Re-learning to breathe

It has been a little over three months since doctors diagnosed my sarcoidosis flare up. I should not be impatient with progress. My docs say it will take six months to a year to get symptoms under control.

Last night was especially frustrating in terms of breathing. Today, too.

The humidity. Need I say more? Most of us hate humidity, but I remember the days – not that long ago – when I could work out outside during the summer months... developing a good lather.

When I was younger, I cleaned carpets during summers, using a high-compression system that delivered steam. A huge tank of water and cleaning solution was mounted in the back of a van and we'd drive from house to business to home blasting away dirt. And that truck, the engine of which was rigged to keep the water hot, had no AC.

One summer during my college days, I was a day laborer on a construction site. I worked under the high, hot sun needing nothing but water and pieces of fruit to get through the grueling work. Ditch digging. One of the best jobs ever, to be honest. Just dig what they need and no fuss.

Back then it was, Volleyball, anyone? Football? Let’s go. Full-court basketball? Let’s go. For hours and hours.

Today, walking and from the market can be a chore. This surprises me because I was breathing pretty well over the weekend and it was humid then.

My sarcoidosis flare up started last summer, with a sometimes uncontrollable cough, breathlessness, a little bit of bloody sputum (that should not have scared me, right?), fatigue. I wonder how long problems were percolating before they forced me into the hospital in March.

I felt like I was dying in March. I do not feel that way now. However, my breathing is still far from baseline. To keep the lung capacity I have and to improve it, I am employing proper breathing techniques – deep, measured breaths, inhaling and exhaling with the diaphragm.

Essentially, I am trying to reacquaint myself with breathing techniques I employed when I studied martial arts, or the techniques a good coach teaches to basketball players, swimmers, tennis players, etc.

It seems to be working. I have a pulmonology function test soon so I will see what the tests reveal. I'm excited about being weighed again. I feel that I am finally under 300 pounds - prednisone be damned! That would be a nice discovery.

Only 50 or so pounds to go...

For more about improving breathing affected by chronic disease, specifically sarcoidosis, click here.

Does anyone have techniques or tips they want to share? Meanwhile, I'm going to take a walk and practice my techniques.