Can adult asthma get worse? And other questions? - Asthma Message Board

dazedandconfused10 · 06-12-2006, 08:32 PM

I'm so confused about getting asthma as an adult but I do have it, have an inhaler -advair, stopped my incessant coughing. Then I got really sick with a virus that lingered, put on an antibiotic and given a rescue inhaler. So I'm feeling better, feel like I can breathe, run to my friends car tonight, and I just dont' know, am I just out of shape or was I experiencing shortness of breath, almost seems like I can do less??

Which brings me to another question -WHAT DO PEOPLE DO FOR EXERCISE?

And one more question- anyone hear news about breathing exercises to reduce dependance on inhalers? Thought I heard something on the news?

Titchou · 06-12-2006, 08:38 PM

I have asthma and I jog. You take two puffs of your albuterol 20 minutes before cardio (jogging, dancing, mowing the grass, whatever). Also, check with your physician on this but they usually want you to up your daily med when you have a cold or other upper respiratory problem. I'm on one puff of Flovent daily. If I get a cold or start having allergy issues, I up that to one puff twice a day until the issue goes away. Than back to the one puff.

zippy_mouse · 06-12-2006, 09:53 PM

I do stretching, weight training and breathing exercises almost every day.

Aerobic exercise, such as jogging, swimming, dancing, can condition your lungs.
Asthmatics have poorer aerobic capacity, which could damage their long-term health.
According to 'Reversing Asthma' by Richard N. Firshein, any aerobic exercise demands that you attain a target heart rate for at least twenty minutes three times a week To find your target rate, subtract your age from 220. Multiply the result by 65 percent and then by 85 percent. These are the low and high range of your target heart rate.

By the way, I recommend the above-mentioned book which touches on a wide variety of subjects, including nutritional supplements, exercise, breathing techniques and meditation methods. The author is a doctor who has asthma but stresses the importance of mixing alternative methods with the conventional treatment, based on his own asthma experience.

When your asthma is getting worse, exercise works against you, leading to Exercise Induced Asthma(EIA). However, if your asthma is well maintained, exercise brings you benefits.

tonsilsNC · 06-22-2006, 12:59 PM

I am 27 and have had asthma since I was 12. Mine has gotten much better with age but everyone is different and some do get worse with age.

Excerise is definitely a good thing when you are healthy and a bad thing when you are sick. I totally agree with the earlier post.

It will take time to build up your conditioning since you do have asthma, but once built up you should have less dependance on the inhalers. The better shape I am in the better it gets for me. Swimming was a good one for me to start then I built up to running. Be aware that running outside can be bad for asthmatics because of the high heat and/or cold as well as allergies during pollen time.

As in an earlier post I would definitely get on a plan with your doctor as in how much of an inhaler to take when sick vs. healthy. My specialist put me on a plan, using my peak flow meter as in indicator. I had a green, yellow and red level of medication. It worked wonders and really helped me save doctor office and ER visits.

dazedandconfused10 · 06-22-2006, 08:44 PM

yea the pulmonologist was great at diagnosing but I'm switching pcp's and this guy will help me plan. I'd like to swim but just getting to a pool with a full time job , and a toddler is hard so I'm thinking about using my elliptical (but I get bored ) and getting like one of those home gyms where I can switch off. I feel like a slug but at the same time between the asthma and an old neck injury that is back to haunt me as I get older I'm nervous. I'm not a runner. I think the big thing is what if I get sick and an exercise plan. Can stress bring on an attack?
I'm also going to talk to the dr about those peak flow meter so I can monitor myself more. My husband is very uncomfortable with any illness/weakness so I'm trying to do as little as I have to, plus I don't think I'm as bad off as some folks and if I can do soemthing to prevent it from gettig worse, I'd like to . Humidity seems to make it harder for me to breathe.