Exercise Induced Asthma and Tachycardia

[EpicPS]

  I

[tswanson]

I too am experiencing the same symptoms.  I am a 38 year old female triathlete and marathon runner.  My AT is 187 and VO2 Max is 50.9. I am an asthmatic dealing with recurrent sinusitus.  I am currently taking Advair 500/50, Singulair, Prednisone and just recently began Xolair therapy.  However my heartrate flies when I excercise.  It is not uncommon for me to be at a 10:30 minute mile running (relatively slow) with my Heartrate at 190-195.  I've been a runner for years and am in very good shape, so one would think my heartrate would be lower.  If I go on a slow walk, it will go to 165.  Usually 30 beats higher than my workout partners.  I have no idea what is going on.  I'm receiving treatment at Mayo clinic and they are perplexed as well.

[Jackieboy]

I wouldn't be to concerned with the high heart rate. Some people just have higher HR's. You should go to cyclingnews.com, they have some good articles on heart rate. Do you have any other symptoms such as joint ache, low grade fever ? I'm trying to figure out what's wrong with me.

[soreadalready]

Mountain biking is a different experience for your entire body- possibly also the heart and lungs than running. You tighten core muslces to hold the bike steady over rocks or hills, you climb or increase pressures sporadically climbing hills then maybe going on a slightly flatter terrain. You use extreme upper body muscles when flying through the air holding the wheel steady. You do whole body arches when you elevate the bike during a jump using your hands and bracing your feet with their own leg muscles upon the pedals- lifting yourself airborn.  I suggest that a different set of equipment be used possibly in a gym or pt rehab facility while attatched to the heart monitor. Major weight pumping until your heart beats fast plus biking motions then a weigth circuit. Free weights. Something very challenging using all those muslces totally not used in running on a treadmill.  Why not do a stress test on bike made stationary or a computerized facsimile of moutain terrain- rigour set to match your ride. While attached to monitors.

Watching your heart rate is what matters. The stimulus albeit set to standardized stress test research- really is irrelevant you aren't a runner. You use far more core muscles more rigerously than these people can understand.  I bet you'll get your answer this way really.

SECOND. Check out Advair side effects. Some people have mentioned racing hearts or something- however one might expect non athletes with lung problems to have rapidly beating hearts I say that compassionately. The oxygen from the lungs when it's too low may irriate the heart and it can, if we don't treat the airways- well it can hurt the heart. So it's an understanding concurring or coexisting situation which may or may not be caused by any asthma medication, Advair in this context.

Third. Singulair challenges the immune system so as to diminish allergic resopnse & asthma, favorably so without the side effects of oral steroids (which interfere with athletic endeavors and cacpity.) So you're already ahead. Way ahead of old fashioned oral steroid treatments making people with allergies or asthma not typically still athletes.  But its a challenge to maintain.

Fouth. When i went on Advair that week I went hiking at 4000 feet along the John Muir Trail - and I was eubelient at being able to breath so well. But it was shocking I had a peak flow up at 750! After three years at 200, or 150-250 depending on allergy season. Year round best had been prior to Advair at 250.  Then there I was and my peak flow opened to 750. I hardly knew what to do. But my peak flow varied- from 250 to 750 to 250.  I think it had something to do with cardio conditioning under those conditions I been limited prior to Advair for three years as to how much I could do. Do you have peak flow variations ? that might connect with changes in heart rate someway.

Ideas from another Advair patient weight lifting primarily now

[National Jewish]

I would suggest this has nothing to do with allergy.  Since you did not experience this when you had a stress test, either the stress was not high enough to cause the problem or there is another cause.  If you also did not have any increased heart rate with a treadmill test of high intensity, it is also difficult to understand why you cannot reproduce the tachycardia under these challenge situations.