Viola
03-15-2003, 04:32 PM
My mother was talking to me on the phone today, and she suggested that I might have asthma. I remember reading and article in Walking magazine a few years back about the occurrence of asthma in pregnancy, but I don't remember much about the article, other than you should get it treated or the damage can become more severe.
My father had some asthma later in life, his daughter (my half sister) had serious asthma and died from complications of it when she was 46. I also have a niece with asthma who has to use inhalers.
Some of the symptoms I've read are coughing (esp. in morning or at night), wheezing, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest. I have had incidences of tightness in the chest in the mornings or while exercising, but it usually feels like I have air trapped in my chest. Sometimes I "burp" myself by patting myself on the chest, and that usually helps. I haven't had the tightness as much as I used to when I first got my treadmill in 1998. I don't wheeze, although I do cough in the morning sometimes, or at night, but usually it is because of a dry itchy throat.
My nose is usually congested, and when I breathe through my nose it sounds louder than normal. I am congested in the morning, and that seems to have been a problem ever since I moved to the west coast. I sometimes think maybe it is allergies--dust mites, mold or something else in the air. When I've talked to my mom on the phone, I tend to breathe more heavily, but often I am walking around, climbing stairs, bending over and doing things, so maybe that is part of it.
I exercise regularly and I do notice my breathing hampers my activity level more than my heart rate, but that has been just since getting pregnant. I now pretty much can't go over a heart rate of 150 without feeling like I am getting short of breath, but it used to be 160 or more, and even higher when I had just started. Maybe I am just more efficient now, so my heart rate doesn't have to go up as high. Maybe it is pregnancy related--I just don't know. I have also gained weight in the past year, about 55 pounds, and my sister had a weight gain after a large loss, and was having shortness of breath. She went to the doctor who told her it was related to her weight gain as her heart muscle had to become reaccustomed to the extra weight.
So I'm just curious if any other expecting moms are noticing heavier breathing than normal. I've thought of asthma in the past, but in general when I exercise I always take slow, deep breaths. I consider shortness as when I'm panting and breathing rapidly because I'm overexerting myself, or when I am breathing as deeply as I can, but it feels like my lungs are too "shallow" and can't expand fully, if that makes any sense.
I'm only 12 weeks and I haven't gained any weight, so I don't think it is extra poundage. I have been breathing more heavily in the past few weeks, especially when climbing stairs. I am at a higher elevation than I was when I was pregnant the first time, so sometimes I wonder if maybe it is a need to adapt to the higher elevation in relation to pregnancy.
I think I might try an elmination diet, getting rid of all dairy from my diet, and see if that helps. I never have attacks or flare ups, so that makes me think that it isn't asthma, but if it is something just starting, I want to take it seriously.
My father had some asthma later in life, his daughter (my half sister) had serious asthma and died from complications of it when she was 46. I also have a niece with asthma who has to use inhalers.
Some of the symptoms I've read are coughing (esp. in morning or at night), wheezing, shortness of breath and tightness in the chest. I have had incidences of tightness in the chest in the mornings or while exercising, but it usually feels like I have air trapped in my chest. Sometimes I "burp" myself by patting myself on the chest, and that usually helps. I haven't had the tightness as much as I used to when I first got my treadmill in 1998. I don't wheeze, although I do cough in the morning sometimes, or at night, but usually it is because of a dry itchy throat.
My nose is usually congested, and when I breathe through my nose it sounds louder than normal. I am congested in the morning, and that seems to have been a problem ever since I moved to the west coast. I sometimes think maybe it is allergies--dust mites, mold or something else in the air. When I've talked to my mom on the phone, I tend to breathe more heavily, but often I am walking around, climbing stairs, bending over and doing things, so maybe that is part of it.
I exercise regularly and I do notice my breathing hampers my activity level more than my heart rate, but that has been just since getting pregnant. I now pretty much can't go over a heart rate of 150 without feeling like I am getting short of breath, but it used to be 160 or more, and even higher when I had just started. Maybe I am just more efficient now, so my heart rate doesn't have to go up as high. Maybe it is pregnancy related--I just don't know. I have also gained weight in the past year, about 55 pounds, and my sister had a weight gain after a large loss, and was having shortness of breath. She went to the doctor who told her it was related to her weight gain as her heart muscle had to become reaccustomed to the extra weight.
So I'm just curious if any other expecting moms are noticing heavier breathing than normal. I've thought of asthma in the past, but in general when I exercise I always take slow, deep breaths. I consider shortness as when I'm panting and breathing rapidly because I'm overexerting myself, or when I am breathing as deeply as I can, but it feels like my lungs are too "shallow" and can't expand fully, if that makes any sense.
I'm only 12 weeks and I haven't gained any weight, so I don't think it is extra poundage. I have been breathing more heavily in the past few weeks, especially when climbing stairs. I am at a higher elevation than I was when I was pregnant the first time, so sometimes I wonder if maybe it is a need to adapt to the higher elevation in relation to pregnancy.
I think I might try an elmination diet, getting rid of all dairy from my diet, and see if that helps. I never have attacks or flare ups, so that makes me think that it isn't asthma, but if it is something just starting, I want to take it seriously.