Ive only been out of the hospital for 4 days now , and despite being still quite sick, I’m actually starting to feel more and more normal again (thats a scary thought huh). Though very limited, today I was able to resume my daily walks.
I don’t think healthy people realize just how much of an impact a single severe asthma exacerbation can have on the rest the body…It takes a lot out of you and sometimes the treatment is as bad as the disease. All the IVs and tubes they insert in you, and all the drugs they pump through them , effect not only your lungs, but the all the other body systems as well. I always come out of the hospital majorly bruised and beat up. This time in particular, it did a number on my arm and leg muscles. In just 10 days I went from having moderate upper body strength, to having absolutely none at all. Just 3 days prior to this last hospitalization, I was lifting weights in the 80-120 lb range on the weight training machines at the gym. Today, I can barely lift my arms over my head with NO weight.
The one thing I’m really good at, has been effected as well. Before I was incarcerated , I could easily walk 10 miles without batting an eye. Today , it took all the lung power I could muster just to limp my way through 3.5 miles. I’m having serious doubts now, as to whether I’ll still be able to do the SF half marathon next month. I may have to forgo that one, and set my sights on the ET marathon as my next race.
I’m very strong willed and I always seem to recover quickly after a bad one…but never fully. Each severe flare-up that I survive, takes just a little bit more out of me that I can never replace. It’s a constant uphill battle in just maintaining what little I have. It’s been a full week now since I came off the ventilator, but my throat is still sore from the tube and my dyspnea level has been at times, off the charts.
OK, enough of the whining and self pity routine. I’m going to put this latest chapter behind me , so I can start focusing on the things I really love doing …. namely racewalking, concert going, and avoiding hospitals.
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I know exactly what you’re talking about. It is the same with CF exacerbations as well.
I don’t think you’re whining. You’re a good observer of your own state and you make other people in your situation (and who read your blog) feel less alone.
Thanks a lot Cris, coming from you that means a lot. Do you realize we go back 4 years now? Who woulda thunk either of us would still be around. I guess exercise really does help!
Good to see you’re improving. To answer your question, the plan is to try and qualify in the fall and to run it next year.
Francis