>U Mom Knows Best: Could It Be Asthma?

Friday, November 17, 2017

Could It Be Asthma?

Discovering natural ways to manage my breathing problems.



 Do I have exercise-induced asthma?

  About a month ago, my youngest was diagnosed with mild asthma that is caused by allergies. This got me to thinking about some symptoms that I have been experiencing when I am running. For the past couple of months, there have been some days when running has been difficult for me. My running just felt like I was out of shape as I had to catch my breath several times. At first, I thought that maybe I just did not get enough sleep as it only happened a couple days a week. Then came a week that every day when I went running, I had to stop every 5 minutes to cough and catch my breath. It was then that I started thinking of what could be causing my breathing problems. I realized that my breathing problems started in the fall when I switched from running in the morning to afternoon running. I also noticed that the days that I had trouble running were the days my nose would drip like a faucet from my allergies. I also started noticing on my good days of running what I did differently. It then hit me, I might just have allergy induced asthma like my son and daughter. 

I should make a doctor appointment

   I know I should make a doctor appointment to get it checked out. I should see an allergist or a doctor that specializes in allergies.  I think I will in the winter as I don't want to stop my allergy medicine just yet. If it freezes here in New Mexico, I can go for two months without my allergy medicine that is until things start growing again. I also have not made a doctor appointment as for now, I only have breathing problems when I run. I also want to try natural remedies to see if I can manage my symptoms as I don't want to add an inhaler to my list of medicines that I take. I do take prescribed allergy medicines for now. If I go a day or two without those medicines, I am coughing so much that I am haking up a lung. Oh, how I hate this asthmatic cough!


Things that have helped my breathing

This year has been tough for my allergies as we have had a lot of rain here and the rain has made a lot of weeds grow. I am happier when we are in a drought as my seasonal allergies are not as severe. So I think all the weeds and pollen may be what is making it hard for me to breathe when I am running. One thing that I noticed that has helped my breathing is drinking a cup of coffee 20-30 minutes before running. This made me realize why I did not have problems running in the summer as I was drinking an energy drink before I went running.


Caffeine
  I did some research and discovered that caffeine helps open up the lungs and makes breathing easier. The problem is that coffee can cause stomach problems for me if I drink it before running. I decided to try an energy drink that has caffeine in it to see if that could help with my running and breathing problems. I found that a drink with 100 mg of caffeine helped me to run better. The caffeine also helped to run faster. The energy drink that I am using right now is Fenix XT*. I like that this energy drink comes in stick packs so I can take it on the go and also control the amount of liquid that I want to consume before I go running. If I drink too much water before running it hurts my stomach or I have to pee while I am running. I really like the mango peach flavor and that it has antioxidants along with vitamin C in it.


*XT can help support energy, stamina, focus, and has beneficial antioxidants. It is lower sugar, caffeine, and taurine than other energy drinks, avoiding the ‘crash’ or ‘jitters’ often associated with energy drink use.



Fenix XT** also has a delicious detox drink that I am enjoying. I recently discovered that detoxing has nothing to do with cleansing your bowels but rather nourishing your body to get rid of toxins.


**FENIX-DX is a delicious pink lemonade-flavored dietary supplement drink mix that can help to gently support the body’s natural daily detoxification process and the immune system. Daily DX assists the digestive system and regularity with soothing herbs such as aloe and licorice. Chamomile is included to help fight stress.  Vitamin C is added to help defend the immune system. Daily DX is caffeine-free and can be used daily in support of health


Homeopathic Therapy
 I am trying homeopathic Fast Dissolving Tablets that are geared for asthma+ and bronchial cough++ to see if they can help manage my asthma symptoms. I discovered these last month at a conference that I attended. I like using natural products that stimulate my body's natural ability to alleviate the symptoms. TRP(The Relief Products) sent me samples and told me that I could take them on an as-needed basis. So I am taking the tablets before I run to help my body to breathe better. I like that these tablets are safe and gentle to use with no side effects or interactions with other medications. I know that these tablets are not a substitute for asthma medicine but are rather something that that may help my symptoms. I am thankful when I do have breathing problems that stopping my running and walking restores easy breathing to me. So my thought on taking the homeopathic tablets is to see if I can be able to run on those bad allergy days without any breathing problems.


