Phlegm after exercise

[Lee2k182]

I was wondering, does anybody ever cough up phlegm after a workout?

I'm still without an official diagnosis but being treated for adult onset atypical asthma.

I've just been for a good run and about 20 mins after finishing I've been coughing up clear, thin phlegm. Made me feel better after though.

I've also noticed I seem to throat clear a lot more over the last 2-3 weeks as well. No evidence of infection although I did have my 1st and only ever bacterial chest infection about 4-5 weeks ago that only took 5 days to clear.

Thanks

Lee

[Cheetahstar88]

I get this when running. If I take my blue inhaler twice before exercise I dont get it.

[Lee2k182 in reply to Cheetahstar88]

I might give that a try. I am currently on one of those dual inhalers (symbicort) so never have the need to use the blue one.

Do you ever get phlegmy when not exercising? I also get a bit throughout the day- still clear. I dunno if it's still lingering from my chest infection 3 weeks ago.

[Xiave]

Yes - I cough up a load of phlegm during and after exercise, particularly if I'm exercising outside. Reliever inhaler beforehand might help, depending on the severity of your condition.

Are you on symbicort MART regime? Where you can take extra puffs throughout the day? (If not you might want to ask your doctor about it) I've found that an extra couple of puffs of a MART inhaler before exercise are more effective at preventing phlegm during exercise than Ventolin is.

And yes - I do also get phlegm during the day when I'm around other triggers. Do you know what your triggers are? If not it's a good idea to start trying to figure them out because avoiding them can be really beneficial.

[Lee2k182 in reply to Xiave]

Hi Xiave.

It's so annoying, I've only noticed it since my chest infection 3 weeks ago, hopefully it will settle down.

I'm very newly diagnosed at the moment at 34 and I've been told I'm not allergic to anything from some blood tests. So I don't know what my triggers are other than this started after a bad chest infection dec2018. My consultant says I'm atypical.

My consultant did say that I can take up to 8 extra puffs a day of my symbicort along with the 2 in the morning and 2 at night. I haven't really felt the need to at the moment, but maybe I'll give it a try before my next run. Thank you.

[daleboy3]

Whilst running are you using paths by roads if so exhaust fumes could be causing the phlegm build up or even grass pollen can trigger the phlegm reaction try wearing a face mask to see if it’s pollutants

[Lee2k182 in reply to daleboy3]

Hi, thanks for your reply.

Yeah, I do tend to run close to roads. I was tested for allergies via a blood sample that came back as no allergies, so I don't think I have an issue with pollen.

[daleboy3 in reply to Lee2k182]

It’s most likely Exhaust fumes as running draws in more fumes & bingo phlegm shortly afterwards, use a face mask once & see if it stops the phlegm

[Lee2k182 in reply to daleboy3]

I'll give it a try. Thanks.