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Baycitywalker

Baycitywalker
Tribulations and triumphs of a lung challenged marathon walker and wannbe racewaker.

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October race choice
2009-07-18 17:25:00
And the winner is…………&hellip ;.. With so many good ones out there this Fall, this was a really tough choice. If I was healthier and could pick only one race, it would have probably been the Portland marathon…. it’s one of my favorite of all time. Alas, my lung function has declined to the point where it would be really foolish, even for me, to attempt another full marathon…at least right now. So Ive decided instead, to play it smart (for a change) and do a shorter race much closer to home. The SJ Rock and Roll half marathon is a relatively new race here in this part of California, but its received really good reviews and my friends rave about it. This will be my first R&R race, so it will be a new experience for me. The event organizers have posted my story on their website(scroll down to the bottom of the page). With all the live music, it should be a really fun event. Id love to see you out there. For those of you who are t...
More About: Race , Choice , October

A little Racewalking music please…
2009-07-17 15:11:00
On Thursday, just 3 days after being discharged from hospital, I completed a 5 mile walk in 1 hour 17 minutes with only mild respiratory discomfort. I think one of the things that motivates me to get out and walk, even when I’m not feeling that great, is the distraction that listening to ones favorite music, can offer. It’s no secret that I take my music player everywhere I walk, but when I racewalk, I like to listen to something that’s very upbeat with an almost dance-like tempo to it. Don’t laugh, but my favorite racewalking tune for this month is… Jai Ho (You Are My Destiny) Having just come back from a very dark place, this tune makes me feel happy to be alive. It has a nice tempo for a 13:20 walking pace and the lyrics are appropriate for someone with a passion like mine. The movie wasn’t bad either( I saw it on the plane on the way over to Italy last March). Now if I could only get the damn thing out of my head. If you liked this...
More About: Music

72 hours of hell.
2009-07-15 01:12:00
I always try to write a little something about each and every hospitalization Ive experienced, but this is one Id just as soon forget about. In total I spent 7 days in the hospital, 6 of them in the Intensive care unit, 3 of those days on continuous Bipap in a living kind of hell. I’m usually the first to poke fun at my own disease and sometimes I’ll even video tape some not- so- pleasant moments in the hospital, but the video my partner captured this time, actually made me cringe. This time around when asked what my wishes were concerning intubation, I chose not to.. ( not to be intubated that is) …..Big Mistake, I thought I was doing the brave thing by declining to be intubated if my breathing got bad enough. I thought that I was such an old pro at this, that I could fight off the attack with only continuous nebs and Bipap. Had I known just how difficult it was going to be to breath on a bipap machine during an asthma crisis, I would have definitely opted...
More About: Hell , Hours

Number 95
2009-07-14 04:41:00
Released from the hospital on July 14th, but still very sick. This was a real bad one. Will try to update in a few days when I’m breathing better. Thanks for all the well wishes! Share this post
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Flaring again?
2009-07-07 12:49:00
I was going to blog about a nicer topic this evening, but my breathing kinda put a damper on that. Ive been flaring mildly on and off all week, but on Monday afternoon, my peak flows took a nose dive. In a matter of minutes my chest got really tight and my peak flows dropped from 350 to 190. A possible suspect for the flare -up could be allergies ,as my eyes having been bothering me too. The fact that I’m so tight and not wheezing, has me a little concerned. It’s now 4 am Tuesday morning and I just emailed my doctors to tell them whats going on. Ive been awake all night trying to fight off this attack,but I’m starting to get a little pooped out. Ive been taking neb treatments every 30 minutes with only minimal relief and a few minuted ago I bolused myself with 60 of pred. As crazy as it sounds, the only reason I haven’t gone to the ER yet, is because based on the way I’m feeling right now, they would for sure intubate me…yeah it’s t...

