Heavy breathing and stuff

[susandennis]

About six months ago, after a little bout with pneumonia, I found out that my lungs have moved to half time work.  Left to their own devices, they function at 50% of what they should for someone my age and size.  After months of trial and error and recovering from the pneumonia, I finally settled into a fairly good place breathing wize.

I use Advair (inhaler) twice a day and that pretty much fixes it - or at least enables me to breathe fine enough to do what I want to do.  Sometimes I can even forget about it.  But, sometimes, at the oddest times, it is a struggle.

These little struggles are weird.  It's like just little reminders that I no longer have a full set of pipes.  This morning my sandal clipped the edge of the curb and I did a full faceplant.  I banged my knee a little but otherwise, I was ok, except I had real trouble breathing for about 3 minutes.  I was panting like I'd just run a couple of miles.

When I wake up in the middle of the night and get up to pee, when I get back in bed, I pant.  I pant when I first get up in the morning.  It does not take long for normal breathing to return but it is also really disconcerting every single time.  

When I was recovering from pneumonia, I had several nights when I could not sleep because it was so hard to get a good breath.  Those were scary nights that I do not want to see again.

I have a rescue inhaler that I can use for prolonged (longer than 5 minutes) bouts.  Mainly I'm just paranoid.  I really like breathing and I'd like to keep it in my skill set.

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Chef Anita is here.  She comes on the 1st and 3rd Tuesdays and this is one of the weird months with 5 Tuesdays so she won't be back for 3 weeks.  She's making:

• Rosemary Chicken with Sweet & Sour Orange Sauce with Asparagus and Fingering Potatoes
• Nicoise Tuna Melts with Gazpacho
• Korean-Style Pork Medallions with Asian Slaw
• Flank Steak, Spinach an Bacon Roll-ups with potatoes au gratin
• Kung Pao Beef and Rice
• Asparagus, sausage and mushroom strata

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Swim class isn't til noon today and then the weekly conference call.  And by that time, I hope, UPS will have delivered my new tablet.  

Comments

[mrdreamjeans.livejournal.com]

I've been experiencing similar breathing challenges. Your words have provided comfort.

[brigitte lichtenberger-fenz (from livejournal.com)]

My first thought was that your breathing problem after having tripped is a result of the shock and stress. But this explanation doesn't apply well to your peeing in the night...;)

How does it work

[(Anonymous)]

That food list sounds delicious!!

I wonder if she fixes everything up for you to just reheat or do you have to bake when ready? Like the Tuna melts.....don't see how you could fix in advance and they keep? And what about the strata? Just wondering. You have such a great variety of foods.

I like to cook but have little time and I would be more inclined to make huge batches of 2-3 of those and re-enjoy through the week. They all sound good though.

Re: How does it work

[susandennis]

She does all the grocery shopping and then comes here, cooks it all up, leaves most in the freezer (in single servings) and the rest (like lettuce, cheese, etc) in the fridge.

The strata, for instance, has to sit for a day after she assembles it. So that one she leaves in the fridge and I cooked it up today and divided it up into singe servings and put them in the freezer.

Then I take them out of the freezer the day before, heat them up when they get thawed and eat!!

I hate to cook. I know how, but I hate doing it. Chef Anita is my old age luxury. She only makes the stuff I like and only the way I like it - no cooked carrots, no lima beans, no coconut, lots of meat and potatoes and cheeses. http://www.bushelandpeckdinners.com/