March 6, 2010

A Visit to the Allergist

The weather is not cooperating with riding this weekend. Unfortunately, I have not found the motivation to set the trainer back up. I bought a commuter bike, a Trek 7700, and will hopefully start commuting in a couple of weeks when the weather settles down.

Today, I have my referral visit with an allergist. She goes over my medical history with me, concentrating on October 2009 and the tentative exercise-induced asthma. When she reviews my pulmonary function test results, she agrees that I did not improve as dramatically as they like to see after I was given albuterol, my lung volume improved enough to qualify me as asthmatic. It's still a tentative diagnosis, and the allergist prescribes me a peak flow meter to monitor for several days and get a baseline measurement for my normal value. Apparently, that will be the deciding factor for an asthma diagnosis.

I tell the allergist that I have not been taking the albuterol because of the side effects, but that my biking seems to improve as the weather dries out/warms up. She is not happy about me skipping medications and prescribes a different bronchodilator that will hopefully have the benefits but not the side effects of the albuterol.

I ask about allergy injections, but the allergist tells me she doesn't like to do them with asthmatics. She prescribes a new nasal spray that will hopefully work better than the Flonase, and I get my blood drawn for allergy sensitivity evaluation. I'm pretty sure it will tell me I'm allergic to Northern California.

Ride Report 2/28

23.4mi in 1:43, Home to Guy West Bridge-Hagan Park & back

Apparently an upset stomach from last night is not the best biking companion. The weather is pretty nice; a little too overcast to consider a truly pretty day. The trail headed east is more crowded than toward Discovery Park, and pretty much everyone is passing me. I have my lowest moment when I am passed by a couple, the male half on a Roadmaster mountain bike. To make up for it, I pass a few recreational cyclist uphill, but overall I'm slow today. I pause at Hagan Park to try not to lose my breakfast. On the way back, the hills have thoroughly kicked my ass, but my time is good so I'll take the beating.