To think I may have asthma?

[Harencha]

Or am I just unfit!?

My BMI is 33 (and reducing, was prev 39). I suffer with eczema sometimes, more so as a child and a cousin died of an asthma attack when they were a teenager. I've never been diagnosed but I've always been unfit, but I've always been a little overweight really too!

Even from a young age I struggled with PE more than my peers and was always the last one in school runs as a teen.

I did a short 20 min hill walk yesterday, the slimmer adults in the party were tired but kept moving, I had to stop and have breaks. My legs were fine but my chest was tight, burning and felt like my heart would beat out of my chest and that I couldn't breathe fast enough, that I'd have to hyperventilate to get the breath I needed. A short rest and I could get it back to being more comfortable.

Lately I've wondered if this is the normal feeling of being unfit?! Other people seem tired but keep going, is that them just being more fit or more comfortable?!

Speak to your GP surgery, asthma is assessed with a few breathing tests and can be done with one of the practice nurses.

Id say if you recovered quickly from the exercise with a small amount of rest it's far more likely to be a fitness issue, but if you're concerned it wouldn't hurt to find out.

Is your breathing affected in any other way besides exercise?
My asthma is triggered by allergens, general poor air quality, air temperature changes (going from warm inside to cold outside and vice versa) and illness (a simple cold really makes me struggle)

When I just started running it was always my breathing let me down not my body. As I ran more and got fitter it definitely got easier to breathe.

I have awful allergies and then get Asthma from these occasionally. Definitely feels different and doesn’t go away after resting.

It sounds more like fitness but it’s always better to get your peak flow etc tested then atleast you know and don’t have to worry!

You could have asthma or you could naturally have lower than average peak flow or you could just be aerobically unfirt, but the only way you'll know is if you have it measured and tested.

Do you cough in the night? That was one of my asthma symptoms. Also if I'm starting to exercise and a trigger is present (change in temp/change in humidity/surprise exercise like running for a bus) I develop a little throat clearing cough as I'm trying to get my airways clear to get more air in.

Honestly - that sounds very much like my experience of exercise when I was in my 20s. I had one attack and was diagnosed with asthma. I thought I was unfit.

It later transpired that a lot of the issues was down to living in a house with storage heaters. I moved out of that one ten years ago, and now I rarely notice any problems.

Eczema & Asthma can go hand in hand. I have both. What you are describing is how I feel when I can't breathe well. For me, this is usually when I'm ill.

You need to get a peak flow meter and do that a few times a day for a couple of weeks. Speak to your GP about it. GPs won't do the usual tests for asthma at the moment (because COVID)

It sounds more like lack of fitness if you recover quickly. I have asthma and the symptoms last for months when not managed properly. I wasn’t diagnosed until early 20s (rushed to ED unable to breathe). Struggled with PE all through school which was dismissed due to my weight. I am still very overweight (BMI if 30) but I have started running and can do 6/7 km regularly. I also sing which had increased my lung capacity.

I’d keep on with physical activity such ac brisk walks uphill. It gets easier.

Re: quick recovery, I used to find when I was walking I had to start at a steady pace, and my chest would get tight. I would show down, and it was ease fairly quickly. Ater that I would be fine.

Asthma

Urgh, misclick.

Asthma isn't exactly the same for everyone.

Asthma does present differently in different people, mine has always caused coughing (awful, wretching coughs at times) never wheezing, though I get the right chest, feeling like I can’t fully breathe feeling too - but if this is only happening to you specifically during exercise I’d be inclined to think it’s lack of fitness rather than asthma. Asthma will flare up sitting still in your house and persist for days, weeks, even months (I’ve had it horrendously during this pregnancy and have been coughing non-stop for nearly 8 months)

But if you’re concerned see your doctor.

Tight chest*

The fact that your heart was pounding like crazy when doing a challenging hill makes it sound like more of a fitness issue to me, whereas I don't have to be exercising that hard for my exercise-induced asthma to kick in. (I have the classic musical wheeze so it's easy to tell. But everyone's different.)

This isn't athsma. Athsma is a suffocating feeling that comes on very suddenly and the only way to get oxygen is sucking on a steroid inhaler and square breathing until it passes. Not being able to breath after exercise is completely different, although you should seek medical advice quickly.

@Alexandernevermind not all asthma is a suffocating feeling that comes on suddenly. It is for some, but not all. I can cough and cough and wretch all day from asthma but don’t get that suffocating feeling very often at all.

@Alexandernevermind steroid inhalers are also used in managing asthma, but you wouldn’t take that one in the middle of an attack, you’d take Ventolin or something similar that opens the airways

Athsma is a suffocating feeling that comes on very suddenly and the only way to get oxygen is sucking on a steroid inhaler and square breathing until it passes.

Nope, many of my asthma symptoms can be managed by slowing down - using an inhaler isn't the only thing that can help. OP mine was diagnosed in my early 20's as the breathlessness while exercising was far worse in the cold, and I was coughing at night. HTH

I find my asthma symptoms quite hard to explain. It's a very uncomfortable feeling that comes over me where I can feel my oesophagus tighten up and I start to wheeze and gasp. It makes me breathing feel really shallow and also makes me panic a bit.

If you're worried, definitely see a doctor. It really is something that should be taken seriously.

When I first started exercising (BMI was 37 at the time) my chest would be on fire and extremely tight for days afterwards. 9 months on I no longer experience that when exercising, although do still get out of breath!