Valsalva plus Respitory Infection = Hemoptysis?

[BPIII]

Rip et al:

I came down with a nasty respitory infection (likely viral) on the 15th which reached its crescendo (as measured by just feel and cough output) on the 16th and 17th; by Sunday the 20th, I felt ok (certainly not "normal" but better). Proceeded to lift reasonably hard (10% deload on Squat and Press) on Monday the 21st, and on the 22nd and 23rd, I noticed that what I was coughing up (which had improved in color and content, if you will) was blood streaked (not massive, just some streaks although there was one specific production that had enough blood to give me pause). I went ahead and lifted on the 23rd as a light squat day.

The next two days I noticed that there wasn't much, if any, blood at all and by Saturday, things were looking "normal." I went ahead and had another reasonably hard squat and press lift day (+ 5lbs versus Monday) and since I hadn't pulled at all in over a week, went ahead and did a 5x1 deads with the same 10% de-load from my last dead workout about 2 weeks prior.

Late Sunday and today, I've noticed the appearance of a very small amount of blood in my now more recurrent coughs (I didn't cough much on Saturday night).

Now this could just be the fact that I've developed some bronchitis post the infection but there does appear to be some correlation with lift days where I'm performing a very hard valsalva.

What do you think? Could the hard valsalva and the resultant increase in internal pressure stress what are probably some weaker than normal pulmonary structures and lead to some bleeding? I recognize that correlation is not causation but it seems more than plausible (as does attributing it to over stressing a still recovering 37 year old body from a nasty respitory infection now that I think about it).

Thanks for the consideration.

p.s. Signed my better half and myself up for the SS seminar in ATL in January and I'm looking forward to meeting you and the rest of the gang.

[Mark Rippetoe]

It's quite possible that the inflammation from the infection is predisposing the mucosa to some degree of microrupture. I've never seen it myself, but I wouldn't worry if I had, especially if it correlated with heavy days and wasn't getting worse. Obviously, if anything changes for the worse, get it checked. And I'd get it checked anyway if it persisted more than a couple of weeks.

[BPIII]

Thanks, will do.