Yahoo!!!

Yesterday was the fourth infusion. Had to go in early to see Dr. Ettinger and fill out questionaires, and have another PFT.
I was a little apprehensive about the PFT. They are hard to do. They take a toll on me. I have problems blowing as long as they want and end up having to repeat several parts. The length of the test becomes a test of endurance rather than a measure of my capacity. But this time it was different. First of all, it didn’t seem as hard. Second of all, I did not have to repeat any of the steps. Third of all, it only took about 15 minutes instead of an hour, because I did not have to repeat any of the steps. WOW! I did not choke and gasp after each part. I did not hurt. I did no feel exhausted. I was totally surprised. And best of all? The tech looked at my last PFT and informed that I did much better. Of course, I already felt like I did, but getting confirma-tion only left me feeling exhilarated!
Anna, the research coordinator, was surprised that I was done so fast. In fact, she double checked with the tech to make sure nothing had been overlooked. I left feeling like I had conquered a mountain. I think I was slightly floating as I walked out of the door.
And now a day later, the feelings of exhilaration, of excitement have diminished. I look back and try to recapture those feelings and can’t. So I wonder why the improvement. Is it because of the drugs? Or the changes in life this past year? I’m sure that the amount of walking play into it. In a sense, I have developed my own pulmonary rehab. Distance walking, but included is the physical challenge of maintaining a pace up a hill and then repeating on several more hills as I walk around our lake community. I am able now to walk the longest path, in less than an hour, with several hills that exceed 100 feet in incline. Not so impressive if you are twenty and in good health, but amazing if you are 60 with a terminal lung illness!