ASTHMA

Are you coughing during workouts, wheezing at night, have bronchitis often? You are in your 40s even 50s and think you only get ASTHMA when you are young and hopefully outgrow it. WRONG! Twenty to thirty percent of Masters swimmers have Asthma, with many not realizing it or denying it. Last year I did research on heart rate monitors and in conjunction with my research I took a VO2 Max. Test in October, and one of the many tests indicated my lung capacity at 4.87 liters. This was 130% of the normal male my age. I also had several bouts with Bronchitis, having to take antibiotics for ten days each. Sure I was coughing during workouts, but it was just the LA smog. It couldn be asthma because I was 45 and asthma is for kids. In January I raced a 1650 freestyle with my heart rate monitor on, and I was anaerobic the whole way. It couldn't be asthma. Then came a fortunate event, I failed a physical at work, failed the lung capacity test with only 79% of the normal 45 year old male. I had 3.7 liters lung capacity! Where did the 1.1 liters go? Not to asthma I told myself. Armed with the VO2 Max. test results and my latest physical results I visited my doctor. I left with a diagnosis of ASTHMA and prescriptions for three inhalers. I blew into a tube every day (peak flow meter) and charted the results, and took my inhalers as prescribed. After about three weeks my peak flow values were at the normal range, but I still had poor swim practices. After five weeks I finally started going above normal on the peak flow chart and my times in swim meets dropped dramatically. It is amazing how wonderful it is to swim and get enough air.

No more blaming the smog, I accept I have asthma and need to continuously treat it. I wheeze at night and cough during workouts, but I am swimming fast. Please check to see if you have any of the following symptoms, because you may have it too.

Asthmatic Signs to Look For