Propofol
2009-07-03 17:10:00
This is a picture of me on a ventilator during a severe asthma exacerbation . See the little IV bottle inside the blue rectangle with the milky looking stuff inside ? That’s Propofol ! (click to enlarge) Also known as Diprivan or “Milk of Amnesia” in medical circles, this is the drug that the media has been talking so much about in the Michael Jackson tragedy. When I heard the allegations that they found this drug in his home, I couldn’t believe it. This is the very the same stuff they use on me when my breathing gets so bad that I require a breathing tube and a ventilator to breath. I can tell you from personal experience that is an extremely powerful sedative anesthetic. A great drug for keeping someone under during surgery (or in my case, being maintained on a ventilator), because it works so fast. You can basically control someones conscienceness with the flip of a switch. The moment the drug hits your blood stream you’re out instantly , and d...

Change of plans
2009-07-01 16:08:00
Last Saturday I did my first post-hospital semi long training walk for the new racing season, but it turned out to be much more difficult than I thought it would be. I was pretty much breathless the entire distance and had to terminate the walk at mile 7 instead of mile 8 as planned. Since my lungs tend to dictate how far and fast I can walk, it looks like the San Francisco (1/2) marathon is NOT going to happen for me this year. My lungs are just too screwed up right now to tackle a 13 mile walk. That last flare up really did a number on my body, and with less than 4 weeks to prepare, there’s no way Id be able to pull it off. I’m a little bummed, because I really thought Id be healthy enough, to not only do the race, but also be able to push myself hard enough to PR it. I may, as the date approaches, sign up to do the 5K or progressive marathon just for fun. A lot of my friends do the various races at the SF marathon every year and it would be nice to at least h...
More About: Change , Plans

Mike and Roxlyn “Slacking” off again.
2009-06-29 15:57:00
Check out Roxylns report about the Slacker half marathon/relay/4m run in Colorado. Boy, those mountains sure look beautiful don’t they? What blows me away, is that this race STARTS at an elevation of 10,600 ft….thats 2 miles up! These two never cease to amaze me. (Mike and Roxlyn as they prepare their rigs) (to climb this mountain!) Share this post

It’s official
2009-06-26 18:08:00
Received my Boston finishers certificate today. It took me more than 7 hours to do it, but I’m now officially the first person ever, with severe refractory asthma, to enter and finish the Boston marathon! He won’t admit it, but even Winston is proud of me. I can tell, because his eyes are glowing green.(No, I’m not allergic to cats) PS..Registration for next years race opens in September…hmmmmmm I wonder ? Share this post
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It’s official
2009-06-26 18:08:00
Received my Boston finishers certificate today. It took me more than 7 hours to do it, but I’m now officially the first person ever, with severe refractory asthma, to enter and finish the Boston marathon! He won’t admit it, but even Winston is proud of me. I can tell, because his eyes are glowing green. PS..Registration for next years race open in September…hmmmmmm I wonder ?
More About: Official

Silly asthma questions
2009-06-24 17:33:00
As asked by Physicians when I’m in the hospital and ranked in order of dislike. ( I’m sure my fellow lungers can relate) #1) What triggered your asthma attack this time? #2) Why does your asthma get so bad? #3) Do you think anxiety makes your asthma worse? #4) Do you know how to check your peak flows ? #5) What can we do to keep you out of the hospital? #6) Have you ever been intubated for your asthma? #7) Why did you wait so long to come in for treatment? And this is how I usually answer them. #1) I don’t know. #2) I have bad asthma. #3) Suffocating to death tends to make me a little anxious . #4) I know more about pulmonary functions then you can ever hope to know. #5) How about taking care of me when I’m NOT sick. #6) I hold the worlds record. #7) Because I hate answering stupid questions like these. Do you detect a little sarcasm? Share this post
More About: Questions , Asthma , Silly

$ 138,000.00 for one asthma asthma attack?
2009-06-20 16:45:00
I think this is a record….even for me. 138 grand for 6 days in the hospital? The bill itself, is enough to give you an asthma attack! It’s funny…just by reading the line by line hospital charges, I was able to come up with a chronological time line of the events that took place. I was able to figure out when they put me on the ventilator and when they took me off. There were also things charged for that I didn’t even know happened. An abdominal CT scan with contrast for example; I didn’t even remember having that done until I saw the charge for it…almost $5,000. Page 5 has some real whoppers, like $2200.00 just to set-up a ventilator or how about $100 per hour for Albuterol treatments! It just blows my mind. To view the entire itemized bill ( all 16 pages of it) Click here . I think you’ll be amazed at just how much each individual item costs at this hospital.
More About: Asthma , Attack