 +According to homeopathic indications, the ingredients in Asthma Therapy™ provide temporary relief of Asthma and COPD-like symptoms such as difficulty breathing, spasmodic coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath, the sensation of tightness in the chest and congestion.

+ +According to homeopathic indications, the ingredients in Bronchial Cough Therapy™ provide temporary relief for the symptoms of Bronchial Cough such as coughing, mucous build-up, and chest tightness. 



Exercising Indoors
  On windy days I head to the gym and run on the treadmill. That has been helping with my breathing also. It seems that the wind just blows all the things around that I am allergic too and was making it hard for me to breathe when running.

Warm Up Longer
 I discovered that running for a few minutes and then walking for the first 1/2 mile of my running time helps my lungs work better so I can run without having to stop to catch my breath. I guess gone are the days that I can just take off running.

It Is Ok To Take Breaks
 I have to realize that I am still getting a great work out on those days that I have to walk more to catch my breath. I just run for 5 minutes and then walk a minute for my exercise. On the days when I can run the whole time, I rejoice.


 For now, these things are working to control what I think may be allergy induced asthma. I don't feel the need for a doctor appointment as my symptoms only happen when running. I also don't want to go through the dreadful 3-hour appointment that includes allergy testing that will tell me all the things that I am allergic to as I already know that I am allergic to weeds and mold.  I only got my son to the doctor as we had a scare this summer that we had to call the paramedics and it resulted in an urgent care visit. My son has an inhaler for just in case and he has not had to use it yet. As long as we manage his allergies hopefully he will not have to use the inhaler.

Update 2018

Two months later my asthma got worse and I starting coughing way more. The asthmatic coughing episodes started happening more frequently and it started affecting my sleep. I also had a couple of episodes that left me gasping for air. I discovered that a milk allergy was the cause of my increased asthma symptoms and after eliminating all dairy from my diet, I feel so much better. I still experience asthma from other triggers like chemicals and smoke. I have also been able to stop my allergy medicine in the winter. So I guess the allergy medicines were helping with my dairy allergy and then they stopped working. Through a food allergy blood test, I was able to confirm that I was allergic to milk and dairy products.

 Read about how I discovered that a dairy allergy was causing my asthma here:
https://www.momknowsbest.net/2018/09/discovering-milk-allergy-with-blood-test.html


15 comments:

Masshole Mommy said...

It could be allergies. I can't breathe when I run ever, but it's because I am not made for running so I know that and don't. You should definitely get seen.

Imperfect Crazy Life said...

Get seen when you can, the sooner the better. Even as an asthma sufferer, it had to tell if an attack is an attack. Good luck!

Erin S said...

Caffeine helps a ton. I have never experienced asthma symptoms but I'm glad you are finding relief

Anonymous said...

it could be allergies but you should be checked to make sure not asthma... shell

Becky W said...

I am glad you are finding ways to deal with your breathing issues when you run. These sound like great ideas to help you combat it. If I were a runner I can't say I could handle coffee before running either.

Claudia Krusch said...

I will have to give Fenix XT a try. I had childhood Asthma but was lucky to pretty much outgrow it. It only bothers me now if I get a cold or workout really hard.

Unknown said...

Great information in this post! I need to try this Fenix. I'll bet it's a lot better for me than this Diet Coke I'm sipping on right now...

Rahul Sharma said...

Yeah may be but everyone should run for at least 1 hour including some light exercise to stay fit. Thank You..

redheadmomblog said...

Having a hard time breathing is such a scary thing! I hope you're able to get it figured out so you can be comfortable.

Unknown said...

My oldest has been experiencing asthma. We have been monitoring him and will be following up with the Dr. as well. A scary thing when it comes up out of no where.

Jose Moon said...

This seems to be kind of problem. Proper diagnoses can be a best option for you to detect it as other said it can be allergies as well. It very kind of you that you shared your experience.

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Lisa Jones said...

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and ideas on this one the best honey

Unknown said...

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