Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Will somebody diagnose me please?

So I have asthma. But I was diagnosed with "exercise induced asthma" when i was younger. Strangly, my asthma did not act up at all when i moved to Utah 13 years ago. i only needed my inhaler when i would go back down to California OR if I was going to be anywhere there was a cat. I maybe would use my inhaler 1-2 times a year.

For almost a year now i have been running. I started out running for a few minutes everyday. (I was out very out of shape after I had Reese.) Now i run 3-5 miles a day a few days a week. I have used my inhaler 1 time through all of this.

These last couple of weeks I have noticed my breathing getting worse. This morning was terrible. After 1/2 mile i am not even paying attention to my music because i am waiting for my body to let me fully inhale. Finally i can and i run a little further. My body feels like i am carrying an extra 50 lbs and i am totally sluggish. AND totally frustrated. The absolute STUPID thing is that my inhaler is empty because i was going to eventually get it refilled because i need it like twice a year. I pushed myself to go 1.5 miles until i was light headed and wanted to throw up.
Now i am at the computer and feeling fine but very discouraged. I know, I KNOW. I will get my inhaler refilled ASAP. But really, why all of a sudden? I dont get it.

So how was your morning?

7 comments:

Lisa said...

Maybe you have allergies. I had athsma as a kid, but now I only get it when my allergies are bad.

Jenny said...

Changes in the seasons- pollen count, air quality, temperature changes, etc- can all make asthma worse, especially when you add in exercise. Go see the doctor to have a checkup. They should be able to prescribe you a better inhaler- possibly one that you will use every day prior to exercising- as well as refilling your as needed inhaler. Hang in there- if you have what you need in the way of inhalers, you'll be back running like the wind in no time. Miss you guys!

noelle said...

My bet is also on allergies. They kick in for a lot of people right about now. Get some Zyrtec (you can buy it over the counter now) and see if that helps.

Marja said...

This EXACT thing happened to me last year when the weather changed and yes, it was allergies. The cold air makes the chest congestion more severe. It actually felt like I was running in sludge (like my feet were super heavy and I couldn't get them moving) and I couldn't catch my breath. I'll be curious to see what a doctor says if you go.

Tricia said...

Don't hate me for bringing this up again, but here's a book that has really helped me understand the correlation between diet and disease, and has some discussion of Asthma in it (as well as Menstrual Cycles, etc.)- The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell. It's part of a huge answer to prayer for me.

Tricia said...

Lori- I mixed sources. It was the Green Smoothie Girl who cured her children's asthma (www.greensmoothiegirl.com)and The China Study that cites research related to PMS (I drew my own conclusions from the research results, and my own personal results combined). Both have been invaluable sources for me in the past months- freeing me of some uncomfortable conditions. Hope this helps.

McGinnis Family said...

I have asthma too. My used to be exercise induced but, now it's progressed to allergy induced as well. I will say that in the wintertime, or if it gets colder outside, my asthma does act up more and I struggle with my breathing if I am exercising when it's cold. I know that doesn't help but, I know what you mean.