Drugs and recovery

Been a while since I posted here. That's a good sign, it means I haven't had any setbacks!

It's true. No setbacks. I signed up for the BASI Pilates Teaching Certification Course (Pilates has saved me, how could I not decide to become a Pilates teacher??) which started two weeks ago. Part of what's required is to learn all the exercises, of course, which necessitates practice. Lots and lots of practice. I wasn't sure that I'd be up to the physical challenge, but since Pilates typically makes me feel better (only makes me feel worse when I don't listen to my heart rate monitor!) I figured I was just gonna jump in with both feet and see what happened.

For the last two weeks I've been doing Pilates 5 days a week. That's quite a jump in activity level from where I was even two months ago. I'm wearing my heart rate monitor and resting between exercises when I need to, but for the most part it's non-stop Pilates. And I'm thriving. This is the best I've felt since this whole craziness started. Is it all the lateral breathing (breathing into the sides of your ribs)? Low-heart rate activity? I don't know. I don't care. It just feels great to be active again.

And all without drugs. Any drugs. I admit in the beginning it was pretty scary. But I was more scared of the drugs than of my lungs not working. Asthma drugs didn't work on me, so those were never a temptation. My only option was prednisone, a steroid, and I just wasn't going to go there, way too scary. Steroids are immune suppressors ferchristssake, they give it to organ transplant patients to treat organ rejection. Incredibly powerful drugs, steroids. I rather like my immune system, thank you, I think I'll keep it. Read the potential side effects of prednisone on wikipedia. It should scare the hell out of you. Scares the hell out of me. Side effects like euphoria and mania? Sound far out, right? No. Happened to someone close to me after one single dose. One dose.

Yes, it's a pain in the ass to do things the natural way. I have to eat right. I have to meditate. I have to take garlic, and remember to make myself ginger tea. And not work out too hard. And yes, it's frustrating and sometimes scary to have a setback. But if I was on drugs, would I feel the setback? Would I know that I needed to take it easy? Think about that for a moment. If you're on drugs that make you FEEL good you're much more likely to push past your natural boundaries.

The past 8 months have been long, admittedly. But I've learned a great lesson. Listen, listen, listen to your body. Give it what it needs and let it do its job.

You, The Owner's Manual

If you have any interest in how your body generally operates, pick up a copy of "You, The Owner's Manual". Comprehensive and fun to read. Got mine yesterday for 30% off at Borders. The big moment for me was on page one of the chapter on Lungs (emphasis is mine):

"In fact, when it comes to your airways, the small things post the greatest threat...When you take bacteria, viruses, and other particles into your lungs, your system is able to stop the larger particles, because they get trapped by the lung's natural defenses. They beat the particles out of your windpipes with little brushes called cilia and force them out of your body through coughing, sneezing, and blowing your nose. But even smaller particles - particles we can't actually see - can slip through the defense system much like a great running back breaks tackles. Undetected, these particles actually cause an inflammatory reaction that destroys part of your lung tissue - and puts you at greater risk for various lung disorders."

No shit. That seems a very simple explanation of exactly what happened to me and, from some of the forums I read, in various forms to lots of other people too. The difference for me is that when I read those forums everyone is on some medication or another (or more commonly on 3 or 4). Steroids. Bronchodialotors. And they're not getting better. I, on the other hand, am only on good nutrition, supplements, Buteyko exercises and regular doses of Pilates and seem to be making all kinds of progress. Admittedly, it feels achingly slow at times, but when I read forum posts from people suffering similar symptoms, but going months with no improvement, I suddenly don't feel so bad. Looking back, I've made quite a bit of progress. Spent the weekend talking to my son. Yes, I could tell it was taxing, but 2 months ago I couldn't have spent an hour talking to him, much less 3 days. I'm not saying that my course is right for everybody, I'm sure there are people who are helped by the meds, but I'm saying if results are the measure, my way seems a valid alternative more people should at least consider.

We'll see how much progress I can make in the next 6 weeks. I'm going to be taking a comprehensive pilates certification course which will require me to be working out as much as I'm able. Incentive!!

The ups and the downs

I've never had to deal with an ongoing injury like this lung thing. Messes with your head.

