That just might explain it...

I saw a doctor this morning, both for the chronic cough I've been fighting for over a week and the fact that I have a hard time breathing when I do high-intensity exercise (like bootcamp or hill training). After listening to my breathing, she said she did hear a bit of wheezing, so she scheduled me for a chest x-ray, in case (in case of what, I'm not sure, but I have an appointment with her in two weeks to discuss the results).

Her theory is that I have exercise-induced asthma. It sounds a lot worse than it is, but basically, when I push myself hard and the air quality is less than desirable (i.e. working out outside, in the downtown core, on a dry day), the air that reaches my lungs, unfiltered because it comes in through the mouth, triggers an asthmatic reaction (throat becomes constricted, I might cough a bit). My cough is probably related to such a reaction and since it wasn't prevented or treated, has continued to worsen as I cough and irritate my throat, and then the irritation causes me to cough.

She gave me a sample of a powder I need to inhale twice a day to treat the throat irritation. It has some sort of steroid to fight the inflammation. She also gave me a prescription for an inhaler (the typical asthma inhaler) to use before I exercise. She also told me to continue working out, it was OK and even recommended.

Let's see how this works out for me...