Asthma advice - bothersome wheeze

[Tgreen26]

I’ve had mild asthma for many years and I started running about a year ago. A couple of years before that I started to experience a wheeze, mostly when exercising but occasionally for no known reason. My preventer was changed to a different brand and it seemed to disappear after a while with just the occasional episode. My running was going really well earlier this year and my breathing was fine but then a few months ago the wheeze started to come back. The doc gave me Montelukast which didn’t really help and the nurse said it was a ‘mystery’ and just to double up on my preventer. My peak flow is between 450 - 500 and the wheeze does tend to go away when I stop exercising. I do feel a little tight chested but it’s more bothersome than anything. I do run outdoors next to a river, lots of trees, bugs, farm animals etc but I also get the wheeze if I exercise indoors. I was wondering whether anyone had experienced anything similar? I was thinking about allergy testing but I’m not sure if it’s worth the cost. I asked my doc about it but his reply was, if you’re sensitive to dust, for example, there’s no way to really avoid it.

[Buddy34 Graduate]

If I'm correct there is something called , exercise induced asthma. Do you think this is what you have 😊

[Sillybilly1 Graduate]

Next run, try taking an antihistamine like piriton... Works for me!

[jenthorpe Graduate]

Could they prescribe a different preventer? My asthma is only triggered by exercise and I feel your frustration...so annoying to have your running limited by it. My asthma nurse started me on Fostair, a combined preventer reliever and it's worked brilliantly. If your GP can't help perhaps ask to be referred to an asthma specialist?

Good luck

[Mreed]

Your peak flow is amazing.. If its asthma its just one of those things. I've had it since i was 3 (49 now) and it comes and goes when it feels like it. I am allergy,weather and exercise induced. Stress and not sleeping well and change it as well. Take yr preventative inhaler properly and use yr ventolin x2 before a run and you should be fine.

[Fatgirlslim19 Graduate]

Hi Tgreen26 certain times of the year my asthma is worse than others, the dust from harvest time, cold wet winds of November, for example. It could well be that yours is having a flare up, or could be like sillybilly said that allergies are playing a part, or like above that it's exercise induced.

Have you tried having your preventer before you go? I have mine one puff night time and one in the morning, and maybe have a puff of your reliever just before you go?

Allergy testing could still be worth it, you never know, you might find something you could treat. In the mean time, I agree that asking to see a specialist would be a good step. The GPs can't know everything and the asthma nurse will only have pretty general asthma knowledge too.

[Tasha99 Graduate]

Have you tried a turbohaler?

[Tgreen26 Graduate]

Thanks for all your replies it’s much appreciated. I’m now more certain that it’s allergy induced, I was cleaning the house yesterday and after dusting and vacuuming I noticed the wheeze again. I just hope I haven’t become allergic to the dog! I’m hopefully going for a run tonight so I’ve just taken an antihistamine to see if that helps, if not I might go back to the doc and see if I could maybe try a different inhaler. I won’t let it stop me from running though, even though it is a little embarrassing running along sounding like one of my dogs squeaky toys 😊