I gradually get better, start to think I'm heading out of the woods (for good this time, right?), then I overdo it and I have a little relapse. That's when it's so easy to get scared. What the fuck IS this exactly? Why do I feel better when I'm working out but sometimes the chest tightness happens several hours later? If a killer Pilates class is bad for me, wouldn't it feel bad when I'm doing it, instead of 5 hours later? And why does one Pilates class make me feel so much better (like last Thursday's mat class) and another wipe me out and get me back to feeling like someone is sitting on my chest (like last Tuesday's reformer class)? I forgot to wear my heart rate monitor on Tuesday. Is it as simple as I just did too much even though it didn't feel like it at the time?

Fuck, this is exhausting...mentally I mean. I'm so sick of being sick. And sick of being scared. Easy to think I'm taking the right course when I'm getting better. But when I have these relapses I start to wonder if there's something I'm doing that I shouldn't be doing, or something I should be doing that I'm not doing, all out of sheer ignorance. Yes. I could go see a doctor again. I think about that occasionally. But a "regular" doctor is just someone I'm going to frustrate and there's not a naturopath in the area. I won't take steroids. I won't take drugs. I won't let them do a stress test on my lungs (after all this work to keep my activity level down I'm going to jump on a treadmill so they can prove to themselves that yes, exercise shuts my lungs down? duh). I won't let them do a lung biopsy (yeah, that'll help me heal faster, cut some of it out). I'm willing to do anything non-invasive...MRI, ultrasound, etc., but those are fucking expensive tests. And once I had a definitive diagnosis (which isn't guaranteed by any means) what would it change? That would just put me back having the argument about taking drugs.

Looking back I can see that I'm getting better. Most of the time I can talk as much as I want. That was not always the case. I can go to the grocery store and Pilates classes and out to dinner. That was not always the case. So even though it's incredibly frustrating to have these little setbacks, I'm bouncing back much, much faster and my setbacks are now better than where i used to be all the time. Must keep my perspective. So I'll keep workin' the program and trying to avoid setbacks. Eat right. Pilates (but not too strenuous). Clean, humidied air. Buteyko exercises. Manage my schedule so I'm not doing too much on any particular day.

Gotta just keep my head down and work the fucking program.

Vacation and Pilates

Didn't know if I'd survive more than 4 days out in the real world, but I managed just fine, thank you very much. Admittedly after eating too much, drinking great wine every night, staying up too late, and breathing non-humidified air, I was ready to get back to my healthy diet and my purified, humidifed air. But I really thought I'd pay a big price for all that partying. I was going downhill there for a few days right after we got home, but went to a Pilates mat class and it perked me right up. Thanks to Pilates I've bounced back nicely. What a relief.

Speaking of which, decided on my birthday trip that I'm going to get certified to teach Pilates. It's become an important part of my life. These past 6 months or so it has saved me. I want to know more. I want to know everything. And if I can help someone else discover the wonders of Pilates, even better.

Back to having a life!

Been getting back to my old regular life a bit lately.

Yesterday we ventured back into the world again. Did a driving tour of downtown Vegas (such as it is) and went to see the new Bond movie followed by dinner and wine. Hit some 2nd hand smoke going through the casino to get to the theatre and then again after dinner as we blew $20 on a slot machine on our way out (yes, the movie theatres here are located inside casinos!) and talked, and talked, and talked throughout dinner. Mostly about how disappointed we were in the Bond film.

Point is, I did lots of stuff that's moderately stressful (talking a lot, smoky air) and I seem to be doing ok. Yes, my chest feels a little "stuffy" today, but my Buteyko CP's (controlled pause) were really good this morning (30!) and I think I'll recover just fine.

Lastly I've said it before, and I'll say it again...Pilates is awesome! Went to mat class feeling like I had a small cloud of crap sitting in my chest, and came home feeling great. Chest feels clear and bonus? My butt feels sore!

Keep a Positive Attitude

Admittedly my little setback over the Thanksgiving weekend bummed me out.

But my recovery was quick. I still need to be careful, I pushed it a little last Tuesday...pilates, grocery store run, then decided to whip up a batch of granola before making dinner. That was a little much. But the rest of the week went smoothly, even got in a little low level cardio on Saturday. We also braved some second-hand smoke and got out into the world on Saturday afternoon for a few hours. I walked. I talked. And I was fine.

Talking has been my big trigger. But I talked to my son yesterday for an hour and a half and didn't have any sort of reaction. THAT's progress!

Just gotta keep sticking to the plan and recognizing my limits. I'm getting to bed early, I think that's helped, eating healthfully, doing my Buteyko exercises, taking my supplements, spacing out my activities. The result seems to be increased recovery time. I think I'm finally getting ahead of this thing!

