It’s now been more than a year since I was told I have a lung disease of the unidentified variety. I was very weak, got out of breath easily, but more importantly, I lost my memory and the ability to do my job. My lungs were not getting oxygen to my body or brain.
Shortly after my diagnosis, my hubby decided to get the house cleaned up and more appropriate for a lung patient. He pulled up our old carpeting and he found mold underneath the carpets adjacent to the bathroom that used to have a leak.
The two rooms that had the mold were my office where I worked eight hours a day, and my bedroom where I slept eight hours a day. So, I had been spending 16 hours a day in small rooms with mold. No wonder my lungs were not working properly!
So, for more than a year, I’ve only been sitting in my recliner hooked up to oxygen since I was too weak to do anything else, and going to the doctor.
A couple of days ago, the lung doctor looked at the latest results of my tests, asked for another lung x-ray, and told me that my oxygen level is fine now. But, he wants even more tests, and then maybe a lung biopsy.
I got to thinking later on, when we got home. He says my oxygen is OK, but he wants more tests. Why? The symptoms of me having a lung problem was no oxygen, now I have oxygen. Then it occurred to me:
This is a lung doctor. He just does lungs. If I don’t feel good, it must be my lungs, in his thinking.
If my oxygen is OK, maybe getting rid of the old, nasty carpeting and cleaning up the mold did the trick, and my lungs have slowly been getting better, but why do I still feel so lousy all the time?!
I thought about this for a few days. Hmm. My oxygen is OK. Why don’t I feel good? Why do I get lightheaded when I stand up? Why do I get out of breath when I walk. I thought and thought. And then, it finally came to me!
Aha! I’ll bet I am just really badly out of shape!
Another thing was, I would get so dizzy and lightheaded when I got up that I tried to make sure I did not have to get up very often. So, I would not drink water so I wouldn’t have to go in the bathroom, and I did not eat lunch so I wouldn’t have to go in the kitchen.
So, I’ve just been sitting in my recliner most of each day from when my hubby goes to work in the morning until he comes home at night. if anybody laid around that much and did not eat regularly or drink enough water, they would probably feel pretty lousy at the end of a year, too!
So, starting today. I am not sick anymore. I have decided. I am going to behave like a well person. Over the weekend I tested my theory by drinking lots of water and eating lots of good food. You know what? i feel pretty good today.
Without water in my body, I’ll just bet that the blood could not make it up to my head fast enough to be there when I stood up. Today, I stood up, went outside with the dogs, and walked around the yard a little bit! Yeah, I got out of breath. But, maybe I am just really, really out of shape!
This is really amazing! My family doctor told me I had a lung disease and I believed her! My lung doctor told me I had a lung disease, and I believed him!
Well no more! My hubby and I have decided that I do not have a lung disease anymore. I’m going to drink more water, eat more food, get more exercise and try to start being alive again.
Silly doctors! Don’t listen to them!
I prayed for healing, and I think I’m healed. When in doubt, thank God. Thank you, God!
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This is incredible, X. You know what? I always lived by the theory "listen to your body". If it needs food, it will tell you. If it needs water, it will tell you. If it needs exercise, it will tell you, etc. I refuse to fill myself up with chemicals when a simple pain machine will take care of my pain. It won\’t stop what\’s causing it but it will help with the pain. And, if possible, fresh air and exercise is good for you! Keep it up if you can. Sometimes, your own intelligence is better for you. Well done. You\’ve \’cracked\’ it.
That\’s great X, it\’s easy to get out of shape very quickly, just not diving much for a year and I\’v put on weight, and am a bit puffy! To be ill for a year and not able to do much at all, must really be a problem! Start slowly though, build the muscle you\’ve lost with care, and yes drink plenty of water, and eat well and a little light exercise every day…….. you\’ll soon be on top again!
