Asthma woes......

[phoenix]

I've been having a terrible time the last couple of years w/ getting so out of breath when I skate hard that I literally can't breathe---which of course, happens every time I have a lesson!

This summer I was diagnosed w/ asthma, so I have an inhaler, but I can't say that it seems to help all that much. It's worse on cold days when the rink is really cold.

Does anyone else have this/have suggestions? I'm so tired of spending valuable lesson time gasping for air & having my coach think I'm a total out of shape wuss. I think I add to the problem by holding my breath some too, but I don't think that's totally the cuprit. My heart rate zooms up alarmingly as well.....

[miraclegro]

Well, i COMPLETELY understand, since i grew up w/asthma. As a matter of fact, when i was little, i had to walk to school (in Virginia) and by the time i got there in the winter, i was wheezing LOUDLY, and would hold my breath b/c i was so embarrassed. Needless to say, that doesn't help at all! They would finally sit me down in the principal's office w/hot tea to get my day going. Sure worked better than holding your breath and passing out!

I have outgrown the worst of it, but this year for some reason has been more challenging. My kids both had it when young also....so...

Bring hot tea to the rink; it REALLY helps for the duration of the time you are drinkiing it, up to about an hour afterward. Decaf or Caffeine works great. Caffeine may help a bit more, but not really sure there...Some dollar stores even carry the disposable travel paper cups w/lids!

When my son was going through adolescence (i guess body changes aggravated it) he was put on Singular (sp?) for a time, and it helped A LOT for the full time of things. Inhaler was barely needed. That stuff was great. Might want to check into it. When he hit high school, didn't need it at all. Now he only keeps an inhaler handy for rare occasions.

Cats are the WORST for allergies; at least for me; if you have one, may consider options. Also,have you had any allergy testing done? You may find out there are things to avoid that may help your asthma not be as bad. I got on allergy shots a few years ago,and it greatly reduced my asthma.

[dbny]

DH has had asthma since he was a teenager. He regularly uses coffee as a broncho-dilator. Eight or nine years ago he had a terrible time due to inhalation of smoke and extinguisher fumes. I finally prevailed upon him to see a pulmonologist. She told him that the problem with asthma is not inhalation, but exhalation, and gave him breathing exercises to do every day. After a brief period on some strong meds to bring him out of crisis mode, he has not regularly needed any drugs since. He does occasionally use an inhaler (mostly when exposed to known allergens), but between the coffee and the breathing exercises, he's pretty much in the clear, even when skating and shoveling snow. Find a good pulmonologist. I think they know more about treating asthma than the allergists do.

[Award]

There are inhalers that you can get from the doctor that are for prevention of the onset of the asthma attacks. Things like becotide and maybe newer stuff.

Anyway, I know for a fact that environment can trigger asthma. I have mild asthma. I normally live at sea level. But I lived at high altitude (above 5000 feet) for a number of years, and to my own massive surprise, my asthma condition disappeared completely at my high altitude environment. It was odd too because at the high altitude environment, some of the trees are known to cause allergy problems at certain times of the year, but I was completely unaffected by that.....and, because my condition really vanished, I didn't even bother bringing an inhaler when I was running, skating etc....not even for very physically demanding exercise. Then when I moved back to my city at sea level, my condition resurfaced again. I really believe that the factor in my case is due to allergens of some sort. Which allergens? ...no idea. But I'm absolutely positive that it's due to allergens, because I was overwhelmingly surprised how my asthma condition vanished when I lived at a different location.

[samba]

Have had this problem for years, its horrible because you want to keep going but your body wont let you, my coach has to remind me to breath when doing programmes and I have noticed that Zambonie fumes affect me so I keep well away when that is on the ice.

[abbi_1990]

I've been having a terrible time the last couple of years w/ getting so out of breath when I skate hard that I literally can't breathe---which of course, happens every time I have a lesson!

This summer I was diagnosed w/ asthma, so I have an inhaler, but I can't say that it seems to help all that much. It's worse on cold days when the rink is really cold.

Does anyone else have this/have suggestions? I'm so tired of spending valuable lesson time gasping for air & having my coach think I'm a total out of shape wuss. I think I add to the problem by holding my breath some too, but I don't think that's totally the cuprit. My heart rate zooms up alarmingly as well.....


is your inhaler one that you take everyday (a preventer e.g. becotide, seretide...)? or are you only supposed to take it when you exercise (a reliever e.g. ventolin)

If you are only supposed to take it when you exercise, have you tried taking it 15 mins BEFORE you start skating?

