Good athlete but have had stamina problems since childhood.
Posted , 5 users are following.
Male, North America, 6'3" 200 lbs. athletic build, non-smoker.
I have always been a very good athlete. Baseball, basketball, football, etc. I was always the second fastest kid in school, in sprints. But, even in elementary school, i could not run with any sort of endurance. In the 70s, in (U.S.) elementary school, we had something called the President's Fitness Challenge or some such. Broadjump, 40-yard dash, etc. And there was a 600 yard run. I excelled at the other tasks, but in the 600 yard run, i finished near last, and essentially just kept up with 'the fat kid.'
This persisted all my life. I did play on middle school basketball teams, but my performance suffered with each trip up and back down the court. I played football, well, but only because it consists of quick sprints and then recovery periods.
As a child, i never entertained the idea that this could be related to asthma. My naive concept of asthma was of the small, weak child who wheezed and had an inhaler. I didn't wheeze or cough. I don't think i experience something characterized as "tightness in the chest." No pain. I simply get fatigued quickly with exercise and breathe very hard earlier than anyone else. I do sometimes have an odd issue where if i go very hard, for a while, in something sustained such as jogging, my hearing will 'go out' in one of my ears. All the tubes are connected, right?! But, no real 'dry mouth' or pain. Not sure what my heart rate is doing, but i don't recally feeling anything like 'palpatations.' I think, knowing i have a heart murmur, if i experienced anything that felt 'heart-related' i would be concerned on the spot, but it always feels like 'wind' and muscle fatigue.
Currently, i try to play tennis. But, because i'm so quickly exhausted, my footwork is never what it should be, so i do not improve. Again, even at age 49, it's not a tightness in the chest. No coughing at all. I just begin to breathe very heavily very quickly at the onset of exercise. I can walk forever. There seems to be some threshold of exertion that i pass that leads to this. I don't think i have any other lifestyle issues with stamina, though. I'm not a 'high energy' person, but i also don't ever feel tired when doing normal things any more than other people. Meaning that i don't leave social events early, i don't sleep early — actually i sleep very little. End up going to sleep at 3-4am and waking at 8 or 9....
I skate — rollerblade or roller-skate. Used to regularly (weekly) inline skate the 6 mile loop around Central Park. I was fast overall, but probably struggled more than 'normal, and only occasional skaters' when climbing hills. I did find that i improved a bit from the first skate of the spring to the third or fourth, but still not much more beyond that. Now that i'm only rollerskating, indoors, i do believe i tire more quickly than everyone else — even people who are completely new and inexperienced, even though I am a regular (weekly).
* Other details: I have a heart murmur. Slight or mild, i think is how it was described from childhood. It was never supposed to be an issue. I have probably always been anemic, but i don't believe it was significant at childhood, because my sister was anemic, and that wasn't something i was described as at that point, but into adulthood, my diet doesn't contain a lot of vegetables, and i've been tested as iron deficient/anemic for quite some time. I have tried iron supplements, but they aggravated my stomach until more recently when i found some that are better in that respect. Haven't been tested since i tried them, though. But, there has been no difference in my condition.
I joined a gym once, a few years ago. One year. Before joining, i thought maybe my 'endurance issues' were because my legs were thin and weak and were overtaxed during exercise. But, I was pretty good at leg strength exercises which surprised me. But, i still couldn't do much in terms of endurance exercises. Never worked much on a treadmill, but i did try to do 10 minutes of elliptical work at a moderate pace. Never saw any improvement in my ability there.
* About 20 years ago, i tried to get tests done to find out if i had a heart problem. I had EKG(?) and a stress test performed. No negative results, although i do not remember specifics. About 10 years ago, i consulted a doctor about possible asthma. I was tested and had normal performance with lung capacity. I was still given an inhaler as a test, but saw no results. I think i was supposed to use it only before exercise. I tried it at the specified period before using the elliptical, but there was no change. Shortly afterward, i had a discussion with my mother, who disclosed she always had 'shortness of breath' with exertion, even with simple household tasks. She consulted a doctor who prescribed an inhaler, but she was directed to use it once per day, regardless of expected activity. She said this helped her. Was my inhaler the wrong type? Was i instructed to use it inappropriately?
* A WEIRD THING? I’ve never smoked cigarettes. A few cigars, back in the 90s, but that was just ‘a thing.’ Never tried marijuana until after i was 40, and in the handful of times since then that i have tried smoking ‘weed cigarettes’ or a friend’s vaping device, it was entirely without effect. I wonder if there’s something that prevents the vapor from penetrating? Which might also have prevented the asthma inhaler from working? Which might also explain why oxygen doesn’t fuel me as it should?
