Tag: asthma

It’s Not Asthma? Vocal Cord Dysfunction and Running
Posted by on 8 Comments

After quitting the track team in high school due to what she thought were asthma attacks, Laura Hurd started running again as an adult, but soon the attacks came back. Now a speech-language pathologist, she recognized that the symptoms she was experiencing way back when were not asthma but something else — vocal cord dysfunction.

Our vocal cords are designed to block our airways when we swallow to keep food and drink out from going down the wrong pipe and into our lungs. When operating normally, vocal cords only block our airways for that purpose. Paradoxical vocal cord dysfunction, also known as vocal cord or vocal fold dysfunction (we’ll call it VCD), occurs when the vocal cords close when breathing, and thus block the airway. It’s obviously a problem when breathing causes us not to be able to breathe!  Read more >>

When Running’s a Wheeze: Chronic Bronchitis
Posted by on 4 Comments

imageAs I ran and breathed in the crisp cold air, an unwelcome and familiar grip squeezed my chest. In seconds, breathing became harder and more labored, forcing me to stop and try to reclaim my breath. Asthma, my dear enemy, was back, and I knew its companion bronchitis would potentially follow right on its heels.

Unlike acute bronchitis, the chronic version is a lifelong condition; I should know, as I’ve had it since I was a baby. It is not contagious and is not caused by bacteria or a virus. It does, however, damage the lungs by permanently scarring them. My lungs are in such poor shape that doctors who don’t know me accuse me of lying when I tell them that I was never a smoker.

The battle usually begins with an environmental allergy, the reaction to which appears as asthma symptoms that quickly deepen. Once bronchitis sets in, I have a deep and persistent cough that lasts for two to three months. And nothing can coax bronchitis to leave until it feels like leaving. 

Having lived with chronic bronchitis for most of my life, I have developed strategies to control and manage my asthma so it doesn’t get between me and my running. Read more >>