Parents Asthmatic gymnasts-success stories?

[flipnastic]

Hi everyone! My five-year-old is a level two gymnast. Over the past couple of years, we've had quite a few issues with asthma. But, now that she is in a class and seems to be more "into" gymnastics, I'm wondering how asthma is going to affect her in the future. This week, she has been complaining of a lot of chest pain/tightness and it seems to have obviously limited her ability to do gymnastics… I feel like she tires out earlier than the kids in her class sometimes.

Anyways, I was just wondering if any of your gymnast have asthma, how it has seemed it to affect them over the years.

Thanks!!

 

[raenndrops]

We talked to the doctor about this. OG was to use her inhaler 30 minutes before practice started. The coaches were aware of her asthma and if it looked like she was having problems, they would ask her.
She would use her inhaler at practice if needed, sit out for a bit, or go outside to get fresh air.
She became a really good gymnast, moving through the levels and on to optionals.

 

[flipnastic]

Did you use her inhaler every practice? Or just when she was having a flare?

 

[rjb123]

My DD is a level 7 and is an asthmatic. Over the years she has had some flares, but we have worked very hard to get it and keep it under control. She takes daily medication and when she is healthy she doesn't need to use her rescue inhaler at gym. She keeps an "emergency" pack with her in her gym bag and has been trained to use it independently since she was around 7. I wouldn't say she tires out any more than the other girls on a regular day, but if she is having issues she obviously does. her coaches are all aware and I let them know if she has been sick or if we have changed her meds (they often make her REALLY hyper and jittery!) so that they can keep an eye on it too (though she is pretty good about self management). DD knows that this is a life long thing, and that she will have to manage it forever. At first she was really upset and embarrassed by it, but I have shown her that there are many elite athletes who have asthma and it will not hold her back as long as she does her part to stay healthy. I think that as in most things, it is all in the approach. We have always viewed and dealt with DD's asthma as something that just made her HER and not something that would hold her back. I think that makes a huge difference in her mind set.

 

[Rockygym]

Did you use her inhaler every practice? Or just when she was having a flare?

Managing asthma really depends on the individual person, how severe, what type of asthma and what their triggers are such as colds, cold weather, exercise etc. I would suggest discussing this with your child's pediatrician if you are concerned.

 

[NutterButter]

I just made an dr appointment this morning because of DD's asthma. She was diagnosed with exercise induced asthma a few months ago but something is wonky this week and she has been struggling. She had reactive airway disease as a toddler so this isn't entirely new for us but we are still figuring it out now that it has come back.

 

[cadybearsmommy]

My dd has exercise induced asthma as well. She takes Singulair daily and it really seems to help a lot. She also will use her inhaler before practice or a meet if it is a rough day/week. It only really seems to affect her on running and vaulting or if she is doing a lot of tumbling in one day. For the more low impact stuff she is fine. I think it is actually a conditions that is more easily managed on gymnastics than some of the more high cardio sports like track, etc. I don't think it will hinder your dd's long term success in the sport but you should definitely be seeing a doctor regularly to make sure the right combination of meds is being used to control it. Also if your dd has allergies it's important to keep them under control as they can make her asthma flare up worse. My dd recently started allergy shots that might be a option for your dd when she gets older if allergies are an issue.

 

[GymCMLA]

It is our job as a/her pediatrician to provide adequate control so she can keep up with her peers. It could be that an illness triggered this, allergy triggers, or exercise induce (or all of the above)
Some kids just use their rescue inhaler while others use it for rescue and prevention before exercise, yet others need controlled/maintenance inhalers or singular as well.

 

[flipnastic]

Thanks for yalls input!!! It's encouraging for sure she is actually already on a few meds dailyand are working with a pulmonologist to get it controlled. Maybe it's a sign her meds need a little tweaking.

So for those of you who had to give albuterol before workouts, did the meds seem to affect practice? (Hyperness/difficulty listening, jitteriness,etc) if so, how did you approach this? Just communication with the coach?

 

[GymCMLA]

Communication and we usually recommend 20-30 min before, so much of the side effects have passed and if not, hopefully the beginning of practice is more stretching and warming up and not beam
I'm glad you all have a plum in your corner, it definitely sounds like she may need stepped up. Does she peak flow? If she is old enough / coordinated enough it can really help you know where she is for the day/night.

 

[flipnastic]

Communication and we usually recommend 20-30 min before, so much of the side effects have passed and if not, hopefully the beginning of practice is more stretching and warming up and not beam
I'm glad you all have a plum in your corner, it definitely sounds like she may need stepped up. Does she peak flow? If she is old enough / coordinated enough it can really help you know where she is for the day/night.

Ooooooh that is wonderful info… Thank you! Yes, beam is exactly what I had in mind… LOL!

You know, I asked her pulmonologist about a peak flow when we first started seeing him… She had just turned four. He was against it, and I'm not sure if that is because of her age? But, I would love to be able to use a peak flow because her symptoms are typically "nontextbook." And, I think she has lived with it for so long that it is really hard to gauge when she is having a flare, and her body has learned to compensate. So I do need to ask him about that again… I really think it would help us treat her flare before it gets too bad.

 

[GymCMLA]

Yeah, it was probably age... Many kids aren't reliable until closer to 9 for peak flow

 

[flipnastic]

Oooh ok. Well, shoot!