If the inhaler you have is one that you take everyday, then i suggest that you go to your doctors and ask about getting a reliver inhaler. It is also possible that if you take a preventer inhaler, the dosage may need to be increased or you may need to switch to a different type.

I reccomend that you go back to see the doctor who diagnosed you with asthma and ask him/her what they can do.

I have quite severe asthma, and can totally sympathise with your probelms when skating. What I do is as well as taking all of my preventer medicanes, i make sure i take my reliever inhaler (ventolin) 15 mins before i skate, this helps a lot because before you exercise you can breath better/deeper so the medicane can get further into your lungs, and also it has a bit of time to kick in before you start exercising.

I hope you manage to get it sorted out.

[RoaringSkates]

I have exercise induced asthma, and it's far worse in the winter if I work out outdoors. I do skate in very cold rinks in winter, but I manage my breathing - in winter, I don't sprint on the ice for any measurable length of time. I do 3ish patterns of the dance, at tempo, then rest a minute while skating around to bring my breathing back down. Then repeat. And I'm aware of what I'm doing, so I bring it down a notch when I need to. Thus, I no longer use my inhaler before I skate.

But if you have a reliever inhaler, you can do what I did when I was younger, and had to run distance in the winter. Take your inhaler 15 minutes before you skate. Speak to your doctor first, of course, but this used to work for me. Taking it in advance prevented asthma attacks, and taking it 15 minutes in advance gave my body time to adjust - I get jittery after I take the inhaler, and 15 minutes is enough time for that feeling to go away.

You can also try to warm the air that you're breathing in, by breathing through a muffler or scarf. I actually use a ski headband, which I pull down to my neck to use as a slightly loose scarf, because it's not bulky and it doesn't fly open when I skate.

[flo]

I actually did a survey years ago on skaters and asthma. If you search in the forums it might be here. What works well for this type are the systemic meds - I think one is a leukotryine inhibitor or something. I believe the brand name is singulair and accolate.

[momsk8er]

Both dd and I have asthma, hers is exercise induced. Here is the advice we got from our doc.

She is on daily singular, which is a pill and preventative medicine. She is also instructed to take her albuterol (same as ventolin - called a rescue inhaler - works immediately) 15-20 minutes before skating. This usually prevents attacks, but she may need another dose while she is skating if she is exercising vigourously.

I am on daily advair, which is a preventative inhaler. With that I don't usually need to take the rescue inhaler prior to skating. But I do take the albuterol if I have a cold or other allergy issues going on (cats or pollen).

For exercise or cold air related asthma we have also been told to keep hydrated and warm up slowly.

You might want to check out this site:

to help you determine if your medications are being properly prescribed.

[Morgail]

I have asthma too - ever since I had pneumonia as a little kid. It's not as bad as it used to be, but I still have to use my inhaler sometimes (sometimes when skating, when walking in the cold, when my allergies are acting up, and when I laugh too hard! Is there such a thing as laughing-induced asthma? :lol: )

Anyway, if your inhaler isn't helping you, definitely see the doctor about getting a different kind. I have the kind you use when you feel the asthma kicking in, so I only use it when I need it. I think it's Albuterol...but they don't even make that kind anymore (shows how much I use it!).

[momsk8er]

my link didn't come through - let me try again:

http://www.asthmacontrol.com/

[Bill_S]

I had developed asthma before I started skating again in 2000. The doctor prescribed Advair and Singulair for me at different times and both helped.

I finally outgrew the asthma (and lost 20 pounds) after I took up skating, so the exercise and lower weight both helped me outgrow asthma. I no longer take the medications.

[sue123]

Count me in as another skater with asthma. It's not so bad now, when I was a kid, it was pretty bad, taking my inhaler every day or every other day. Granted, I wasn't skating, but still pretty active. If you're only getting attacks with exercise, you might just want to take your inhaler before you exercise. I think those preventative ones are more for people who are constantly needing their inhaler. Although, if you exercise regularly, then it might be beneficial.

Also what really helps with the cold, but might not be too comfortable when you skate, is to put something over your mouth and nose so that the air is warming up as your breathe in. When I was a kid, my mom tied a scarf around my face. I still do this if I'm going to be outside for a long time, although I found a much more fashionable way to do it instead of just tying it into a knot. But, it's not very comfortable for skating. I'm drawing a blank as to what you could try, maybe somebody else has an idea. But the cold is also a trigger for your bronchi to constrict, so warming up the air going into your lungs helps.

