I made this post 2 years ago as you can see.

Caroline2 years ago

One year ago today I took myself to the hospital because my pulmonologist called and said that the results of the xray were a pneumothorax. In layman’s terms I had a collapsed lung.

Fourteen days later I was released from the hospital with a drainage tube in the opening where the chest tube had been. The surgeon explained that he was not suturing the opening so that fluid could drain and air could escape the chest cavity and so that he would have an easy way in should I need surgery.

I was so weak that I had to pull myself up from the toilet by grasping hold of the sink vanity. It is a good thing that my bathroom is designed with the vanity directly in front of the commode.

One year later I am riding my stationary bike 40 minutes per day and doing at least one and usually two 7min challenge sets per day. Once in a while I like to go athletic and do 5 sets of the challenge.

My friend and I went shopping for ideas about sustaining my SimplyGo or my big concentrator with either a solar panel set up or a generator. We visited 3 very large stores and went up and down all the isles, ate lunch and visited another smaller store. In all we were out 8 hours.

The next day I had enough spoons left to continue my normal activities. This was better than I could have done prior to my copd diagnosis let alone after the lung collapse.

Everyone please take your meds, exercise, get enough rest, and eat a healthy diet. Your life depends upon it.

Uncle Jim Replied

Caroline….
THANK YOU!! Thank you! Thank you! We have spent years trying to get people to do what you have proven can be done! Yes, there are people who simply cannot exercise to the extent that you describe. However, there are exercises that almost anyone can do. Exercise, whether running or simply getting up from a chair, whether climbing a wall or lifting a can of beans repeatedly, builds strength, increases the capacity to run faster or lift a heavier can. I have been there, and the feeling of accomplishment that comes with the increase in capacity to exercise is wonderful! It is not easy, but the easy path leads to disability and the eroding of quality of life.
Again, thank you! You are an incredible example!!

Uncle Jim