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Out of breathe when running

Messages
66
I use to be a pretty competitive runner winning my age groups etc. well when I got sick with cfs, epstein barr etc. I was no longer able to run past 25 minutes without feeling completely out of breathe. Does this sickness cause this? Is there anything I can do to improve my oxygen? I have been to a cardiologist and all tests have come back fine. Thanks,
 
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Gingergrrl

Senior Member
Messages
16,171
I also experience shortness of breath with just walking and cannot carry or lift anything. CFS affects the autonomic system and the ability to create energy on demand so for anyone who has it, running and aerobic exercise are not advised. There are many posts on this topic.
 

BadBadBear

Senior Member
Messages
571
Location
Rocky Mountains
I experience the same thing when I ride my bike, which I have only started to be able to do. I find that part way through a ride, my lungs seem to stop bothering to take good breaths. I wear my HRM and watch it carefully. As a result of not breathing well, my HR rises and I get fatigued even though I am not increasing my workload. Once I make sure I am breathing properly, my HR drops - sometimes by quite a lot. I've cut back on how much I am trying to do in order to work on building up my lungs. I know it used to happen before when I was building up my walking last year, too, I would feel like I forgot how to breathe. It's just more dramatic and noticeable on the bike. It is probably something that happens to me in response to many physical and mental stressors, it's just not as easy to tell in most circumstances.
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
Generally speaking, you will start to feel out of breath when you exceed your AT. At that point your aerobic metabolism cannot keep up with your energy expenditure and your body will try to get more oxygen, but that's not possible, so you feel out of breath. Your HR will probably also increase rapidly to try to get more oxygen to your muscles -- also fruitlessly.

So if you are exercising to the point of being out of breath and you have ME/CFS, you are probably doing yourself harm. ME/CFS patients get PEM from exceeding their AT (again, generally speaking).

If you exercise to the point of being out of breath, but don't get PEM (the one with "prominent symptoms in the neuroimmune regions" and exacerbation of flu-like symptoms), and you can increase your activity level over time by doing this, it is unlikely you have ME/CFS. You probably do have exercise intolerance, which is no small thing, and should have that investigated by your physician. Some common causes of exercise intolerance are cardio-respiratory conditions, various forms of orthostatic intolerance, and deconditioning.

Very, very few (if any) ME/CFS patients can run for 25 minutes without getting out of breath. Many of us can't even walk for 5 minutes without going over our AT. As an example, at my last CPET test I was at 96% of my AT just sitting on the bike before the test even started. :eek: Needless to say, it didn't take much very light pedaling to get to my AT. The thought of running is just laughable.
 

Gingergrrl

Senior Member
Messages
16,171
@SOC, I agree and the idea of me being able to run or ride a bike (right now) is about as likely as me winning the Nobel Peace Prize. Actually I think that is more likely LOL.
 
Messages
233
Lucky,

There's a tendency in people with ME/CFS to have lower blood volume, blood flow problems, and problems with oxygen during exercise. A chronic illness can also lead to hypercoagulation from fibrin deposits.

This can be complicated by C. Pneumoniae, OI/POTS, or allergies.

If you are recovered from EBV but still have CFS: I would suggest limiting your physical activity. Consider exercising in small spurts, maybe 30 seconds or less per Staci Stevens, until you can find out what your anaerobic threshold is. Like SOC said, people with ME/CFS have a broken aerobic system and reach the anaerobic threshold quickly as proven by CPET testing. We do worse than sedentary controls and people with heart or lung diseases.

I do not have chronic EBV, but found a benefit from vasoconstrictors like pseudoephedrine, caffeine, and Excedrine Migraine type stuff, although activity is still limited. I use turmeric curcumin for hypercoagulation; some use heparin. Some people drink more water with salt and No Salt potassium to increase blood volume.

These all come with stipulations and not everyone can do them. Aspirin and acetaminophen have been shown to lower glutathione in the mitochondria and the brain, which might impede progress on a methylation protocol and leave you open to other issues. Too much water, salt, or potassium can be problematic. I would suggest doing additional research and weighing your options before deciding to take anything. It would also make sense to attack the underlying issue vs. symptoms, if known.

I looked at some of your past posts. It looks like you had EBV and high IgG/negative diagnosis for HHV6. I've heard EBV is an illness that the body just needs to fight off, but science might have advanced since then. Perhaps someone with EBV can comment?

If you have an active EBV infection, you probably need to rest right now. I'd suggest that even if you didn't have a diagnosis of CFS.
 
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Dufresne

almost there...
Messages
1,039
Location
Laurentians, Quebec
I use to be a pretty competitive runner winning my age groups etc. well when I got sick with cfs, epstein barr etc. I was no longer able to run past 25 minutes without feeling completely out of breathe. Does this sickness cause this? Is there anything I can do to improve my oxygen? I have been to a cardiologist and all tests have come back fine. Thanks,

I suffered almost all the symptoms growing up that I do now. However I didn't develop post-exertional malaise until I was 32. So up until that point I'd no idea what it was I had. And that's when any attempts at running stopped. Yet up until that point I had that symptom of losing my breath while running, despite working as a personal trainer and being otherwise extremely fit.
 

SOC

Senior Member
Messages
7,849
I suffered almost all the symptoms growing up that I do now. However I didn't develop post-exertional malaise until I was 32. So up until that point I'd no idea what it was I had. And that's when any attempts at running stopped. Yet up until that point I had that symptom of losing my breath while running, despite working as a personal trainer and being otherwise extremely fit.
Ditto (sorta). I was a gymnast, sprinter, rock-climber, and casual mountain-climber, but I could never manage distance running or other stamina activities, even when I was in an otherwise excellent state of fitness. They didn't give me PEM (then), but I could never build up to any distance/time with those activities, no matter how hard I trained.
 

BadBadBear

Senior Member
Messages
571
Location
Rocky Mountains
Ditto for me, same as SOC. When I was a kid and into my 20's I could not built up my endurance at all for running/jogging even though I was very active in less demanding sports. In my 30's I had a brief stint where I could - and did - run for a few years. But eventually I got to where I just could not run again at all, and I had the start of my downturn then. Even though I can bike this year (carefully), a short jog crashes me.

I loved trail running and I miss flying down the trails. SIGH. I shouldn't complain, I know others here are much worse and my heart does truly go out to you.