On the downslope (again)

I'm keeping a positive attitude, I AM getting better, but I do feel worse this Monday than last Monday. Only a little worse, but I was hoping that resting over the Thanksgiving weekend would have me feeling perkier.

Because of Thanksgiving I missed my usual Thursday Pilates class, so no pilates "boost" on Thursday. We did go for a nice long walk on Friday, which made me feel better, although when we got home I had to pee so bad I took the 4 flights of stairs to our apartment instead of waiting for the elevator. My heart rate monitor was beeping at me for the last two (but I had to pee!), I maxed out at 136. I didn't feel any ill effects at the time, but I think that was more cardio-vascular stress than I could handle because that's when the backsliding started. I was waiting for water to boil the next day and decided while I was just standing there I'd do some pilates/ballet leg moves, some rond de jambe's (making the letter D on the floor, up, out and around, back to starting position) and some simple leg lifts, to the front, side and back. Doesn't sound so strenuous, huh? But the last couple of reps just felt...well, they just felt like I shouldn't have done them. Not any kind of pain in my chest or breathlessness, just a sense of overexertion.

I noticed later Saturday and Sunday that my "spot" was back. When I inhale I have this sense of cool air going over a sensitive spot about an inch to the right of center, about even with my armpit. I didn't have that "spot" in the very beginning, but started to notice it when I had my big setback back in August. I think when that happened I ruptured something in there. Nice.

Part of me is interested in knowing what, exactly, I did to myself. But it's not worth the time, aggravation, and money to find out. Whatever it was, it is healing, it's just taking it's sweet ass time. The Buteyko exercises help I think in part because it's training me to use my lungs less. Whatever the injury, reducing the load on my lungs has to help.

I just need to get back to the program. Rest. Ginger tea. Buteyko 3 times a day. Not overdoing it (hold it and take the fucking elevator next time!). Recovering from an injury takes time. I simply must be patient.

What a Beautiful Day for a Walk

It was a PERFECT Vegas fall day today. High low-mid 70's, a slight breeze and not a cloud in the sky.

We were up a little late last night chatting with the calorie-count.com crowd (hi guys!), so we didn't get a very early start on our walk. By the time we got out to our favorite park it was about noon. My lungs weren't recovered from all the talking last night, but I had a feeling that a little walk would do me good, and I was right. Mike was a little hesitant to take me walking, worried I needed to rest from last night, but I'm glad we decided to give it a try. I felt much better after our walk.

I like walking outside SO much better than cranking it out on a treadmill. The sun, the fresh air, looking at the cool red rocks in the mountains nearby, soaking in life happening around you...the exhuberance that children have when playing, watching people play with their dogs (I love other people's kids and dogs!). And Mike and I get to hold hands when we walk outside, can't do THAT in the gym!

We kept the pace nice and slow, keeping my heart rate in the mid-80's (except for one little incline which pushed it to 100) but we managed 5 laps around the park, which took about an hour and 15 minutes. Add on some stretching at the end, and it was a nice hour and a half. Even walking slow there's still a lot to think about. Especially for me since I have to pay such close attention to my breathing. Abs engaged and pulling up, breathing into the side of my lungs (pilates abs & breathing), but breathing shallowly and always through my nose (buteyko). Remembering to walk "tall", light on my feet, pushing off with my toes, lifting my foot forward with my quads (not swinging my leg into the next step) and pushing forward with the top of the hams. Lots to think about. But proper form keeps me from re-aggravating my old quad injury, helps me focus on my shallow breathing, and passes the time (since I'm no good at conversation these days!).

Food Sensitivies

Well sometimes you just can't win...

Almost two years ago my doc did a wacky food allergy test on me, muscle testing (arm goes down, it's bad, VERY scientific {cough, not}). He said no wheat or coffee, but dairy was ok (which surprised him, since most people fail the dairy arm test apparently). So I tried to give up wheat (switched to spelt for baking and things like rice pasta but giving up wheat entirely is tough!), and I gave up coffee completely (I was a 2 Starbucks Grande's a day kind of girl). I decided his arm strength test was bullshit but I was interested in the concept and decided to do a more scientific test. So I did a blood test that measures the level of anti-bodies in your blood to certain foods. http://www.optimumhealthresource.com/

Came back very different from my docs arm test (what a surprise). High on most dairy. So I got off dairy (except for butter every once in a while and mozzerella on my weekly homemade pizza). I gave up my beloved skim milk with meals, having water instead, and I switched to soymilk for those times when milk was a "necessity" like with cereal or when cooking. All the grains were in the no-reaction category. Thank god, I thought to myself, just trying to stay away from wheat on my doc's recommendation had been really, really tough. You know what's coming next, don't you?

