Possible to not be out of breath? What is allergy to one's 'own bacteria'?

[DHR]

I was diagnosed with bronchial asthma when I was little. I am 47, & my symptoms have changed with the place and house where I have lived. I don't need to get oxygen anymore, or have the same wheeze, but I still get out of breath and weak going up the stairs, or uphill, or with anything a little aerobic. I never could run . (I could, however, swim underwater and do acrobatics as a child, and in recent years could rollerblade and bike - not fast & not uphill.) And every time I laugh hard, I cough terribly. I also still get a painfully tight chest and start coughing and have to leave when I am near smoke (whether cigarette, incense, or sometimes fireplaces) or mold or dust, or if the pollution is bad. After skin tests as a child, my allergists told me I had allergies to mold, dust, cat dander, feathers, mohair, tobacco, pyrethrin, and my own bacteria. Exposure to cat dander also produces itchy eyes and nasal congestion, as do some grasses when being mowed, etc. I also seem to get either bronchitis or a sinus infection as soon as I have the smallest cold. I currently just take Albuterol, but only if I really can't get my breath back after a prolonged period because it makes me shaky. I know some asthmatics have become Olympic athletes. Is it possible to control this to the point that I could not get out of breath from exercise that most people can do? And what does it mean to be allergic to your "own bacteria"? Thank you so much!

[National Jewish]

The symptoms of asthma are chest tightness, coughing, shortness of breath, and wheezing.  Each person with asthma could have only one of these symptoms or a combination of any of these symptoms, including all four of them.  There is no cure for asthma at this time, but it can be controlled with medicine to the point that you would not get out of breath from exercise that most people can do.  With asthma the basic problem is chronic inflammation along with tightening of the smooth muscles that surround the airways of the lungs.  A rescue inhaler, like albuterol, relaxes the smooth muscle tightness around the airways quickly, but does not do anything for the inflammation.  When used routinely an inhaled steroid decreases and prevents inflammation.  If this inflammation is not controlled, it increases the sensitivity of the airways to a variety of things that make asthma worse.  These asthma triggers vary from person to person.  Allergies, exercise, and infections are common triggers for asthma.  Please read our information about what makes asthma worse at http://www.nationaljewish.org/disease-info/diseases/asthma/about/worse/index.aspx to learn more.