?

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