Thursday's Air

[Bud Baker]

Good morning, everyone!

It was 42 degrees with a stiff north wind as I rode to work this morning, not very springlike. The forecast high for this afternoon is 70 degrees.

I got my storm door for the back door installed yesterday evening, for the most part. I'll need to add something for a threshold (this house's doors clearly were not built to have a storm door added),and I still need to install the pet door in it, but the door itself is finished.

Not much else going on here. I guess I'll need to get started on my taxes before too much longer. Have a great day, all!

[eric byrne]

Hi Bud,

Iam on holiday from college for the next two weeks(shh-I am not supposed to be on my laptop just now-my wife has arranged some bedroom makeover work for me and filling a skip with junk from the garage-but Rome wasnt built in a day)Wow 42 degrees-thats not spring here in Scotland-thats high summer.However,there are some compensations living in Scotland,we do not have to self-access ourselves for tax purposes,which is just as well with my accountancy skills I would end up in jail.

I am interested in your fitness level in maintaining the capability to cycle long distances,I was a keen cyclist in my youth and with your example, I was thinking about buying a bike myself,

I do not know if this feasible as since my lung surgery,I get a bit breathless walking uphills(on the flat seems ok)I wonder if my breathlessness is more due to lack of fitness or missing a bit of lung?Did you have any breathlessness problems?

[Bruce u]

Hey there

Another sunny day in the knife. Little chilly this morning. Just enough for the water that melted yesterday to freeze and make the roads very slippery until the sun heats up.

Eric I have been running short of breath doing any strenuous activity since my operation. But the Doctor's have all told me that it was from COPD and not the loss of 40% of my left lung. They said my lungs will expand to compensate for the missing 40%. On my last test, my lung capacity was at 111% compared to a male at my age, height, weight, etc. with 2 lungs.

[Joppette]

Good afternoon!

Supposed to snow here today! Wishing you a good day.

Eric, I get short of breath too. I did find that some regular exercise did help improve my breathing. It will probably never be like it was before, but it's better. I climb stairs and it has helped!

Judy

[Bud Baker]

I am interested in your fitness level in maintaining the capability to cycle long distances,I was a keen cyclist in my youth and with your example, I was thinking about buying a bike myself,

I do not know if this feasible as since my lung surgery,I get a bit breathless walking uphills(on the flat seems ok)I wonder if my breathlessness is more due to lack of fitness or missing a bit of lung?Did you have any breathlessness problems?

Eric,

My doctor told me before surgery that because I had tested higher than normal on my pulmonary function test, I would not miss the lobe I was losing to surgery. He was wrong. If I spent my time sitting on a couch, I probably wouldn't miss it, but riding a bike, I certainly do.

Ideally, your remaining lung expands enough to fill your chest cavity (and problems can occur if it doesn't), so you can take just as deep a breath as before surgery, but your lungs still can't oxygenate as much blood as they did before surgery. Missing lung tissue is missing lung tissue, and our bodies can't regenerate that.

I modified my bikes after surgery, adding lower gearing. I'm slower climbing or sprinting on the bike, but with the lower gearing, I still ride everywhere I did before.

Cycling is a mixed bag for your lungs. On one hand, I can't imagine a better therapy for lungs than riding a bike. And aerobic exercise like riding is just good for you all the way around, anyway. On the down side, you breath a lot of whatever is in the air when you ride, including allergens, pollutants, etc. I hack and wheeze for a couple of days after one of my longer rides.

Start out slow, with short distances and no big hills, and you'll be fine. And if you feel breathless while climbing, welcome to the club. Just ease up a bit. Your body will tell you what it will tolerate.

Of course, other health issues need to be taken into account, too. Because of my family history of heart trouble (father died of a heart attack at 54, grandfather at 48), when I started riding at over 50 years old, I started at a very easy pace, and slowly built up.

[eric byrne]

Hi Bruce,

That a fine Scottish name ye have there laddie,dae ye

huv any Scottish connections?Thanks for the informative reply,excuse my ignorance-what is COPD ?

Well done on your lung capacity tests,gives hope to me in successfully pedalling my bike,might even be able to give old Bud a run for his money-aye pigs might fly.

[eric byrne]

Hi Bud,

Great to catch you online,I dont have an accurate handle yet the time zone differences,Iam currently at 5.55pm BST(British Summer Time)I guess you are 6/7 hours behind me,I have a indoor bowling tie at 6.30pm,(no not the ten pin type,but the carpet type

season finishes in a fortnight)then its outdoor on grass.

Thanks for your reply good to hear you manage so well,I am now convinced I can buy a bike,be good for producing endorphines

in my brain as well as improving my fitness levels,only bit concerned about local volume of road traffic until I get into a bit of countryside.Thanks again for your reply,I enjoy reading your mailings.

[Bruce u]

Hey Eric

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) It is a disease that causes the airways to become narrowed causing shortness of breath. Smoking is a common cause.

All English ancestry here.......

[eric byrne]

Hi Bruce,

Thanks for your reply,certainly makes sense in the breathing stakes.Sorry about your English Heritage,it could happen to anyone and also nobodys perfect (you better not read my reply joke to Ann)bye for now.

[Bruce u]

Yes and Eric I am a Newfie ( from Newfoundland in Canada ) to make things even worse. Even Canadians make fun of Newfie's. LOL

But that's OK Eric, I'm not particular about the company I keep. LOL

[eric byrne]

Hi Joppette,

Good to hear from you again,hope you are well,nice someone else here shares a similar climate to Scotland,I get so jealous of Ned in Hawaii and Judy in the Florida Keys,God bless them.Gosh hasnt this site transformed my understanding of the geography of the United States and Canada,I guess one year from now I could become an expert and enter T.V.Quiz programmes with North America as my specialist subject.You know something I think they should set up a web site for elementry school children,to communicate with each other in an international scale,maybe help stop all the wars that take place.I have large Times World Atlas I could refer to in placing each buddies location in my mind,but thats too easy,if I am stuck I would rather ask the buddy,bear with me please,hope Iam right-West Michigan-well known name to me

I can mentally see the Great Lakes,Chicago down at the bottom,Wisconsin up a bit to the left(my college has a educational link to the college there and I have played host to one of the acedemic staff on a visit to Scotland)I digress,where was I,(stalling for time)West Michigan-snow in April?must be up near the border with Canada-OK is it on the banks of Lake Eyrie ? I can hear you laughing at my ignorance,put me out of my misery,was I

close i.e.within a 1000 mile radius,OK I know,I am not yet ready for my tv quiz appearance.Think you have suffered enough Joppette,nice talking to you,bye for now.