I did another test this year. With this nasty lung condition I wanted to make sure my body wasn't spending energy dealing with food sensitivities that it should be spending on healing my lungs. This year's results? Soy (almost a max reading which is a little scary because I just don't have that much of it), Honey (again, a little scary since I hardly have any of that either), and...drumroll...Wheat (whole wheat, wheat gliadin and gluten), Spelt and Rye. Well, CRAP. No more Ezekiel bread english muffins. No substituting spelt for wheat. That means no grains. That means no pizza. Well, CRAP. No Mike's Kick Ass Multi-Grain Toast and eggs for Sunday breakfast. Well, CRAP.

Good news? If you stay away from trigger foods your body "forgets" it doesn't like them and you can re-introduce them later. They recommend complete avoidance for a few months, then once reintroduced they recommend having it only once every 4 days to avoid developing a sensitivity to it again. I know avoidance works because this year's test showed no reaction to dairy, although now I'm of the mind that cow milk should be for baby cows, not people. Not doing complete withdrawal until after Thanksgiving weekend. Should be interesting!

Good News and Not So Good News

So the good news is that I'm continuing to feel SOOOO much better thanks to the Buteyko breathing exercises.

A weight has been lifted off my chest in the last few weeks, literally and figuratively. Man, being sick is exhausting! And a definite blow to my super-woman-ego. I really thought I was invincible with all these years of healthy living under my belt.

The Not So Good News is that Reactive Airways Dysfunction Syndrome isn't an illness, it's an injury, and it's healing like one. I continue to get sucked into the "illness recovery" mentality. Oh, I'm feeling better, let's go. But life continues to remind me that no, no, no, this is an injury.

Tried to go for a walk on Saturday. Last Saturday's walk was great, but between then and now fall fell. It was only in the mid 50's and cloudy. Previously that would have been my favorite kind of day, perfect for walking. But once I stepped outside my lungs started to shut down. I thought they would relax and get into the groove once we got moving. Wrong-o! For the first time I got to experience what they talk about in my Buteyko method book, forcing yourself to breathe shallower when you want to breathe deeper, in order to stop an "attack". Try doing THAT sometime. Feeling not you're not getting enough air, and breathe less. Our walk lasted about 10 minutes. Clearly I'm not ready for cold air yet! Drat!

Good news is that by Sunday I was recovered. So my recovery time is much improved, which is great news. Since I didn't get in a walk on Saturday I walked a bit with Mike in the gym this morning. Haven't done that in forever. g-r-a-d-u-a-l-l-y upped the speed until I was walking at 3 mph, which had my heart rate at about 90. I used to not consider myself warmed up unless I was in the 120's...now I'm working out in the 90's...and feeling like I accomplished something! Wow, perspective is an interesting thing...

Buteyko Primer

So I've been dealing with this lung thing since July. I know what aggravates it...bad air quality, elevated heart rate, stress. But haven't found much that helps it (except rest...not to be undervalued, rest, it's been very useful). Until now.

I've discovered the Buteyko Breathing Method.

While searching for nutrition advice for asthmatics on Patrick Holford's site, I came across the book Asthma-Free Naturally by Patrick McKeown. I ordered the book through Amazon and they offered a discount if I ordered it along with Close Your Mouth: Buteyko Clinic Handbook for Perfect Health, also by Patrick McKeown, so I got both.

These two books are very similar, "Close Your Mouth" is just a more concise version of Asthma-Free, with a better quality cover. If you want to just learn the exercises, get "Close Your Mouth". If you want more information on the method, how it was developed, a fuller explanation of the exercises, get "Asthma-Free Naturally". Either book will take a while to get to you because it's not very popular (yet) here in the US (big in the UK however). Worth the wait (at least for me!).

