Thanks for this Thomas, I needed to be reminded of that scale. I had to use my oxygen to finish my ten miles on the bike. I know that my breathing is getting more and more labored and I DO use the pursed lip breathing but I tend to keep pushing myself maybe beyond what I should sometimes. My pulmonologist thinks my spine is deteriorating so much that it is crushing the space my lungs need. She is sending me to spinal specialist and my PCP is sending me to a cardiologist because my sats keep dropping and I have a REALLY hard time getting them back up. I see the cardiologist tomorrow...I don't actually have the appointment with the spine specialist yet but I really don't have a lot of faith that he will be able to do anything. She said he MIGHT be able to make a small incision to get between the vertebrae and maybe SLOW things down. Maybe...but they couldn't even get a needle in between when I went to the pain clinic. Not sure how enthusiastic I am about this.
Thanks for sharing this article. I have worked out most of my life...I suspect it kept me from developing this level of COPD much earlier...now if I had just been smart enough to quit smoking.
Ellen