The days of Aminophyline
2009-06-18 16:35:00
Had a follow up appt with my pulmonologist, tachycardic all the time. But, here’s the real kicker….. You know that “other” doctor they show in the clip? Thats Dr Lazurus! ( 35 years ago) who has been my lung doctor at UCSF now for 6 years. That would explain why he wanted me ...
More About: Days

It ain't all bad.
2009-06-17 03:38:00
Despite all the difficult times, I’m very lucky to call this place my home. Close enough to the city center , so we never get bored, but far enough away, so we can to enjoy the quiet. My great great grandfather was one of the first pioneers here, arriving in San Francisco from Ireland in 1848. He made his fortune by selling goods and real estate during and after the gold rush. Yesterday , Douglas and I hung out at some of our favorite spots. The steroid taper is going well. My Front yard: My Backyard: Inside My House the international dvd : At the request of my friend Kerri ( Sorry , only a few pics, as this is our private sanctuary.) Share this post

It ain’t all bad.
2009-06-17 03:38:00
Despite all the difficult times, I’m very lucky to call this place my home. Close enough to the city center , so we never get bored, but far enough away, so we can to enjoy the quiet. My great great grandfather was one of the first pioneers here, arriving in San Francisco from Ireland in 1848. He made his fortune by selling goods and real estate during and after the gold rush. Yesterday , Douglas and I hung out at some of our favorite spots. The steroid taper is going well. My Front yard: My Backyard: Inside My House: At the request of my friend Kerri ( Sorry , only a few pics, as this is our private sanctuary.)

Ohhhhh No…O2
2009-06-15 18:16:00
Would look better on him than me Ive resisted this for a long time, but I suppose it had to happen eventually……I now have oxygen in my home. ( Just the sight of these little green cylinders bums me out). Hopefully, after I recover from this current bout, they will stay hidden in the closet , never to see the light of day again. The good news is that my O2 sats are near normal again when I exert myself. Ive only been desaturating to the low 90’s, compared to the low 70’s just a week ago. Having O2 available in my home, was one of the conditions of my release from prison last week. They weren’t going to discharge me unless I agreed to it. I’m only going to use it during flare-ups, but some of my doctors think that because my asthma is so severe, that I should be on it all the time. Apria ( the O2 company) even tried to set me up with a concentrator ( a machine that makes oxygen), but I refused to take delivery. I was able to get the order ...

Ohhhhh No…O2
2009-06-15 18:16:00
Ive resisted this for a long time, but I suppose it had to happen eventually……I now have oxygen in my home. ( Just the sight of these little green cylinders bums me out). Hopefully, after I recover from this current bout, they will stay hidden in the closet , never to see the light of day again. The good news is that my O2 sats are near normal again when I exert myself. Ive only been desaturating to the low 90’s, compared to the low 70’s just a week ago. Having O2 available in my home, was one of the conditions of my release from prison last week. They weren’t going to discharge me unless I agreed to it. I’m only going to use it during flare-ups, but some of my doctors think that because my asthma is so severe, that I should be on it all the time. Apria ( the O2 company) even tried to set me up with a concentrator ( a machine that makes oxygen), but I refused to take delivery. I was able to get the order changed to just small cylinders. ...

Recovering faster than a speeding asthmatic on steroids.
2009-06-11 20:11:00
Ive only been out of the hospital for 4 days now , and despite being still quite sick, I’m actually starting to feel more and more normal again (thats a scary thought huh). Though very limited, today I was able to resume my daily walks. I don’t think healthy people realize just how much of an impact a single severe asthma exacerbation can have on the rest the body…It takes a lot out of you and sometimes the treatment is as bad as the disease. All the IVs and tubes they insert in you, and all the drugs they pump through them , effect not only your lungs, but the all the other body systems as well. I always come out of the hospital majorly bruised and beat up. This time in particular, it did a number on my arm and leg muscles. In just 10 days I went from having moderate upper body strength, to having absolutely none at all. Just 3 days prior to this last hospitalization, I was lifting weights in the 80-120 lb range on the weight training machines at the gym. T...
More About: Steroids , Speeding

