My 11 yr old who trains with a swimming club has recently started having episodes of tight chest pains and breathing difficulties.
She’s had an ecg and chest x-ray which are clear and the doctor mentioned it could be exercise induced asthma. I can’t understand why it’s happening now as she’s been a swimmer from a young age with no health issues. She’s been issued with a blue inhaler which she’ll have 20 mins prior her lesson, but 15 mins into her session and she’s struggling to breath, has her inhaler and takes 20 mins for her to feel normal.
Really unsure what to do?
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Raven75
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Hello Raven75. I'm sure this must be a real worry for both of you. I have had asthma all my life but my daughter didn't show signs of it until she was 10. It lasted a couple of years then thankfully seems to have gone again. Does your daughter do any other sports and if so does this cause any symptoms? Also you say that she has started to 'train' with a swimming club, is this in a competitive environment? I only ask because stress (even subliminally) can be a trigger too. It has been said for a long time that swimming is a good form of exercise for asthmatics but personally I find it difficult to swim for more than 1 length of the pool before feeling like I'm struggling for breath. It's great that the X ray was clear and the ecg and if this does turn out to be asthma DON'T WORRY! it's not the end of the world. It's very treatable as long as you keep an eye on it.
I’d say a strong candidate for the trigger could be the chlorine. I’ve never been a regular swimmer but often find the smell of it problematic. Also keep in mind swimming pools are breeding grounds for mould and bacteria even when well maintained. Once you know what the trigger is, you can probably prepare better - as others have said, get some advice & I’m sure she’ll be able to carry on.
I was thinking of the chlorine too. Personally I also find hot, steamy environments problematic. It may be she has developed asthma recently if she has it and the triggers at swimming are what is showing it up. I developed it aged 7 and cold air and exercise then were my main triggers though it was mild at that time.
I would agree with the advice about contacting the asthma nurses on here. They are very helpful to talk to. I'm not an expert, but it sounds like your daughter could do with having a preventer inhaler as well as a blue one since she is still struggling. That may help get the problem much more under control - but talk to the AUK nurses who will have expert advice and may well advise you to take her back to the GP! For most people including many high level athletes it can be controlled, so if she finds the right treatment it doesn't have to stop her swimming.
I used to be the same as a kid, I don't think it's exercise induced (for me) as other forms of exercise didn't have a similar effect. I always put it down to the chlorine as my asthma has always been triggered by allergies. I haven't been near a swimming pool for years but think it would still be the same if I did.
Chlorine is your main contender & also stress. My asthma is worse if I have to hurry. Chlorine increases the risk of asthma &other respiratory allergies. My granddaughter is a wonderful swimmer but had to stop going to her local pool it also turned her naturally blond hair a greenish tinge. People develop more ' allergies' because we are flooded by toxins on the market from an astronomical amount of cleaning product to personal care products. From gardening products to home decorating & even added to our food & in the food chain through feeds etc. Go organic wherever you can it's the only answer. Natural swimming or petitioning local pool to use chlorine free & safer cleaning products. Look at 'swimia.co.uk'. hope this helps.
Hi -chlorine is a trigger for me, my first signs of asthma showed in the swimming pool. My son uses inhaler and antihistamine and barrier cream before swimming and this has helped him tho he still sometimes reacts badly. I avoid the swimming pool when I can.
Hope you find a way to keep swimming enjoyable for your daughter 😊
I'm sorry to hear about your daughter! I may have something to add to the discussion as I have been an asthmatic and a competitive swimmer (high school and college) as well as a natatorium manager. (What we call a pool manager here in the United States.) First, a lot of swimmers are asthmatic. I read a study stating that 15% of the Australian olympic swim team was asthmatic. The good news there was that once they stopped training for hours a day in the pool environment, most of the asthma symptoms subsided. The thing that triggers asthma in the aquatic setting is trichloramines. Unfortunately, they are heavy molecules and hang out just above the pool surface where swimmers breathe. Many pools have ventilation systems placed high in the building, which does very little for swimmers breathing at the pool surface. I actually had to quit a job once because the pool ventilation was so bad, and the trichloramine levels were so high, I was having asthma attacks at work. This constant exposure changed my asthma for the worse. I would say this: let your daughter swim during the summer, at outdoor pools. And only go to indoor swimming when she is older, and her lungs are more developed. This may help. I hope she feels better.
I took her back to see the Asthma nurse and she confirmed it’s EIB (exercise induced). She had asthma as a toddler but grew out of it, we think it’s come back because her body is changing (hormonal pre teen 😩). She’s had a few episodes at school when it’s high intensity sport, and always when swimming.
We’ve been issued an action plan and a brown inhaler.
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