That's about it. Sorry for the length. Hope the detail helps....
2 likes, 7 replies
Guest MardenMay
Posted
Hi MardenMay,
There seems to be several things going on here, 1) have I got asthma, 2) what's normal 3) Heart Murmur. I'm not medical but I also suffer from low energy. I have a heart murmur but it's very common and the hospital said my heart was perfect and to forget about it. Comparing ourselves to other people is never a good idea in terms of getting out of breath, however have you got any digestive problems? Apparently acid reflux can cause shortness of breath, have a look on the web under acid reflux and shortness of breath. In the meantime it seems to me as though you are quite sporty but I wonder how long you do something for before giving up? I come across a lot of asthma sufferers who have forgotten how to use their inhalers but think they use them correctly. Go to the chemist and get them to check if you are using it properly. The preventer has to be used regularly and builds up over time and then there should be an improvement and the blue inhaler is for use before sport or whenever you feel short of breath. I hope I've helped a little.
MardenMay Guest
Posted
Hey there, Mumbles. Thanks for he reply.
1/ Acid reflux — I have had that issue a few times, but only as an adult, and only sporadically. But this problem began when I was a child. I only recognized the difference between myself and other children when there was first a benchmark for endurance running. The 600 yard run for the fitness challenge was my first indication that I was far behind the stamina standard, and that was in stark contrast to my performance in every other athletic area.
Heart murmur — I was told, again in childhood, that it was irrelevant, but to keep tabs on it. Was never told it could affect me physically.
If if I get confirmation here that I asthma is still a primary consideration, I will investigate different inhalers and ensure that I was using it properly. I was not told that the effect builds in the system! Pretty sure the instruction was to just try it out and when I told the doctor it had had no effect the three times I used it, he essentially dismissed an inhaler as a remedy. In fact, I believe the inhaler was just a long shot and he didn't believe I had asthma, but he indicated it would be a harmless experiment to try.
Wheezy_1 MardenMay
Posted
Gyms are germy places with mildew and mold in clothing and towels etc. Be careful.
Eat better and get 7 hr. Sleep . I hope you will feel better soon.
MardenMay Wheezy_1
Posted
Hi, Wheezy. Thanks for the response.
• My purpose for coming here was to find out if it's likely that my problem is asthma-related. If indications were that it is not, i'd ask similar questions in the heart-related forums. I just can't afford to start going around to a bunch of different types of doctors to figure this out. I tried both heart and lung guys before, and neither knew what the problem was. Sort of like having a problem with your computer, and not knowing if it's a hardware or software issue?
What do you mean, "make walking your sort (sport?) on fairly level ground where there are people to help you" — ? I do not have a problem with walking. I've never had an issue where i needed assistance from anyone. No 'severe attacks' — just being out of breath wayyyy too early. I had been renting a tennis ball machine and practicing against that once a week for the past two summers, in 90+ degree heat. I have to set the rate slower than other people, and i need to stop and rest too often. And, because i'm exhausted so early, i get lazy with footwork so i never improve. So, i can do strenuous exercise, but with stamina far below normal.
re: my diet and sleep habits — yes, i do need to improve both. But, as i said, this problem began when i was very young. I noticed it when i was 5, 6, or 7 years old. I'm sure it existed before then, but because endurance running was never part of how we played, i didn't have a basis for comparison until the gradeschool fitness test. So, sleep and diet were NOT the original cause of the issue.
Guest MardenMay
Posted
Children can get digestive disorders too but if your lung capacity is normal then it's unlikely to be either problem as they are interrelated. As others have said you need a diagnosis so pester your doctor for more tests. Perhaps you have a food intolerance or something. The other thing that makes people tired is a low white blood count. Have you had your blood tested? You need to keep researching until you get an answer. Good luck
MardenMay Guest
Posted
Thanks.
But, at this point, no insurance, unfortunately. Trying to narrow down the possibilities before i start paying out of my pocket to figure this out. I've already tried a 'lung guy' and a 'heart guy' and neither had the answer.
green881 MardenMay
Posted
Asthma on and off since age 5. No problem with stamina, completed a number of marathons, olympic distance triathlons, cycled all day, plus 10K/half.
Maybe it's EIA - for me 1 puff albuterol either 5 or 10 minutes before starting workout is the charm. Cold or dry days have higher chance of triggering, or allergy season.