Number 94….the not so glamorous side of being a severe asthmatic, pe
2009-06-08 19:02:00
I had been feeling really crumby most of that weekend prior. My dyspnea was increasing and my peak flows were gradually trending downward. By Sunday evening it was pretty evident that this flare-up was getting worse , not better. I bolused myself with 60mg prednisone and decided I would try to tough it out another 24 hours in order to give the steroids a chance to kick in. On Monday morning I woke up lethargic and more breathless than the night before. My peak flows were now below 200 (my red-zone) and the neb treatments weren’t helping anymore. By early that afternoon, I was starting to get really uncomfortable and fidgety ( this is usually a sure sign that my CO2 is rising), so I decided to call it day and headed to the hospital. At 2 pm my partner dropped me off in front of UCSF Emergency room . The next time I saw him, was 24 hours later after waking up on a ventilator. The events of the next 7 days are for hardcore lungers only, so if you’re squeamish about the...
More About: Side , Glamorous , Number

Hardluck Asthmatic
2009-06-04 21:53:00
.!. Just a quick thank you to Rick of the Respiratory Therapy Cave for the nice article he wrote about me in his column over at Myasthmacentral.com entitled ” Hardluck Asthmatic” Rick and I have a lot in common, in that we are both Respiratory Therapists and both of us have asthma. Fortunately, Rick has managed to keep his asthma under control and is able to work full time. Rick lives in the mid west and writes about what it’s like to work as an RT in a small community Hospital. Good stuff. Thanks again Rick!download the music of cosmos mp3

Taper time
2009-06-01 23:17:00
.!. I usually don’t write reports on training walks, but the “20 miler” is different. It’s almost like a marathon because towards the end, you kinda enter that nomans land ( anything over 18 miles) where your body starts telling you. .”Ok, Ive had enough now” “Why are you torturing me” ..”Just put a bullet in my head.”…you know, those kinda of things. Well, I’m proud to report that I completed the dreaded 20 miler , and so far, seemed to have survived it with only minor breathing problems. I wont say anymore about my lungs cuz I don’t want to jinx myself (sometimes there’s a delayed reaction). As for the walk itself, it was well, as you might imagine…as difficult as any 20 mile walk would be. I racewalked about 90% of it . Let me re-phrase that, I stayed in “racewalking form” for 90% of the walk. ( there’s a big difference). My actual pace varied from about 15min/mile to ...
More About: Time

The not so glamorous side of being a severely asthmatic marathon walker.
2009-06-01 20:15:00
Yeah, I made it to Boston , Ive walked the Rome and Portland marathons a couple times, and yeah Ive been written up in lots of walk magazines and medical journals, but I think a lot of people who hear about me or read my blog, assume that because Ive done all these things, that I lead an exciting life and that my asthma is well controlled and more of a nuisance than anything else. What they don’t see, and what I rarely write about unless I’m really sick, is the hell I go though on a daily basis when I’m not doing all these fun things. Most days start out pretty good with my best breathing occurring during the morning hours , but that effect rarely extends into the afternoon. Generally ,as the day progresses, so does my breathlessness. If I eat even a small meal for lunch or dinner, the bloating that results, only adds to my breathing discomfort. By early evening I’m usually so short of breath , that I will have to take neb treatments every hour or two un...
More About: Marathon , Side , Walker , Glamorous

What’s next on the agenda?
2009-05-28 20:31:00
Boston is definitely tough act to follow, but there are still a lot of fun races out there, and many more challenges I’d like to tackle. Next up for me are the SF and ET half marathons, both of which Ive done before , but want to do again…. each for different reasons. The San Francisco marathon choice was pretty much a no brainer for me. Not because of its a very challenging and beautiful course, or the fact that the race is held in one of the most fascinating cities in the world, but mainly because it was the very first race I ever did. It was the race that started it all for me. Its also one of the few races I don’t have to hop on an airplane to get to…lol. Having done this race 4 times already, it’s kinda like comfort food for me. I’m totally at ease with it. No pre-race stress, don’t have to arrive 3 hours early. I know every twist and turn in the course and I know that after I finish the race, I can be home in less than 20 minu...
More About: Agenda

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