Here's a quick synopsis...theory: asthmatics (and other people with lung issues like me) have too little carbon dioxide in their lungs. The tightness is their lungs makes them feel the need to try to breathe deeply, "overbreathing", which ironically only further depletes their CO2. The aim of the Buteyko method is to teach you to breathe less. Always, always through your nose (filters out impurities, humidifies air going in, keeps humidity from going out, limits the volume of air going in or going out). I'm not on any medication, (I don't have asthma and my condition isn't responsive to asthma meds, so I never got started down that path) but apparently if you're asthmatic and on meds, you can reduce or eliminate your medication by following the Buteyko techniques and diligently doing the exercises.

Info on the underlying theory of why the exercises work can be found here (you won't find much on the actual exercises online, practioners charge about $400 for a series of lessons, videos go for ~$100, they don't want to be giving that info away!). But here's a little more on the exercises and here too. Beware! If you have serious health problems, it clearly states in the 'Asthma-Free' NOT go just start doing these exercises!

After more than 4 months of dealing with my RADS I was able to go for a long walk yesterday, with no setback today, and have had moments the last few days where I felt NORMAL. Normal! No tightness in my chest! I've been diligent about doing the exercises at least twice a day, usually 3 times, and I will continue to be until my control pause is routinely at least 40 seconds (which seems like an eternity to me now!). I'll keep you posted.

Buteyko and Walking

For the first time since we sold our house in the 'burbs (February) Mike and I went for a long walk. It used to be a twice a week habit that we really enjoyed but we were enjoying the gym here at the condo complex and then I came down with this weird lung condition.

It was my first cardio of any sort since the end of August, my big setback. I practiced my new Buteyko breathing method the whole time (shallow, shallow, shallow), and we walked NICE and SLOW the whole hour, but I managed to be moving for a whole hour. The weather was just incredible (October in Vegas is absolutely beautiful, sun, mid 70's, slight breeze) and it was great to get outside. Been cooped up in this apartment too damn long! After our walk we had a nice drive around town, talking (a stressor for me), even touring a couple of new home models with plenty of stairs.

I've been religiously practicing my Buteyko breathing method and have almost doubled my controlled pause (how long you can comfortably hold your breath after exhaling). Even better though, I got through yesterday without a setback! An hour of walking, an hour of walking through houses, talking the whole time, and I feel ok today. NO setback!! Yeah!!! We're going to try to add a Saturday walk to the weekly routine. I finally feel like I'm really on the road to recovery...finally...and it seems to be thanks to the Buteyko exercises!

p.s. Go Bears!

Intruiging...

Been trying to take it easy this past week. Cancelled Pilates last Thursday and yesterday. Cancelled my pampering day last Friday of facial and manicure/pedicure because talking is such a struggle and my girls and I love to chat. Couldn't see going and not talking, that's half the fun!

Despite resting for the past week I must say I don't feel that much better. I'm trying hard not to get depressed about my little setback, keep my head in a good place so I don't stress out and make myself feel even worse. I've definitely learned that stressing about it makes it worse. So trying to RELAX. Going to my private pilates lesson today, so hopefully that'll stimulate some healing. So that's the current state of affairs.

Here's what's got me intrigued...a new book I ordered called "Asthma-Free Naturally" by Patrick McKeown, on the Buteyko Breathing Method. The theory of the book is that asthma is caused by inadequate levels of carbon dioxide. I've been having trouble talking for the last couple of months and it clearly explained why talking is an stressor, it depletes your carbon dioxide! A light bulb moment. You'd think that an asthma breathing method would involve DEEPER breathing, wouldn't you? Wrong! The Buteyko method is to train yourself to breath LESS. Less breathing increases your levels of carbon dioxide. The more carbon dioxide you have in your body the longer you can hold your breath. According to the book, after exhaling easily (don't expel all the air in your lungs, just naturally breath out) you should be able to hold your breath for 40 seconds (if you're healthy and asthma free). Mind you, that's not 40 seconds and then gasping for air, that's 40 seconds until your first "hunger for air". After that 40 seconds you aren't gasping for air, but only need a breath like the one you took before you held your breath. I can go 15. After doing the breathing exercises in the book I can go 20. The book makes a pretty compelling case I must say.

I've got nothing to lose and everything to gain, so I'm going to do the exercises as prescribed...20-30 minutes 3 times a day. I'm keeping track of my controlled pause (how long you can comfortably hold your breath) in a spreadsheet, so I'll be tracking my progress. Should be interesting!

Mental Control

So a week ago or so I ventured out into my old life. A night on the town with friends. Dinner, a little conversation, and a show. Didn't seem very stressful at the time, but the week before had been pretty full, 3 pilates sessions, some grocery shopping involving heavy lifting, and the night out was the icing on the stressful cake. The next day it was quite clear I'd done too much too soon.