Thank you, Mandy and Jen,After I wrote this I thought, oh, no, people will think I\’m an idiot. I\’m glad you understand! Being sick makes you sick. That\’s a good lesson to learn. I never knew I wasn\’t sick anymore because I was still sick with the sickness that being sick sickened me with….. (I ended a sentence with a preposition, but I don\’t feel like fixing that strange sentence…)
Correction:I never knew I wasn\’t still sick because I was sick with the sickness with which being sick sickened me. (I am a ending a sentence with a preposition-o-phile)
LOL at least your sense of humour hasn\’t gone awry ( I suddenly don\’t know how to spell that or even if it\’s the right word) But what the heck….. you\’ll get the gist!
Strange how you can get sucked into believing something. Fear must have had something to do with that. I was so glad to see this post today, X. The body is more resilient than we realise. Thumbs up to you for using your intelligence! Do what you can when you can, rest when you\’ve had enough and get back to health slowly, carefully and comfortably. We\’re all right behind you. Okay!
Mandy, Correct word, correct spelling. Being a little crazy is the only thing that is keeping me from going insane. I try to find the fun in everything that goes bad. And, I have had a LOT of opportunities to find the fun in bad things.
Thank you Jen. My hubby says to take it slow. He\’s going to make sure I take it slow. He\’s going to drive me to the petshop after work, just to see if I can walk around. The last time I went to the petshop, I hadn\’t bought my wheelchair yet. I had to sit on the floor in the fish department waiting for help. Today, I\’m just going to take me, no chair and no oxygen, and see how I do. Thanks bunches for the support.
I had a fun day, everybody. My hubby\’s coming home soon and we\’re going to hang out. See you next time!
Rock on, Sister. Have fun – and spend a long time having fun:-)
Sounds like you were low on endorphins (feel good chemicals released by the pituitary and hypothalamus glands) . Strenuous exercise releases endorphins into your bloodstream keeping you feeling good and happy. keep on getting that exercise. Good luck.
OMG!!Mold can do NASTY things to us FOR SURE!! l do NOT think you\’re stupid AT ALL. You WERE sick.Please go very slowly X, and if you do get tired, dizzy ect. don\’t take that as a bad sign. You are out of shape – it will take time to get it used to regular stuff again.l\’m so glad you got a stupid nose bleed and saw the Dr. !!!Water and food=GOODMold=BAD
That is absolutely fantastic. I have a friend that got mold poisoning and it took her several years to get over it. You can do it!! I am rooting for you!
X you have the right mindset and I\’m really proud of you! I think the first part of getting better is telling yourself you ARE better. Positive thinking for a positive result. 🙂 Now get out there tomorrow and smell the earth and report back to us. lol ((hugs))
Thats great!! Dont let it control you! We\’ll keep you in our prayers.~ HUGS
Hey, X! How ya feeling today? Good, I hope:-)
Wow! So many encouraging words! Thank you everybody! My hubby wants me to take it very slow but steady. Last night, he took me to dinner. We had not been on a date for a long time! I was weak coming to the restaurant, but felt better on the way out. Enchiladas, Yum! On the way home, we stopped at the Goodwill so I could shop for crochet books. I got a little light headed, a little weak, but I kept walking. But, finally, I couldn\’t take it anymore and handed my hubby the book to buy and went to sit down in the car. That was a big adventure for me! I just wrapped up the 50\’ oxygen cord around the head of the Snoring Rhinoseros. I am not going to use that contraption anymore! I went out with the dogs a little while ago and walked in the backyard a little. Oh, boy! Were my dogs happy! They have missed playing with mom. Thank you all for the support. If you wish, I would love you to pray for me, or just keep sending me encouraging thoughts. I have a long way to go, but I\’m going to get there. Thank you! X
I wish I could write you a letter. I have so much to tell you – mould (you spell it mold) is a very dangerous substance and it\’s good that you got it cleaned out. Our Health and Safety people would possibly condemn a house if it was found. Read in the Old Testament to see what happened there. You don\’t have much choice at the moment, X, but to take things slowly. You can\’t run a marathon without rigorous training and you can\’t expect to get up today and run around the garden or up the street. But you\’ve started dealing with your crisis and you are going the right way about it. Keep in touch with your doctor and let him/her have progress reports. It can\’t hurt. Meanwhile, enjoy living – yes, living! And take care! Eat good food, drink good water, sleep well and exercise slowly. Thumbs up to you.
