What's wrong with my lungs?

Triathlon Forum
1

so, lately (the past 2 years, really) i’ve been having some problems with my lungs after rides. i’m wondering if it could possibly be some kind of exercise-induced asthma. (really, i don’t think this fits the description of exercise-induced asthma, but i don’t know what else it might be.)

when i ride decently hard (at least 30 miles, with heart rate above 160 or 165 for a good amount of it) i have problems with my breathing. it rarely happens during the ride (though it did happen a bit today), but rather comes on as soon as i finish, while i’m stretching, and continues for between an hour and 15 hours (yeah, it sometimes continues the next day). when i breathe, there is a lot of wheezing and it turns to coughing/hacking. my wife tells me that i don’t have to pretend to be biking when i’m really just going out to smoke for 3 hours. (no, i don’t smoke, so that isn’t it) sometimes i cough up phlegm, other times, just normal mucousy stuff that i think everybody gets in their throats when biking.

this does happen with running, but isn’t nearly as bad as biking. this could have to do with the fact that i haven’t been running quite as hard lately due to ongoing achilles tendon problems.

possible explanations: i live in utah for now (only for about 4 more months), but grew up in the east and midwest. the air here is extremely dry. could that have something to do with it? the air here (along the wasatch front) is quite polluted. might that contribute? it’s allergy season for me.

any help, suggestions, personal experiences would be appreciated.

thanks.

collin

2

Riding hard in dry, cold and pollution will all make your lungs get ratty faster than otherwise but if you ride at a higher intensity long enough it will always happen. If you ever hear the peloton in the third week of a grand tour it sounds like a symphony of coughing.

Since you don’t mention any shortness of breath it doesn’t sound like any more than irritation from pumping large quantities of air, and all the stuff in it, through them.

3

Coughing after exercise is a classic sign of exercise-induced asthma. Affects on breathing are felt more strongly after exercise as your respiratory rate and tidal volume decrease but your performance will no doubt have been lowered during training/ competition.

It is well known that humid air helps relieve exercise-induced asthma and that airborne particles (e.g. pollen, pollution, smoke etc.) act as triggers. My suspicion is that you had a very mild pre-existing condition that has been exacerbated by the move to Utah. The good news is that a ventolin inhaler taken before and after exercise should resolve your problems without any side effects.

I would strongly suggest you see your doctor for assesment