What did you say?

I couldn't hear you over my wheezing.

Most of you that know me know that I have asthma. I have no idea if I had it as a kid, or if it's something that's developed as an adult. When I started biking several (4? 5?) years ago, I realized after a while that my breathing wasn't improving like it should. Asthma runs rampant in my family, so I got checked out. Yep. I have asthma.

Through use of daily asthma meds and using an inhaler before and often times during exercise, I have this asthma thing under control. No biggie. Sure, I would probably be able to go much faster and harder on the bike if I could, oh I don't know, actually breathe when my heart rate is jacked up, but you know, I could have it a lot worse, so I don't complain too much. And I try not to let it get me down.

When I started cycling, it was baaad. After a few years, it's totally manageable. When I started running, it was baaad, especially running uphill. But after a few months, I got it under control. And now that I've started swimming, the asthma is baaad again. Maybe this time it will only take weeks to improve.

I know that most of my posts so far have been swim-related. Well, that's because it's my newest sport, and I'm continually discovering more about how my body responds to it. I swam as a kid. In fact, my mom always talked about how I was swimming laps in the deep end of the pool at 3 years old. I remember beating all the neighborhood kids in our little races from end to end. But it's been at least a decade and a half since then, and I've only floated around in my mom's pool in years since. Needless to say, that first plunge back into the pool with Debbie a month or so ago was a shock. I didn't even have my inhaler with me (which proved an ill idea). I had no clue swimming would affect my asthma like it has.

I've had the most difficult time finding a place to swim, as just getting my face near the water at the Health Club downtown caused instant asthma symptoms. Didn't see that coming. So now that I've found a more manageable swimming locale, the trick is getting my breathing to catch up with my ability. It's like those first months on the bike all over again. And it's frustrating the hell out of me.

I get in the pool. I swim a lap or three. I have an asthma attack. I use my inhaler. Pause Pause Pause. Get back in the pool. Swim a lap or two. Stop to breathe or use the inhaler again. Rinse and repeat.

A swim coach asked me: how can you ride a bike with asthma like that? Then I made the connection. On the bike, or on foot, I can breathe freely. No breath-holding required. I can wheeze till my little heart's content, and at a very fast pace. Not so under the water.

I did some extensive reading online about swimming with asthma. Everything I can find says that swimming is one of the best things I can do to actually help my asthma improve (after you get past that chlorine thing). Several sites said that swimming indoors would even be better than most outdoor activities, as the air you breathe is warm and moist. Swimming helps asthmatics train themselves to breathe more deeply, thus getting more air into their bodies and making them operate more efficiently. But it does take time.

The trick is, I guess, getting to that point where the benefits (like expanded lung capacity) start to appear. For now I'm just treading water as best I can and trying not to drink the entire pool when I tilt my head to gulp (make that gasp) for air.