How depressing. And the more depressed I got about my backslide, the worse I felt. By last Wednesday I was back doing nothing but sinking into the couch. Trying not to talk. Not making dinner. Not lifting anything.

Friday I snapped. Or rather my husband snapped and he finally got through to me. Physically I'm going to feel however I'm feeling. But I don't need to make it worse by stressing out. And to be sure, stress makes me feel worse. When I drink wine I'm able to talk better, my chest loosens up. The alcohol isn't doing anything but relaxing me.

So I've been trying to pay attention. When I feel my chest tighten up I take a deep breath and concentrate on letting the tension go. Ahhhh. When I feel my throat start to close from talking too much, I engage my brain and tell myself there is NO reason why it should be that stressful, another deep breath, and my talking is easier, my chest hurts less.

Reactive Airway Dysfunction Syndrome is just that, a dysfunction. The initial irritant to my respiratory system, the forest fire smoke, hasn't been here since July. But my system is stuck in hyper-reactive mode, that's the dysfunction. I need to get my head in the game and realize that while I need to respect the physical limitations imposed by the condition, I can mitigate it with my brain. I can relax. I can impose my will...a little. It's not all in my head, there's definitely a physical reality that needs to be respected, I can't just do what I want, but I don't need to make it WORSE by stressing out over it.

Slowin' It Down

Overdid it a bit last week. Did Pilates 3 times last week, one reformer class, one private where we worked on the reformer and the chair (which is great, but hard!), and one mat class. Only made one grocery run, but it had lots of heavy stuff, a case of water and a case of synergy (flavored kombucha tea). I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but I was feeling worse by Friday than I did on Monday.

My husband's oldest friend was in town this weekend. We took him and his wife to dinner and they took us to see "Love" the new Cirque du Soleil/Beatles show at the Mirage. I talked too much during dinner, which is one of my triggers for my lung condition, mostly about why I couldn't talk too much. I was trying not to, but seriously, how do you get through a whole dinner not talking? The show was magical. Both Mike and I loved it (and he's a pretty tough audience!) and while neither of us were big Beatles fans walking in, we were much bigger Beatles fans walking out. The show wasn't a typical Cirque show, less acrobatics, more dancing, but it was very creative, just plain fun and the sound was absolutely incredible. The music is really the Beatles singing, from original Abbey Road tapes, so you get the real deal, and the theatre has speakers in every seat, so you're surrounded by music. I've had Beatles music running through my head for days now.

Felt GREAT to get out. We haven't been out in 2 months. So it was great fun to get all dolled up, be out on the town with Mike. But I paid the price on Saturday. Chest tightness? back. I canNOT afford a setback, so I rested all weekend. Mike made dinner and waited on me all weekend. Cancelled on my pilates teacher's baby shower on Sunday, cancelled my pilates class today. Resting, resting, resting. I am feeling much better today, my recovery rate is definitely improving. Still...was great to get out!

Stress is a Killer

Discovered something interesting over the weekend.

I've been feeling much better. Good enough to attempt a little video gaming over the weekend. How stressful could killing goblins be? Too stressful as it turns out.

I felt my chest tighten after only a few minutes. Naw...that's not possible. Maybe my heart rate is higher than I think. I put on my heart rate monitor. My resting heart rate is in the 50's. Gaming it was still under 60. Yet my chest tightened right up. I didn't take my blood pressure, but certainly it was a bit elevated. But how much could killing goblins sitting on my couch elevate it?

Enough.

Stress is definitely a factor. There's no question about that in my mind.

After all these years of being basically uptight and focusing on the negative could life be dealing me the ultimate lesson in relaxation and positive thinking?

Relax and be happy or get sick. Those are my choices it seems.

Happy Friday!

Been a big week for me. Finally feel I've turned a corner with my health. Whew! Literally!

And I managed three Pilates workouts this week. Even did a little actual work this week. Boy, I would have been in BIG trouble these past 6 weeks if I'd had to worry about keeping a real job.

Had to tweak my program a bit and run around to our stores and install the update. Prior to this weird lung issue that would have been no big deal, but now it feels like quite an accomplishment that I managed 3 workouts AND lots of running around.

