Asthma?
Last week I finally decided to make an appointment with the doctor. Why? Well I didn’t really know. I had some bad post nasal drip and my workouts had become harder and harder. My output was horrible for the same heart rate. It seems like it’s been weeks of not being able to do a decent ride but I wasn’t going to jump to saying I was sick because it’s often the equivalent of thinking you have a flat tire when your legs suck. I figured I was just over-trained or stressed or something simple. I took all last week off from exercise and tried to get more sleep. Friday, I decided to see if I felt any better on the bike and joined Dianna on an easy spin. The entire ride my HR was really high and I was gasping for air. I made the appointment thinking I had a sinus infection. It made the most sense.
All weekend my incredibly easy workouts were horrible and for hours after each I found that I really couldn’t breath. It felt like somebody was stepping on my chest. When I woke up this morning, I felt fine and a little stupid for making the appointment. I always feel like a hypochondriac when I go to the doctor. He was asking me about my symptoms and I’m explaining the post nasal drip (thinking I’d be leaving with a Z-pack) when I bring up the shortness of breath. He starts asking me more questions and after a while he stops me. Turns out I’d been taking a deep breath once every two or three words. He listened to my breathing and tells me I’m basically having an asthma attack!!
I’ve lived here for over 10-years, been very athletically active for more than 6-years and I’ve never had a problem before. I was in total shock. instead of leaving with a z-pack I left with an inhaler. I felt totally broken. How can you exercise if you can’t breath? The good news is that I feel better than I’ve felt in weeks after using the inhaler and there is always the chance that this was kind of isolated. For all the other athletes out there, how would you feel after getting this news? Am I making a big deal out of nothing?