 

[NutterButter]

My DD has never had any of the albuterol side effects (she's 13 though so maybe that makes a difference?). But she never had any effects when she got nebulized as a toddler either.

DD goes to the doctor next week. She couldn't finish the workout last night and was really frustrated. In reading how others manage it, I realize I have a lot to learn.

 

[raenndrops]

Did you use her inhaler every practice? Or just when she was having a flare?

At the beginning, she used it everyday BEFORE practice. During practice wasn't often - when the gym got too hot in the summer or when they did "super routines" (a gymnast does 2 floor routines back to back, then runs laps around the outside of the floor until the next girl is finished with her 2 routines... then the first girl does 2 beam routines... more laps around floor, 2 bar routines... more laps... vaults 2x... then does one more floor routine). She got so that she could pace herself on the laps and that helped some.
We always had her inhaler with us - just in case, but didn't use it much.

 

[raenndrops]

Communication and we usually recommend 20-30 min before, so much of the side effects have passed and if not, hopefully the beginning of practice is more stretching and warming up and not beam
I'm glad you all have a plum in your corner, it definitely sounds like she may need stepped up. Does she peak flow? If she is old enough / coordinated enough it can really help you know where she is for the day/night.

That was why we did the inhaler 30 minutes before practice. We had a 25 minute drive for her to get all the side effects out then 5 more minutes before practice started.

 

[l.c.o]

Disclaimer: neither of my kids have official diagnoses of "asthma".

That said, both of my kids have been 'diagnosed' with RAD (reactive airway disease) which is sort of like a precurser to asthma. It worsens significantly with colds and it may be most likely that they have virus-induced asthma... this means that when they get any sort of cold/upper respiratory infection, they wheeze like mad with a croup-like cough, and it can last days to weeks.

Both kids have ventolin rescue inhalers and nebulizers, just in case. They use them really infrequently, except in winter months

Doc has instructed us to do a nebulizer treatment before gymnastics practice and to monitor activity when they're wheezy, and to use my instincts in keeping them home when necessary. I think I've had my DD miss a total of 3-4 practices over the years due to her asthmatic symptoms alone, but again, it's hard to estimate that as it's always coupled with something upper respiratory... so 50/50 when I do keep her home whether I'd consider it "asthma" or "illness" (of course either of them would stay home with any fever or moderate-heavy bronchitis automatically, anyway, so I wouldn't attribute those events to asthma). DS has (knock wood!!) not been sick this way in some time, so it's not yet been an issue.

Thankfully, as they age, they're immune systems have strengthened, so there have been fewer colds, which means less wheezing, thank goodness.

For some perspective, DD has been in gymnastics for roughly eight years, has competed for 4 seasons, and currently trains 15ish hours per week. I always worried about the amount of chalk dust in the gym, but it hasn't seemed to be an issue. She does seem to tire out more easily than teammates sometimes, especially when sprinting, etc, but she usually does her best to keep up and has never left mid-practice.

For awhile she was doing 4-hr practices and that was rough on her (she'd even get headaches then), but she's been doing 3-hrs for awhile and has energy to spare when she's done.

(And, both of my kids have allergies, so it's likely they'll eventually get an asthma diagnosis, doc was just cautious to slap the label on them for insurance purposes... with ACA, it's becoming more likely they'll get the dx).

 

[Eleven sol]

Okay I wasn't a gymnast but a runner and had exercise induced asthma. Never had side effects from albuterol. Some of the daily meds- stimulants yes. These meds made me very hyper and jittery. I tended to resist taking those as I got older. A good warmup was essential for me, still is. If I could get my lungs working hard during warmup 30 minutes before I raced I felt/ feel better. It cleared out my lungs somehow. I was a successful athlete. But above all consult with your doctor. Asthma is dangerous.

 

[marie83]

I have asthma - when I was younger, certain intense aerobic exercise triggered it, but gymnastics not as much. It's actually the chalk dust that gets me! Even now as a coach I quite often have to pop out to take a puff of my inhaler when the gym is exceptionally chalky!

In terms of my own management while exercising:

I have always taken my preventer before exercise. Often right before starting - I've never really considered taking it 30 mins before.
I carry my reliever with me when I'm working out if possible, if not it's always in my locker close by.

My asthma is always worse when I have a cold so I know to take it easier on those days, or not go at all. It's also worse when I'm stressed/upset about something.

I'd make sure your dd's coaches are aware that she has asthma and if possible have a set of inhalers that live in her gym bag. If she can't use them on her own yet, ensure the coaches know how to help.

Sounds as if you are doing the right things so far!

 

[raenndrops]

Okay I wasn't a gymnast but a runner and had exercise induced asthma. Never had side effects from albuterol. Some of the daily meds- stimulants yes. These meds made me very hyper and jittery. I tended to resist taking those as I got older. A good warmup was essential for me, still is. If I could get my lungs working hard during warmup 30 minutes before I raced I felt/ feel better. It cleared out my lungs somehow. I was a successful athlete. But above all consult with your doctor. Asthma is dangerous.

I did several sports and had asthma from the age of 18 months old. I have always had and still do have side effects… at least from NEBULIZED albuterol. It isn't nearly as bad when I use my inhaler. When I use my nebulizer, I have to lay perfectly still for 30 minutes afterward or I will have the shakes for hours. I have also been known to have a "resting pulse" of 120 45 minutes after an albuterol treatment (I was in the ER and they gave me the breathing treatment. pre-treatment, my pulse was 72).