It’s not so much it dries out or that it happens if you exercise too long. It’s pretty much an instant sensation of everything tightening up and closing due to muscle dysfunction. So while someone with say, asthma might be able to run up and down the stairs three times with no problem before they start to feel like they need to stop, for VCD it’s as soon as your activity level spikes that your airway just shuts off and you’re left halfway up the stairs trying to breathe while the muscles unclench. It can be quite scary, especially if like myself you throw up a lot from other health problems, and then you wind up choking and wondering if you remeber how to do the self Heimlich maneuver :/
I’m really sorry to butt in, but @pinkpuffballdude I HAVE THOUGHT I WAS THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD WITH THAT PROBLEM FOR TWENTY YEARS. I’ve been diagnosed with asthma twice before my current doctor heard my description and went “No, that’s definitely not asthma, no wonder your inhaler doesn’t work”. But I still can’t run for more than a couple dozen yards without having to stop and try not to cry–I just assumed that was what being out of breath felt like, for years and years.
UNFORTUNATELY, I have no answers despite the amount of research I’ve done. I’ve had a small fistful of tests done and there doesn’t appear to be anything wrong with the function of my lungs, so the standing theory is that the seven years of nonstop respiratory infections I had as a little kid did permanent damage…but no one knows what kind of damage it could be because the necessary tests would be incredibly expensive and probably inconclusive.
AGAIN, SO SORRY TO HIJACK THIS POST, BUT HOLY SHIT. *POINTS* I’M NOT A FUCKING FREAK OF NATURE.