05/18/06 Workout Post Pneumonia
Today I had my second workout since battling back from Pneumonia. Who knows how long I had it. Perhaps for months. Who knows? The prognosis is good I suppose, but my doctor told me that my lungs were damaged; not permanently, but damaged nevertheless. He says it is reversible and if we can take care of the infection causing the Pneumonia, I should be on my way to feeling great again. Thank goodness.
As a rule, I do not take many meds. This is a personal choice. As a child, I was always battling colds and so forth, and at the time my doctors had me on a steady stream of antibiotics. But at one point, as I got older mind you, I made the decision to stop taking them because I didn’t want my body to become immune to them. With my active lifestyle, I just forged ahead using only my enzymes to digest foods and pounding down good antioxidants and protein. The results spoke for themselves.
Lately however, in the last few years, I would say that the bacteria in my lungs began to gradually take its toll. I began to get very sick with Pneumonia every year or so. This all started in 2000 I guess. That was 6 years ago and I was 37. My training remained steady throughout, but gradually I began to feel worse.
Well, fast forward to 2003 and I was finding myself getting short of breath. I ignored it thinking that I was just dieing and there was no sense in trying to prevent the inevitable. It never occurred to me that maybe I was just sick. Big mistake. I should have gone on some heavy doses of meds then, but I didn’t. I just didn’t want to damage my body with drugs, not realizing that little aliens in my body called bacteria were damaging my body and that drugs could have helped me. I just marched on into the dark abyss.
Well, starting in 2005 I had 2-3 bouts of Pneumonia. Like a fool I fought through it, sucking it up and chalking it off to the inevitable again. Without the aid of antibiotics, I was really doing myself harm. How I lived through that I will never know. The bouts of Pneumonia nearly killed me with sheer exhaustion. Coughing is hard on the lungs and the body; it wears you out, let me tell you. Still, I toughed it out without meds again. “Man, what a dope this guy is!”, you must be thinking. Well, maybe, but I look at it like this: if I took antibiotics every time I sneezed, I would be doing myself more harm then good. The thing is to know when you really need them. And about 8 months ago I finally did. Here’s what happened.
About a year ago I picked up Pneumonia from my Aunt at my grandmothers funeral (she lived to be 104!!!). I got really sick and went on 2 cycles of some antibiotic that a doctor prescribed for me over the phone. I felt better for many months, but not quite right. I still had this terrible cough, lots of fluid in the lungs etc. This went on for many months.
Then about 2 months ago, I got sick again. I was feeling tired, weak and out of breathe. I had muscle aches and pains. My joints hurt and so did my throat. It was then that I went to the Charlottesville Free Clinic! There, I was put on a 10 day dose of a weak antibiotic that had me feeling a lot better, but after I was through with the meds I felt much worse again. Only this time my right lung actually hurt. It had a pain like a “runners stitch”. As it turns out, this was referred pain, for it was my left side that was infected.
I went back to the clinic but this time I saw a Pulmonolgist (Doctor Enfield-great guy). He wanted me in the hospital, but I hate that notion. People die there :D. Some go in and just disappear, never to be seen again. Heheh. Anyway, he put me on Cyprofloxacin, which is much stronger than what I have used before. Now I am feeling even better. I will stay on it for 2 more weeks. The shit is expensive. But I think it saved my life. I am still here, aren’t I?
I did lose weight over the last 2 months. About ten pounds in fact. I wasn’t eating either. When I don’t feel well I do not eat like I should. I wasn’t training and I lost strength too! Wow, was I sickie! But I am on the mend!!
Since being on the meds, I have worked out twice in the last week and because I was recuperating I took it very easy with the Iron. As a result, I think I have discovered a strength-training program that is perfect for anyone, especially for someone with CPOD!!!!! I will share more on the program later!!
