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Peak flow advice? (and other health problems)
I've had possibly the worst 2 months of health in a long time but I'm wanting to get going again now, so I was wondering if anyone of you had any knowledge you can share.
Basically I've been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid, I'm now a month into the meds but from xmas I've had an eye ulcer, hives on hands and feet, a cough so bad I was coughing up blood, that turned into a proper chest infection which has been treated. Then, the only time I did ride, I fell off on ice and ended up black blue down one side.
Anyway, I've just had a peak flow reading and it was shite (530) with still a top end wheeze. I'm now on the clencil inhaler until it runs out and we'll see where I am then.
Looking at the charts I should be about 630, so hopefully I'll get back there but I never knew where I was before though. Is peak flow the be all and end all of how you'll perform or is there more too it than that? I'm just starting to feel like maybe the thyroid meds are kicking in and I've a bit more go but I'm a bit worried about blowing a gasket so to speak if I do to much to soon?
The only benefit of all this down time is my knee seems to have righted itself.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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12 comments
Went out today for a 15 and bit miles at lunch. About 2mph down on my usual pace but I'm just going to keep the pace the same and stretch the rides out bit by bit. Certain terrain needs certain effort and a small but step hill still needed about 450w for 30s but I was keeping it about 150-160 the rest of the time.
Trouble with going to the doctors is convincing them your not taking the piss. The one who initially suggested my thyroid may be playing up is very young and seems enthusiastic, some of the others seem utterly uninterested. For example, the one who I saw when I got the eye ulcer told me go see an optician, which I found odd as the first time I had one I got sent straight to the eye clinic. He looked at me like an imbecile when I questioned it but when I went to the optician they said WTF and referred me to the eye clinic. At the eye clinic itself I'd seen 3 people and asked why I'd got a repeat ulcer and got 3 different answers. You just go round in circles sometimes.
Lottery win and a private doctor is the way forward.
you say that now, until you discover it's the same person!
My peak flow is seriously cac, and has been for many years.
Like others above I'd suggets you need to baseline your peak flow and see how it changes as you train and with medication. It's only one metric...
Sorry to hear that.
"Basically I've been diagnosed with an underactive thyroid"
Do you have a goitre (thyroid neck swelling)? As that could affect peak flow. Your thyroxine replacement dose may also need adjusting - it's rarely the correct dose on first guesstimate.
"hives on hands and feet"
What are you allergic to? That could be affecting your asthma? (I'm assuming you have asthma, you don't say).
"a cough so bad I was coughing up blood, that turned into a proper chest infection which has been treated"
Did you have a chest x-ray? If you were coughing up blood before, and you still don't feel right at this stage, I would be insisting on a chest x-ray.
"Anyway, I've just had a peak flow reading and it was shite (530)... Looking at the charts I should be about 630"
530 is not that shite, unless it's way below your usual - the chart just shows the mean peak flow for your age and height, but it's a normal (bell-curve) distribution, you may still be in the normal range.
Possibly a bit of interval training either on the trainer or a loop very close to your front door would help as well. Establish what your limits are now and if they need improving work on a slow and structured recovery plan. We only really know our limits when pushed beyond them and you don't want this happening miles away with little support...
Cheers for the advice and stuff. Yeah I guess I'm just starting to chomp at the bit to really get going now. The mind is more willing than the body. I think the thyroid meds are finally starting to work as I do feel like can actually do something, and I've taken the bike to work so I'll go out for an hour at dinner. Did an hour on Friday and just made sure I didn't try and blast anything.
Hopefully the thyroid is basically the key to all this and once that's sorted the whole chain of illness will stop. As has been said, best just enjoy riding sometimes for those moments like riding in an empty bit of countryside with a bird of prey literally flying in front of you. Awesome.
I've got my motivation for the year though....I've only got 2 KOMs and one of them just went.
as said, peak flow is of most use if charted and and a baseline established (once you've fixed your technique), but mainly as a way of judging how severe an asthma attack is (and thus which medication you should be prescribed). If you're concenered see your doctor, and check out Asthma UK's rescources.
Loads more to it: my peak flow has always been amazing and that's been consistent all the way through varying levels and types of fitness (eg. first time I was aware of it was when I was a guinea pig for a sports science mate at uni. I was a half-decent sprinter (athletics) with pathetic endurance fitness - peak flow off the top end of the charts, VO2max of a newborn). Next time it was measured I was in inactive pisshead mode - more or less the same reading. If there's one metric to fixate on, it's not peak flow.
And right now you shouldn't fixate on anything other than getting better and riding your bike when you can, at a level you can. Do that and you'll get 'it' back. Good luck.
my peak flow measurements are always seriously rubbish in comparison to whats meant to be the normalised standard for age,sex,height etc, but theres a definite technique to it that Ive never mastered, so I dont think its always as true a reflection anway.
But the key is whats your usual "normal", which as you say you dont really know, so how do you know 530 is really that bad? its only when your capacity drops from your normal level, not everyone elses normal,that you need medication to tackle it, but it will only put you back to your normal level, it wont push you beyond what your lungs were capable of, no matter how many times the tabloid journalists repeat the claim it can.
I feel your pain - mine should be around 640, but at its best it's around 450. Recently it's been in mid 300s and at one point was down to 250. At that point I went to the GP & got prescribed oral steroids which fixed it (till my next chest infection). I'm on Clenil, Salmeterol & Monteleucast tablets. After umpteen GP visits due to see respiratory consultant soon...
My wife (who's a medic) tells me to stop stressing about peak flow - apparently its a lot more complicated than high peak flow good, low peak flow bad - all sorts of other things play a part - that's as far I know. That said, having shit lungs definitely makes it a lot harder & people have to wait for me these days. And follow Leviathan's advice.
Hopefully some medics on this site will be able to add more on other factors ...???
I used to get chest infections in winter, but since I got a trainer and workout indoors throughout winter months I've been much healthier. Hope you start to feel better
Um, weather not looking great for tomorrow. I've never had multiple problems like that but if I did I wouldn't think about stats, just ride for enjoyment on your favourite classic route.