Also, do you take your inhaler properly? My allergist was complaining that people keep going to him saying their inhaler isn't helping, but really, they're not taking the inhaler properly. Also, you need to take it at the first sign of an attack. Don't wait until it gets worse because it's not something that goes away if you ignore it.

And kinda OT, but isn't asthma usually diagnosed in children? Although I suppose like anything else, there is no clear cut age, but has your doc ruled out other things that might be causing the symptoms?

[Scarlett]

Another asthmatic skater here. I take preventative medications so I rarely have to use my rescue inhaler. Changes in weather will usually precipitate an attack. I find that warming up a little in the warming room and doing a lot of warm up stroking when I first get on the ice is an absolute necessity. For me the warm-up is not about warming up my legs but getting my lungs used to the demands of really working in the cold air.

[phoenix]

Wow, you guys have some really helpful suggestions! I'm using Advair, & have a rescue inhaler----but I have NOT been taking it 15 minutes before skating, or warming up off-ice first, so I'm definitely going to try those things! I'm also going to bring along the hot tea--what the heck, we'll see if it helps.

I'm also in the process of dropping some weight, & I have hopes that that will also help improve it. What is sort of puzzling to me is that skating never used to bother me before. I could never run in cold weather, that would leave me wheezing for a couple hours afterward. But skating wasn't a problem until the last few years. I do think my new coach works me a lot harder than I'd ever been worked before, so maybe that pushed it over the edge.

I also notice it's not a problem when I just practice on my own--when I can take it a little easier, or when I probably don't push myself as much.

[saras]

Wow, you guys have some really helpful suggestions! I'm using Advair, & have a rescue inhaler----but I have NOT been taking it 15 minutes before skating, or warming up off-ice first, so I'm definitely going to try those things! I'm also going to bring along the hot tea--what the heck, we'll see if it helps.


Mine seems to flair up seasonally, particularly after I have had a bad cold. I never used to have a problem with it, but last year I started getting the exercise-induced version *really* badly - about 6 weeks after a bad cold I finally went to see a doctor. I got a batch of rescue meds - which worked through that season. I didn't need them last summer or fall, but then got a cold/flu in December I think - and in the last few weeks it's been pretty bad. So much so that the rescue meds aren't doing much.

I regularly drink hot tea - not usually very caffeinated though. On my list is calling the doctor to see if there's a more systemic medicine to add to the mix.

For me, I think it's the combination of living in a cold winter climate, skating in a cold rink, and recovering from a cold. Eesh!

[RNsk8r]

One thing to keep in mind is that the vast majority of people with aerosol type inhalers do not use them properly, so don't get the full effect of the medication. Ask your doctor to prescribe a spacer device to use along with the inhalers so that you ensure you are getting the full benefit of the medication. Also make sure you are using the medication as directed. Along with taking it 15-20 mins. before exercise, when doing multiple puffs you should give a good 5 mins. between puffs. I too am a skater that has asthma, though with a combination of singulair and zyrtec very rarely have an issue anymore. That is unless I get an upper respiratory infection. I was diagnosed as an adult, 19yrs old, but coincidentally it was shortly after I started skating. Also, given my past history I probably had it as a child, but was never diagnosed.

[aussieskater]

Wow, there are a lot of us skaters with asthma. I'm now on Symbicort (contains preventive and long-acting dilator in same puffer), and hardly ever need my ventolin now. According to our public health officials, if you need the ventolin puffer more often than once a week or so, you should see your doctor because you might need a preventer.

In fact, in an attempt to get asthmatics to see their doctor and reduce the death rate from asthma attacks (Australia has one of the highest rates of fatal asthma in the world), you can't get relievers (ventolin etc) here without the chemist filling out a card which declares how many you've bought. If you buy too many and haven't handed over a script for a preventer as well, the chemist can refuse to sell you the reliever.

As far as cold air goes, I might be the only person I know whose lungs respond positively to the cold dry rink air - they love it! (But not when it's full of zamboni fumes...)

Best of luck with the breathing - it's sure not a lot of fun!

[Award]

(Australia has one of the highest rates of fatal asthma in the world), you can't get relievers (ventolin etc) here without the chemist filling out a card which declares how many you've bought. If you buy too many and haven't handed over a script for a preventer as well, the chemist can refuse to sell you the reliever.