Now's the dangerous time...I FEEL pretty good, but that's only been for the last couple of days so I know I'm not magically all better. This roller coaster with my lungs has been going on since July. I've felt good before but then I'll re-aggravate it doing something that didn't seem like much effort at the time. And each backslide gets a little worse. The last one was a real bitch, so I really need to watch that I don't re-aggravate it again now that I'm finally feeling better. Gotta stick to the program. Pilates only for workouts. Stick with my supplement program. And most of all I need to keep taking it EASY.

Happy Monday!

I can't help it, I just feel like smiling.

I'm feeling the best I have since my setback 5 weeks ago. Still need to take it easy, I've learned that lesson before, just because I FEEL better doesn't mean I AM better, but I can't help but be optimistic! I've got a pretty normal week scheduled.

Adding another Pilates workout to my routine. Have a reformer class today, private lesson tomorrow, and a mat class on Thursday. That's three, count them THREE workouts!

Steroids

Someone asked me recently if I'd considered a course of Prednisone (a steroid) and/or inhalers to kick start the healing process.

There is no question that steroids are incredibly powerful drugs that do have their uses. When someone is having a severe asthma attack, steroids can literally save their life. A couple of people have told me that a course of steroids helped them with their RADS. I'm glad for them that they found relief from their symptoms. And I understand the temptation of aggressive treatment in order to get well, especially when natural treatments don't seem to be working. Each of us has to weigh the pros and cons of our treatment options and decide for ourselves which is best. Steroids aren't right or wrong, good or bad, they are simply a tool. But for me, in my current condition, it's not a tool I'm considering using.

Why not? My short answer is because I'm getting better without them.

I'm miles ahead of where I was 5 weeks ago when I had my last major setback. It's true that for two weeks I couldn't do much of anything. There were a couple of days there that were pretty damn scary. But last week I was able to do Pilates twice (my butt is still sore from Thursday's class! what a great feeling!), run errands, make dinner, even had dinner out, complete with conversation, a couple of times. My current regimen of an anti-inflammatory diet, vitamins, fish oil, garlic, probiotics, pilates and daily meditation is resulting in significant progress. Instantaneous? No. More work than taking a pill or toking on an inhaler? Perhaps, though I personally don't find it burdensome. And it's working. And it's working without any side effects. In contrast, check out the list of potential side effects of Prednisone.

My long answer is more philosophical. Steroids are incredibly powerful drugs. Immunosupressive drugs. That's how steroids work, you know, they suppress your body's natural immune response. My personal philosophy is that I'm better off strengthening my immune system, not weakening it. If my lungs are inflamed, then I figure it's part of the healing response. Your body's healing mechanism is incredibly smart. Yes, sometimes your body needs help, but if it's making progress I say provide some natural assistance and get the hell out of the way.

My slower, steadier, more natural healing path might take me any longer to get well than aggressive treatment. But then again, it might not. I can't find any research online that indicates aggressive treatment results in faster healing. And even if someone could prove to me that with steroids it'll take 6 months and my way will take 8 or 9, I'd still take the more natural path with its lower risk of side effects.

Lastly, just a couple of links:

Here's what Dr. Andrew Weil posted about steroids with regard to asthma (the emphasis is mine):

Oral steroids (prednisone is the commonest) are very dangerous for asthmatics, because it is too easy to become addicted to them, and toxicity from long-term steroid use is devastating. Try to avoid ever going on oral steroids. If you do have to take them, get off as soon as possible. In general, the less medication you can take, the better. Allopathic drugs, being suppressive in nature, tend to perpetuate asthma and may reduce the chance that it will disappear on its own.

And a reading list for you asthmatics out there:

Reversing Asthma by Richard Firshein, D.O.
Asthma-Free Naturally by Patrick McKeown

Get your Head in the Game!

So, I'm slowly getting better from this lung irritation/inflammation issue. And getting a real lesson in how much our heads effects our bodies.

My latest thing is how much it stresses my lungs to talk. Talk too much, I can't talk at all. I'm ok until I'm not, if you know what I mean. At times this week I've been communicating with my loving husband via whispering. But tonight we went out for dinner at the Four Seasons. What happened? Get some wine in me, some good food, a lovely setting, my voice is fine. wtf?

Certainly alcohol has a relaxing physiological effect, and relaxation is always good. But how much is physiological and how much is psychological? Interesting question. Usually I'm not living such a dramatic example of the benefits of getting my head in the right place.

Mike promised a couple of nights at the Four Seasons when I'm feeling better. If that's not incentive, I don't know what is!