Post cold lung tightness?

[Mikej]

So I had a head cold for 6-8 days, then some coughing that really didn't produce mucus, just that irritating tickle all night. Now after a couple days it feels like I have lost lung capacity or something. Anybody have any advice? Still a little head congestion, just not hacking anything up.

[rwsaunders]

Mike...see a Doc as my daughter spiraled downhill from a cold to pneumonia in a rather short period of time.

[slowgoing]

don't be a do-it-yourselfer with your lungs. Some bad stuff sometimes happens to them (blood clots, etc), and they heal slowly, and if you guess wrong, you could delay your recovery or much worse.. See a doc and find out for sure.

One time I had a bout of coughing after a long cold like yours. Same symptoms as you, Doc said I developed bronchitis (inflammation) and reduced air flow simply from coughing so much. Took about a month to heal with anti-inflammatories. No riding for a month sucked but did the trick.

But don't guess with your lungs.

[Blown Reek]

A couple of binger rips will clear the airways right up.

[Mzilliox]

A couple of binger rips will clear the airways right up.

haha perfect!

just give yourself some time man, it'll come round, and if not soon, go see someone about it to clear your head.

[weiwentg]

So I had a head cold for 6-8 days, then some coughing that really didn't produce mucus, just that irritating tickle all night. Now after a couple days it feels like I have lost lung capacity or something. Anybody have any advice? Still a little head congestion, just not hacking anything up.

What you're experiencing could be consistent with allergies/asthma. Mine doesn't get triggered by the cold, it's more spring tree pollens or fall ragweed. In DC, I would wheeze a little at rest, sometimes. It definitely felt like I had lost lung capacity. Might be worth checking out with an MD.

[numbskull]

Asthmatic bronchitis.

The infection triggers constriction of your airways. You don't move enough air to bring stuff up. Expiration is also very delayed so your lungs overfill with air and your breathing suffers.

See your MD. An inhaler, possibly a course of antibiotics, and maybe a 10 day course of prednisone if it is real bad ought to fix it.

[wallymann]

yeah, man...dont mess with your lungs. i'm just getting over a bout of pneumonia. while your issue may have felt like "just a cough" it may have been something serious and the result is affecting your ability to breathe.

might be bacteria, might be a virus, whatever it was...it affected your lungs ability to function and they need time to heal lest you cause more serious or long-term damage.

i get the desire to train, just for mental health, so why not ease back into training? ride your trainer very-very easy for a couple days, doing 5-10 minutes and just see how your lungs react. if your breathing doesn't feel right, stay at that level until you feel your lungs can manage. if you start to feel a little more normal, move to 20 minutes and see how it goes. if that goes well, ramp up gradually over time from there.

let your body be the guide and LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. diving head-first back into "hard training" is a recipe to cause more damage and further delay your season.

when i did my first 5 minute ride at something like 100 watts, i was hacking a fair bit and my body was sore as hell the next day! next day lungs worked better and soreness was reduced. then i went to 10 minutes for a couple days, saw gradual improvement. after a week i'm up to 175 watts for 30 minutes...now i'm debating taking an easy-easy ride outside tomorrow to see how my lungs respond to the cold air.

[parris]

There's been a NASTY bug going around my work, my wifes work, and our region this year. I got zapped with it about 2 months ago and it took between 3-4 weeks for it to really clear out. I talked to a doc and got checked because I'm never sick that long. I was lucky that it didn't develop into something more but it knocked the heck out of me.

My wife came down with the same stuff 3 weeks ago. She was stubborn and waited 2 weeks to see her doc. She was bad enough to where before her doc could even take a listen she needed a breathing treatment. It ended up being heavy bronchitis brought on by the bug but no pneumonia. Her doc put her on a boatload of different meds as well as a nebulizer and a week off from work. She's getting better but it still hasn't completely cleared.

I first started hearing about this crud from coworkers that got zapped with it this past fall. The general timeline is it "generally" takes a solid month for it to run it's course.

[thwart]

Asthmatic bronchitis.

The infection triggers constriction of your airways. You don't move enough air to bring stuff up. Expiration is also very delayed so your lungs overfill with air and your breathing suffers.

See your MD. An inhaler, possibly a course of antibiotics, and maybe a 10 day course of prednisone if it is real bad ought to fix it.
This. Altho usually viral, so the antibiotics won't help you much... unless you're seeking a remedy to constipation as well. :rolleyes:

It's basically temporary, transient asthma related to the infection.