In Australia, the chemist shop (aka pharmacy) is allowed to sell you inhalers after they get your details etc. But in USA, you need to get a doctor's prescription....can't just buy over the counter. It's very interesting the differences in regulations etc. Like.....in australia, you can buy turpentine/metho etc from any old store.....like supermarkets etc. But in USA.....can't do that...need to go to a hardware shop etc to get it.

[RoaringSkates]

There are a lot of things that you can buy over the counter overseas, which you can't get in the US without a prescription. Codeine, for example, is available OTC in Ireland, but not in the US.

[Mrs Redboots]

There are a lot of things that you can buy over the counter overseas, which you can't get in the US without a prescription. Codeine, for example, is available OTC in Ireland, but not in the US.
You can get it OTC here (UK), too. I am not sure whether this holds true for the entire EU, though, or whether it varies from member state to member state - I've thankfully never needed to try to buy it in France or Germany.

And can you get ibuprofen gel in the USA yet - I did hear that one could? Here, it's sold under the brand name Ibuleve, but generic versions are available. I've even seen a tube containing a best-of-all-worlds mixture of Ibuprofen and Deep Heat gels!

[RoaringSkates]

...And can you get ibuprofen gel in the USA yet - I did hear that one could? Here, it's sold under the brand name Ibuleve, but generic versions are available. I've even seen a tube containing a best-of-all-worlds mixture of Ibuprofen and Deep Heat gels!

Ibuprofin gel, as in gel-tablets that you swallow? Those, we have. But ibuprofin gel, as in a topical gel? I haven't seen that. We do have topical analgesics, though: Ben Gay is the leading player in that market. It does come as a gel, but there's no ibuprofin in it. It's menthol.

[sue123]

You can get it OTC here (UK), too. I am not sure whether this holds true for the entire EU, though, or whether it varies from member state to member state - I've thankfully never needed to try to buy it in France or Germany.

And can you get ibuprofen gel in the USA yet - I did hear that one could? Here, it's sold under the brand name Ibuleve, but generic versions are available. I've even seen a tube containing a best-of-all-worlds mixture of Ibuprofen and Deep Heat gels!

I've gotten codeine OTC in Paris. Well, it was cough syrup with codeine in it, I went to the pharmacist and asked for something for a cough. She asked a bunch of other questions, and that's what I got. Only I forgot the words for dry cough or wet cough, I knew what she was asking, but I forgot which was which, so I had to cough for her. It was amazing stuff, I brought it back home and took it every time I started getting the cough again, but then my bottle ran out

[Mrs Redboots]

Ibuprofin gel, as in gel-tablets that you swallow? Those, we have. But ibuprofin gel, as in a topical gel? I haven't seen that. We do have topical analgesics, though: Ben Gay is the leading player in that market. It does come as a gel, but there's no ibuprofin in it. It's menthol.
No, this is a topical gel that you rub in. See here (http://www.ibuleve.com/) for our main brand.

[Scarlett]

I must say I'm intrigued. I would love to get my hands on the package insert.

[Query]

I don't have the problem, but someone told me the moldy air in indoor ice rinks creates problems for asthmatics. (Maybe pollen affects outdoor rinks?) Something to do with all that moisture, and all the heat the arc lights generate. Some rinks use resurfacing machines that have internal combustion engines, which seems to bother some people. There may be other local sources of smog too.

Depending on how the air is circulated and filtered, how the lights and ceiling are set up, how the ice is cleared, temperature and time of day, the problem might differ rink to rink. Could you experiment with rink and time of day?

BTW, am I right that ibuprofen gel has nothing to do with asthma?

[Mrs Redboots]

I must say I'm intrigued. I would love to get my hands on the package insert.
You can, if you go here (http://www.ibuleve.com/pages/ibuleverange.php); there's an option to download the Patient Information Leaflet (which is what it's called over here) for each of the products in the range.

Oddly enough, I see that you shouldn't use it if you have ever suffered from asthma. I wonder why not....

[abbi_1990]

Mrs Redboots:

Ibruprofen can cause allergic reactions in people who have asthma i.e. it can make them wheezy and get out of breath and cause them to have an asthma attack. Therefore people with asthma are generally advised not to take ibruprofen.

Creams and gels that contain ibruprofen get absorbed into the skin and it is possible that the small amount of ibruprofen absorbed into the bloodstream from these creams/gels could cause the same allergic reaction as ibruprofen tablets.

Hence the reason why people who have asthma shouldnt use ibuleve etc without consulting their doctor.

Hope this answers your question.