Swimming with bronchitis?

I am 41 with exercise induced asthma. I took a week off in February with a pretty bad case of bronchitis. I took it easy in the pool for about 2 weeks a had major coughing attacks during the workouts. They became less severe and less frequent as time went on, but I was also on a large dose of prednisone, an antibiotic and an inhaler. It took about 2 months before I could practice hard again without needing the inhaler. Your best bet is to talk to your doctor and listen to your body. I hope you feel better soon!

I am 41 with exercise induced asthma. I took a week off in February with a pretty bad case of bronchitis. I took it easy in the pool for about 2 weeks a had major coughing attacks during the workouts. They became less severe and less frequent as time went on, but I was also on a large dose of prednisone, an antibiotic and an inhaler. It took about 2 months before I could practice hard again without needing the inhaler. Your best bet is to talk to your doctor and listen to your body. I hope you feel better soon! You did well to to move forward with your exercise induced asthma issue. I saw this article today at sciencedaily.com, which might hold promise for others with similar conditions, "Unique Omega-3 Supplement Effective at Reducing Exercise-Induced Asthma Symptoms". http://goo.gl/oKnoU

Thanks. I was dx'd with possible EIA as well, but I'm not sure I believe that. I guess I should've asked my MD for an inhaler prescription today. Went back for a follow up and she said lungs are clear, so I guess, technically, I could return to the pool, however, I still am very congested, spacey and tired, so I'm listening to my old bod, and enjoying movies I never have time to watch b/c I'm always at the gym or in the pool! :) In my previous post, I should also mentioned the 2010 study at Indiana University about reducing EIA and other asthma based inflammation issues with fish oil and ascorbic acid, "Comparative and Additive Effects of Fish Oil and Ascorbic Acid Supplementation on Exercise-Induced Bronchoconstriction and Airway Inflammation in Asthma". http://goo.gl/geBjI University of Maryland Medical Center (www.umm.edu) provides concise, documented, and useful consumer information. In terms of acute bronchitis (http://goo.gl/61wW2), lactobacillus based probiotics are mentioned within lifestyle treatment. While probiotics are to some degree over hyped, there is significant evidence accumulating regarding increasing immune system capacity with supplementation of multiple strain probiotics, including lactobacillus. For example; http://goo.gl/lSyF6

I am 41 with exercise induced asthma. I took a week off in February with a pretty bad case of bronchitis. I took it easy in the pool for about 2 weeks a had major coughing attacks during the workouts. They became less severe and less frequent as time went on, but I was also on a large dose of prednisone, an antibiotic and an inhaler. It took about 2 months before I could practice hard again without needing the inhaler. Your best bet is to talk to your doctor and listen to your body. I hope you feel better soon! Thanks. I was dx'd with possible EIA as well, but I'm not sure I believe that. I guess I should've asked my MD for an inhaler prescription today. Went back for a follow up and she said lungs are clear, so I guess, technically, I could return to the pool, however, I still am very congested, spacey and tired, so I'm listening to my old bod, and enjoying movies I never have time to watch b/c I'm always at the gym or in the pool! :)

Interesting article. Thanks, fdtotten.

Bronchitis is an irritation of the bronchial membranes, causing coughing and discomfort. If you are not a smoker or asthmatic, it is caused by an infection. If the infection is bacterial, antibiotics will kill it over a few days. If it is viral, it will run it's course fairly quickly. However, in both infectious cases, the irritation and coughing take a while to subside. You can still workout as hard as you want to after the initial infection has subsided. Yes, you will cough and hack, but if you don't have a fever, go for it.

Thanks. I was dx'd with possible EIA as well, but I'm not sure I believe that. I guess I should've asked my MD for an inhaler prescription today. Went back for a follow up and she said lungs are clear, so I guess, technically, I could return to the pool, however, I still am very congested, spacey and tired, so I'm listening to my old bod, and enjoying movies I never have time to watch b/c I'm always at the gym or in the pool! :) I was first diagnosed in college after my coach read an article in Swimming World about Nancy Hogshead and her symptoms. My diagnoses was mostly anecdotal since I was in top shape at the time. Now, there is no doubt when my teammates hear me wheeze. I may have to start taking my fish-oil supplements again. Reducing EIA symptoms = extra bonus :banana: Thanks for posting that article fdtotten.

I was diagnosed with exercise induced vocal chord disorder two years ago. Finally overcame the problem with increased doses of acid reflex medication. I now swim with some left over VC disorder during sprints.

jpetk and EdC, what tests determined your diagnoses? After every race I would exit the pool coughing up a lung. During hard workouts, I would start coughing then, too. Afterwords, I would encounter a severe headache. I went to the sports medicine doctors assigned to my school, and the 1st group tried to reproduce an attack. However, nothing in the lab could simulate race exertion. They tried a blood gasses test and that was stopped when my heart rate hit 200. I wasn't even winded yet. :doh: The 2nd group of doctors (next school year) listened to my story, and based on what I was describing with my symptons, I was prescribed an inhaler. This time, I was told that they weren't surprised that we couldn't reproduce symptoms in the lab since I was in such good athletic shape. :weightlifter: I was told to use my inhaler before each race, and during practice as needed. It made a huge difference.

Lactobacillus, the human's gram positive, rod-shaped friends.