Exercise induced asthma

I keep thinking life will calm down....yeah right! I haven't been able to blog for a while since I have been traveling and have a MAJOR event to plan for work.

It seems like asthma never fails to surprise me. Daughter Kitty is on the high school soccer team which plays in the fall, and hasn't had any problems with asthma (except for once when she had a nasty cold.) 

She is also running track for the school, which is in the spring. Now she is having symptoms of exercise induced asthma. Some people call it exercise induced broncho constriction. (EIB)

These are the symptoms of EIB from the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. 

• Shortness of breath or wheezing
• Decreased endurance
• Tightness in the chest
• Shortness of breath
• Cough
• Upset stomach
• Sore throat

 There is also a video on the website featuring Mike Kloser, who is an elite endurance athlete who has won the Eco Challenge 3 times. 

 Son #1 also has EIB. He doesn't usually have problems with asthma - unless he is playing sports. He would come home after playing ultimate frisbee and I would hear him coughing. He would say it started while he was playing frisbee with his buddies. I asked if he used his inhaler and he said no. (You would think they could figure that one out on their own!) Once he used his inhaler, his coughing would stop and he would feel better. (Okay kids, this isn't rocket science. If you are coughing - use your inhaler! It's not that hard to figure out. Sheesh!)

Now it seems like Kitty is also having EIB. But I can't figure out why it doesn't bother her during soccer, but it does now during track. I wonder if it makes a difference because she is playing in the spring. She has horrible allergies and has already completed 6 years worth of allergy shots. (And she STILL sneezes nonstop.)

Another thing I have been thinking about is that with soccer, she may be running in short bursts, and can then rest. In track, she is running the mile. So, it seems like if she exercises for a longer period of time, it is harder on her body (and her lungs.)

Asthma Doc changed her medicine a little, so we'll see if that makes a difference. I told her to make sure she uses her inhaler before she runs. It seemed to help last time.

Just when you think you have asthma figured out, it throws a curve ball.