Parents Anyone have a gymanst that suffers from asthma?

[mnwilson]

Hi! I am new to this site. I was just curious if anyone has a gymast with asthma. My daughter has not been diagnosed with asthma, but she has been having a lot of difficulty breathing lately during floor. Some of her skills like backhand springs and such are really lacking because she runs out of air. She has an inhaler and I think I am going to have her use it before her routines to see if it helps. I would love to hear any feedback you might have. Did your gymnast do better once they had an inhaler, and if so, when do they use it at competition?

 

[Jennemmy]

My dd has asthma that is always worse in the winter. The heat blows the chalk around and everything is closed tight so things are dustier in general. DD uses inhaler before practice and will occasionally doing another puff during the 3 hours. We have it on hand during competitions but she normally doesn't need it bc they comps are in larger gyms where there seems to be less chalk in the air. I would have your dd do a prick test. My dd is allergic to pine and we learned that even a wreath could cause problems so it helps to know what to avoid thru diagnosis.

 

[gym law mom]

If she's never been diagnosed with asthma, then why does she have an inhaler? She might have asthma and if so needs a proper medical work up and make sure she is using the right type of inhaler. Is this her 1st year doing a competitive floor routine, the running out of gas at the end of the routine could be lack of conditioning/stamina. If that's the cause then the routine will get better the more she does complete run throughs and you can ask her coach about more cardio work.

Some kids(and adults) get irritation in the upper respiratory airways that is not asthma, but may cause some problems in an enviornment with irritants like chalk dust.

 

[cher062]

My son has asthma and competed with an inhaler in the wing waiting for him if he needed it. In the colder weather or High pollen weather it was worse (which is about the whole comp season here LOL) As far as when someone would need to use it would depend on what their DR said. There are alot of gymnasts out there with asthma (famous ones too). If you suspect asthma or some type of irritation in the respirator system take her for an eval with the DR. That Chalk dust can be a real irritant even for folks without any issues.

 

[LMV]

*This is not intended or offered as medical advice--I’m telling you this as mom.*
-If there is a question if your daughter has asthma then it’s best that she be evaluated by a physician competent to make or exclude that diagnosis. Not all kids who “wheeze” truly have asthma and some children with significant disease don’t present typically.
-Exercise can be a trigger to bronchospasm for some kids with asthma and if that is the case for your daughter then she deserves a plan for how that will be managed and her asthma action plan should reflect her sports participation.
-Deconditioning (or trying to perform above your current aerobic fitness level) can certainly lead to shortness of breath and exercise related fatigue. Unfortunately other more ominous things are in this differential as well so this is another reason that seeking advice from a competent physician who can decide if further workup is warranted based on their history and exam.

Best wishes to you and your daughter!

 

[Aussie_coach]

Oh yes, lots. Asthma is for some reason very, very common in Australia and 1 in 7 children have it. So most coaches will have several asthma sufferers.

It does not mean they can't participate to their full in gymnastics.

I don't know about the laws in other countries but in Australia, an inhaler is the only medication that any person can give to another person without consent, so every gym has an inhaler in their first aid kit.

Take her to a doctor and if she needs an inhaler have her take it with her and keep it in her bag, if her breath starts to have a wheeze in it then its time to take it.

 

[Dezi]

My dd has moderate to severe asthma and we were told by her pulmonologist to take her inhaler 30 minutes before activity because it actually takes 20 minutes for relief from regular albuterol. However with that being said I would talk to your doctor about her issues, make sure you have her on the right meds and have preventive meds if you need them.

 

[gymmomntc2e6]

Again, not a doctor and if you feel your DD has Asthma, I recommend getting her checked out by a physician.

My DD has Asthma. She does fine. She takes her inhaler to gym. When it is acting up (cold weather, or if she has a cold or allergies will stir it up pretty good) she will use her inhaler before practice (doctor suggested this). She keeps it in her bag and will use it as needed @ practice.

DD usually only needs it if they run as part of warm up. She does pretty well, thankfully.

 

[Monkeygirlsmom]

Oldest dd has asthma but hers is cold induced! She used to have an inahor at the gym when it was really bad but that inhalor
I think needs to be tossed since its a few years old!

I agree If you suspect asthma (weezing when she is coughing etc ) I would def go talk to a ped and get some answers!

with that said Asthma is just fine in any sport and it is reccomended they stay active since it will buid them up! my nephews have severe Asthma and play soccer and even on the Olympic developement program , they just have to take care of themselves and use the inhalors when they need it etc!

 

[Panda-girl's Mom]

My daughter uses an inhaler before they do running at gymnastics. The doctor said to use it before running this since that will trigger her wheezing, he did not seem to think she needed before competitions since it is only a short period but my daughter has complained that she gets really winded during the end of her level 6 floor routine so she has not used it for that yet but I am wondering if it will help. I would also recommend an evuluation at a doctor and if she needs it have her keep it with her during gym and the meets.

 

[Sunobo]

My dd has asthma and we her doctor developed an asthma plan for the gym. I would suggest you talk with her doctor and develop a plan that will address your daughters symptoms and medication needs in the gym.

 

[NGL780309]

My gymnast DD doesn't have asthma, but my younger DD who is 19 months does. This is really off topic, but this thread brought it to my mind and there seems to be alot of parents that have experience with asthma. We see a Dr. so not asking medical advice, just curious if anyone had the same experience. Little DD got sick around 3 months and was constantly sick with bad, bad coughs and wheezing. Around 10 months we saw an asthma dr and she was diagnosed with asthma even though a test really can't be done. She went on 5 medications because the Dr said it was really severe. She immediately got well and only had one mild problem in August. I was concerned with the side effects of the many medications she was on and her pediatrician weaned her off of them in September. She's never had a problem since then and has even had a few colds without incident. My pedi says she never had asthma and just had reactive airways as an infant. I'm so thankful that she's been so well because the constant breathing treatments were so difficult. I really hope my pedi is right. She definitely needed the asthma meds at the time. She was almost hospitalized several times because her oxygen would be low. We'd have to sit at the Dr's office and pray the breathing treatment would work and get her numbers high enough to go home. My question is have any of your children ever presented with what really seemed like asthma and then never had a problem again?