What is Pulmonary Fibrosis?

Someone recently asked me what Pulmonary Fibrois was. I sat down and wrote out my understanding of this disease and this is what I wrote. Pulmonary fibrosis is the stiffening of lung tissue. In the classic cases of pulmonary fibrosis (PF) the lung tissue usually forms into honeycombs at the edges. I do not have the honeycombing. When you look at the film of a cat scan of my lungs they show spots that look sort of like cotton candy. Almost like what a freezer burn looks like on meat.

The effect this disease has on my body is that I cannot supply enough oxygen when I exert myself. So if I were to walk at my normal speed, let’s say 100 yards, I would probably need my oxygen, because my body could not product enough oxygen for my efforts. If I do not have my oxygen on and I exert myself I will cough until my blood oxygen level goes back to normal. I am told that I am at the acute stages of this disease and that my body recovers from the lack of oxygenvery fast. Given perfect weather, I could probably take this walk without any problems and I would be fine but those days are few throughout the year. Another effect of PF is a lot of mucous production in the lungs. This is one of the reasons why I started watching what I ate. I know that many foods produce mucous like dairy products.

I basically do everything I used to just perhaps a bit slower. I actually started exercising more and watching what I ate after surving lung cancer and finding out about my PF. So in many ways I have better health and fitness now than before. Changing my diet and becoming vegetarian has helped me out tremendously. Before the dietary changes I would need my O2 to go to the restroom, the mailroom or cafeteria at work. Now I really do not use the O2 at work unless it is an extremely humid day. I also need oxygen if I have to carry anything over a couple of pounds. Now after going raw my health has gone up to another level. I am now able to run under the ball at volleyball and I even jogged ½ mile out on the street last month. That is what the ticker on my blog signifies.

Trust me I have gone through a lot of turmoil over my PF. This past summer I learned to embrace this disease after years of anger and madness. Now I say, given pulmonary fibrosis what is possible. I learned to trust my lungs and relax my shoulders. I do not guard my lungs like I used to. I could actually touch inbetween my arm socket and chest and feel sore. I did not know what it was until I was told that I was holding my shoulders rigid in order to protect my lungs. This was stopping me from deep breathing because I used to guard myself from coughing. Now I can breath down into my stomach. I guess I could go on and on huh? Anyway overcoming this has become my total focus.

"There's only one way to succeed in anythingand that is to give everything." - Vince Lombardi

Celebrate Life,

Alma

Day 2 phase 2 Raw Food Organs

I am still very excited about my ½ mile jog last night. Believe me I cannot forget because my calves are sore. I am excited to jog again tomorrow night or Thursday night. I will see how sore I am tomorrow, Hopefully I will not be sore at all. Now I can see many more opportunities that I did before. My goal, as you know, is to run a 5K race next summer so I have to start training now. I am most proud of my way of thinking. Several months ago I would have thought or said "Take that cancer or take that pulmonary fibrosis" but I last night after the explosion of joy and happiness, I was grateful. Yes there is a part of me that says "HA" but mostly I am thankful to my lungs because they are the true workhorses here. They are the ones that have to perform and heal at alarming rates. I am definitely giving them a workout but I must say that I am truly trying to take care of them by offering my body proper nutrition. I will continue to do my part and I am sure my lungs will continue to support all my efforts, challenges and goals.

I tried the kiwano horned melon tonight and it was good. The taste was not bitter at all by my standards. When I cut into it, it was like cutting into a citrus fruit. The pulp was familiar but it was green. It had seeds like a cucumber and the taste was pleasant, mild and sweet. I ate about ¼ of it and mixed the rest with mangoes for a smoothie.

Now for organs, there are no organs in Raw Foods. The reason for this entry is that my dad also has pulmonary fibrosis but he had a lung transplant almost 6 years ago. Another donor recipient gave me an article to read and it is a poem that was written by Robert Noel Test (1926-1994) entitled To Remember Me and it is about donating organs after death.

The day will come when my body will lie upon a white sheet neatly tucked under four corners of a mattress located in hospital busily occupied with the living and the dying.
At a certain moment a doctor will determine that my brain has ceased to function and that, for all intents and purposes, my life has stopped.

When that happens, do not attempt to instill artificial life into my body by the use of a machine. And don’t call this my deathbed. Let it be called the Bed of Life, and let my body be taken from it to help others lead fuller lives.

Give my sight to a man who has never seen a sunrise, a baby’s face or love in the eyes of a woman.

Give my heart to a person whose own heart has pain.

Give my blood to the teenager who was pulled from the wreckage of his car, so that he might live to see his grandchildren play.

Give my kidneys to one who depends on a machine to exist from week to week.
Take my bones, every muscle, every fiber and nerve in my body and find a way to make a crippled child walk.

Take my cells, if necessary, and let them grow so that , someday, a speechless boy will shout at the crack of a bat and a deaf girl will hear the sound of rain against her windows.

Burn what is left of me and scatter the ashes to the winds to help the flowers grow.

If you must bury something, let it be my faults, my weaknesses and all my prejudice against my fellow man.

Give my sins to the devil. Give my soul to God. If, by chance, you wish to remember me, do it with a kind deed or word to someone who needs you.

If you do all I have asked, I will live forever.

Raw nutrients of the day:
6oz green smoothie
6oz papaya-banana smoothie
1oz E3Live algae
2 NuPlus
2 Fortune Delight
2 Quinary
32oz Cafix
1 Sunbar nutrient bar
1 Garden salad (lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, red peppers, & olives)
1 Mango
¼ kiwano horned melon
64 oz Calli

Quote of the day:
"Adversity is another way to measure the greatness of individuals. I never had a
crisis that didn't make me stronger." - Lou Holtz

Live life,
Alma