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@M_V
Exercised induced asthma normally manifests as wheezing, tightness etc after exercise has stopped right? And it should respond to a blue inhaler yeah?
Sorry if I ramble on a bit here, just wonder if anyone else has experienced what I am and has any advice.
My doc gave me an inhaler and a vague diagnosis of "possibly asthma" a few months ago when I'd had a cough I couldn't shift for a month or so and had started feeling tightness in my chest.
The inhaler seemed to have an immediate effect in that I'd been having coughing fits throughout the night but taking a couple dunts (through a spacer device) as prescribed before going to bed saw me have a peaceful night's sleep.
Eventually the cough went away and I experimented variously with taking a dunt before exercise, taking a dunt when I got a wheezy feeling following exercise etc and none of it ever made a noticeable difference so I kinda gave up on it and infact gave the inhaler to my wife (who has more severe and properly diagnosed asthma) as a spare.
However, I have noticed for a while that it's my breathing that I feel is holding back my performance on the bike at times. Legs feel fine but just can't seem to process enough oxygen to keep things going if that makes sense? I think the OP mentioned gasping for breath and riding partners are having no such problems, definitely noticed that.
Felt kinda like this this afternoon. Rode 35ish km at a pretty brisk pace, felt ok while doing that, struggled a little on some hilly bits but not too bad. Then jumped off the bike and climbed a small (<400m) hill on foot and was breathing out my arse while the 2 other's I was with carried on a conversation no bother. Started getting that 'feeling' in the top of my chest/bottom of my throat when trying to take deep breaths, not exactly pain, discomfort maybe?
Anyway, chilled at the top, walked down by which time I was feeling a bit better, back on the bike and another reasonably brisk 30ish km cycle feeling like I was managing to breathe alright but then got on a train to come home and felt like I couldn't fill my lungs more than half way or that chest/throat feeling came back pretty badly.
Had to ride a little after getting off the train and had someone else to keep up with so had no choice to breathe a bit more deeply and it was ok.
I probably need to revisit the doc and start carrying the inhaler with me again eh? Interesting to read someone say that hot weather affects their asthma, wonder if it could be that today...