Yes, exercise induced asthma IS a real thing, i’m not just trying to get out of doing exercise! I actually love exercise, it’s always been such a huge part of my life. So, why am i talking about this topic? Well, about 3 months ago i was diagnosed with having the lung disease – exercise induced asthma. Asthma doesn’t run in my family and i’ve never been treated for it, or any other lung issues until now. Until 3 months ago i had no idea it was even a thing, let alone how common it actually is. I wanted to tell you my story incase you, or anyone you know might be feeling the same symptoms i did.
What Is Exercise Induced Asthma?
Exercise-induced asthma is a lung disease (exercise-induced bronchoconstriction) that narrows the airways in the lungs, triggered by certain types of exercise.
Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction is technically, a more accurate term because the exercise induces the narrowing of the airways. Unlike those with other forms of asthma, people with exercise induced asthma generally only have symptoms during or after exercise.
Is It Curable?
In short, no, unfortunately not. Once you have this lung disease, it’s unlikely it’ll ever go away completely. Most people with exercise-induced asthma can go on to live a normal life, with little to no symptoms with medications preventive measures in place.
This doesn’t mean you will always need medication to keep it under control, this will vary from person to person. Once you’ve got it under control, you may just need a little top up of medication now and again to keep it that way. You might also find you need to change your workout intensity to help keep it under control. Less HIIT, and more LISS instead.
Of course, lifestyle choices such as vaping, or smoking will only make this lung disease so much worse.
What Are The Symptoms?
Of course, this will vary from person to person but the main symptoms are…
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- Coughing
- Chest tightness or pain
- Fatigue during exercise
- Poorer than expected athletic performance
The Causes & Risk Factors
According to research, the cause for exercise-induced asthma to occur is unclear. This lung disease can suddenly appear in both adults and children of all ages, no matter how fit and healthy they are. Even elite athletes can suddenly have this condition, so it doesn’t mean you aren’t healthy if you get it.
The risk factors of this type of asthma are pretty low, especially if you are being treated with the proper medications. However, if left un-treated, it could lead to life threatening complications. So, if you think you might have this, go and get yourself checked out! I didn’t for weeks which made it so much worse for me.
My Story
So it was about 3 months ago that i actually got diagnosed with having exercise-induced asthma, however my story begins about a year ago. Around a year ago after every time i did any kind of strenuous exercise i would get a cough that would hang around for days at a time. It would often also come with a runny nose so i put it down to having a rubbish immune system and getting a regular cold. I would get this cough/cold thing on and off for months, until suddenly the cough just wouldn’t go away at all and i had a permanent cough for 12 weeks consistently. The thought about going to the doctors with a cough – especially since COVID hit didn’t seem like a great thing to do, so i left it.
Seeing My GP
Weeks went by and this cough seemed to be getting worse so i made the appointment to see my GP. My first appointment was by telephone and before i had even finished giving my symptoms to him, he said it was almost certainly exercise-induced asthma. Within a few days i had a face-to-face appointment where we went through things in more detail. My symptoms at this point had been a cough and a runny nose that got worse after exercise. Or when i was lying down in bed at night, and getting up in the morning.
The respiratory specialist tested how much air i could expand from my lungs. It was a very easy test to do – blowing as hard as i could into a plastic tube and writing down the score each time. For the first week i had to do this 3 times a day to get a good sample. It turns out my lungs are above the average score for women of my age. So, even if you have great lung health, you can still get asthma.
The Medications
Along with doing the lung capacity test, i was given the Clenil Modulite Preventer Inhaler (brown) to take every morning and evening. Along with another inhaler (a blue one) to take before and after exercise if i experienced any symptoms. After a month of doing this, nothing really changed. Every time i did any kind of semi-intense exercise, the cough would come back.
So, back to the GP i went. I also found the blue inhaler would make me feel quite queazy and my heart would race, so the doctor changed this inahler to a green one instead. Apparently some people are a bit intolerant to the blue inhaler – so if you feel the same, ask for it to be changed over.
I was then told to keep going with the brown inhaler every morning and evening. Except now i was to also add in an additional tablet at night as well. The Montelukast is the tablet i now take along side the brown and green inhalers.
How It’s Going So Far
So far, we are about 3 weeks in on the different medications and the difference is incredible! I can now do quite intense workouts, a few times a week with little to no side effects. As it still early days, i’m not sure if i will be on these medications for life, or if they’ll wean me off them. However, right now, the difference is incredible and i feel like me again. Whether this will last or not, i’m not sure, but i will keep you updated.
I hope this article has given you some comfort when it comes to dealing with exercise-induced asthma. There are things you can do to make it easier for you. There is hope at the end of the tunnel so don’t give up! You’ll still be able to go and exercise.
If you have also have exercise-induced asthma, please comment below with any tips you have to keep it a bay.
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