Just Wondering
Because I had nothing better to due, I am enjoying my second round of Mono this year. Besides the physical fatigue, I have been dealing with two other issues. One of them is mental fatigue. There have been times I have really had to concentrate in order to read or finish projects at work. I even have found myself going blank when I'm talking -- most irritating for someone who has been involved in some form of verbal communication vocationally most of his adult life. I have wondered if PPsers are more susceptible to this problem. Mental fatigue, or "brain fog" as it was once popularly called, is a common characteristic of those dealing with Post Polio. So maybe if mono is added to the picture, brain fatigue becomes more of an issue. I dunno.
The second issue brought back to my memory a childhood experience. The last week and a half, I have been short-winded several times. In and of itself, this would not be an issue because I was born with a chronic obstructive lung disease (see My Story). Breathing treatments (my old standard response) have helped, but the benefit has been limited. However, my short windedness lately is not due to a lack of oxygen. Apparently, I am trapping air in my lungs. I am simply not exhaling adequately. So I am periodically forcing myself to exhale deeply and then to breathe in slowly. The question is why is my breathing shallow and why am I trapping air? When I was a child, after I had been diagnosed with polio, our family doctor would quite often make me lie down on my back, he would stand behind me and he would press down on my lungs forcing my ribcage to move. He taught my Mom to do the same thing occasionally. Dr. Lindsey was concerned that my ribcage might eventually stiffen up, or become "frozen." Hence, his therapy of making my ribs move up and down. I am sure that my ribs are not as flexible as they once were. Could this be the cause of my shallow breathing? I don't know. But I am going to force my ribcage to move as much as possible. Of course, this has to be done without fatiguing my chest muscles.
The second issue brought back to my memory a childhood experience. The last week and a half, I have been short-winded several times. In and of itself, this would not be an issue because I was born with a chronic obstructive lung disease (see My Story). Breathing treatments (my old standard response) have helped, but the benefit has been limited. However, my short windedness lately is not due to a lack of oxygen. Apparently, I am trapping air in my lungs. I am simply not exhaling adequately. So I am periodically forcing myself to exhale deeply and then to breathe in slowly. The question is why is my breathing shallow and why am I trapping air? When I was a child, after I had been diagnosed with polio, our family doctor would quite often make me lie down on my back, he would stand behind me and he would press down on my lungs forcing my ribcage to move. He taught my Mom to do the same thing occasionally. Dr. Lindsey was concerned that my ribcage might eventually stiffen up, or become "frozen." Hence, his therapy of making my ribs move up and down. I am sure that my ribs are not as flexible as they once were. Could this be the cause of my shallow breathing? I don't know. But I am going to force my ribcage to move as much as possible. Of course, this has to be done without fatiguing my chest muscles.
2008-10-09 23:08:04 GMT