Hi X, That makes a lot of sense, I agree with your Hubby slow but steady. You are like a beautiful butterfly ready to spread your wing\’s and fly. I know I am such a dork LOL. I am so glad your big adventure went well. I will pray for you, and be here to encourage you in any way I can.Take it slow, take care,Robin
Thank you very much, Robin and Jen. My hubby is not going to let me over do it. He\’s taking good care of me.
I still haven\’t fallen down once all day today or yesterday. Yay!
Awesome, beautiful news! l\’m sending you good vibes X. LOL
Oh while you\’re resting from your walk, you could blog your 25 things – just a suggestion 😛
Tracey, I drafted up a list of things, but they all seemed way too boring. I guess I\’ll give it another try now.
l just read your blog again X, and l think you\’re very smart/pro active to have put this together. l agree with Jenn, we know our bodies – too bad doctors don\’t try like "House" to find real reason for illness. You had a mold allergy, a bad one!
LOL, with the way you love all creatures!And you\’ve lived several places!
I\’d be embarrassed if House diagnosed me: You need to eat well, drink more water, and get some exercise, you lunatic!
My thoughts are all encouraging X, take care, as Grumpy says …… small steps!
He would say – you lunatic!ha!
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I really appreciate all the support I am getting from all my friends. It is very nice to have a support group, especially when you are turning a corner in your life, and starting to go a new direction. Thank you, all!
UPDATE:. I sure hope I am right about my theory. I am feeling really puny this morning. But, yesterday, after work, my hubby took me to a strip mall to walk around. I walked around Petsmart, and down to Michaels before I got totally wiped out out collapsed. I feel really out of breath right no, but I still want to act on the theory that I am just really out of shape. I do not want to resort to wearing my oxygen again. I hate that snoring rhinocerous! I\’ve wrapped up the cord, and it\’s going to stay wrapped up. Please pray for my continued healing. Thank you, X
Yes you are really out of shape. When is the last time you walked through a strip mall ? (tell me you did NOT take your clothes off X) Also there are lots of allergens at both Petsmart and Michaels. l\’m allergic to mold and other chemicals. l have a bit of a problem sometimes in Michaels. HUGE problems in furniture, carpet and some other home decor stores.Don\’t despair. lt will take time X. Take it easy sweetie, hugs.
Oh also, l have recently become allergic to to new perfumes. Horrible chemicals they put in some of them!! l can get SUDDEN breathing problem, that is coughing, even before l smell the scent!!
Tracey I am with you with perfume. It is awful! Also, I can smell cigarette smoke several cars away at a stop sign. Some smells really irritate me. Maybe all of that was the start of the lung thing. Maybe I\’ll always be sensitive. Yeah, Petsmart and Michaels both have lots of irritants. I hadn\’t thought of that. I\’m spending my day in the recliner. I am really wiped out today. I hope I am just tired from all the activity.X
More likely the mold has made your immune system weaker.Ok – if you can take a big laugh today – l just saw the funniest!! thing at a space – here is the linkhttp://fatmanlive.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!B4D27D99BBEEDE79!3465.entry?ccr=9904#comment
@Tracey: Oh, if that\’s the link to what I read, it\’s soooo funny! Remember what I said, X. Do what you can. That only – then have a rest. You\’re okay. One small step at a time…
This morning, I feel pretty good. It is going to be a warm sunny day, the snow is mostly all melted, and I\’m going to take my furred and feathered family members out to enjoy it with me this afternoon. I feel a little better today than yesterday. I\’ve already gone outside to walk around the backyard. Boy oh boy! My dogs are so happy that Mom loves them again! How do you explain to three dogs that Mom just does not feel good enough to go outside and play? My boy dog loves to show me how fast he can run and jump. Mom! Watch this! Our whole family seems to be happier now that my hubby and I decided I\’m not going to be sick anymore. Again, thank you all for your continued kind thoughts and prayers. And, of course, thank you, God!