Bicycle, Bicycle..I want to ride my Bicycle, I want to ride my Bike

One of the things through the years that has kept me from panicking about cancer and scar tissue in my lungs (oh, yeah, I forgot COPD was diagnosed way back when too) was the fact the my blood oxygen levels are consistently at 98%. That is very good. I have my own little fingertip sensor and my Garmin also tracks it. I attribute this to cardio. Plain and simple, I work my lungs.

I got sick a couple of times in the last few years and it really affected my lungs. Suddenly I couldn’t do cardio for more than 30-45 seconds at a time. That was okay, I still kept trying and my levels stayed at 98%. Then all hell broke loose with my hips and shoulder. Running was off the table. So I stopped and didn’t replace it with anything. In the last few months my lungs have felt terrible. Just terrible. It is absolutely a struggle to breathe sometimes. My blood/ox has been stuck between 88%-90% now. Which is still pretty good for someone who has one lung with a big old mass of scar tissue at the top, but I can feel the difference, and I don’t like it. It’s like breathing with a big old cement block on your chest and sometimes I sound terrible.

Talked about it with my husband this weekend and he set my bike back up on the stationary stand. Right now I’m riding till I break a sweat plus a few minutes. I don’t want to overdo it and have my knees and hips be the determining factor again. So I alternate – Treadmill walking with a super high incline and bike every other day. So this is out starting point. We’ll see where the numbers are in a month.

Also, I just reached up and brushed my hair out of my face while I was typing this and HEARD something hit the table. that’s just creepy.

2 Comments

  • Susan Joos

    November 24, 2020 at 4:08 pm Reply

    Go you! I was able to use my daughter’s exercise bike after my knee operation a couple of years ago and it was great! Now that it is cold outside I have been thinking about getting one of my own, but I also thought about getting a stand for it. I was kind of afraid about flopping over sideways on it, though, like the laugh-in guy. Are they really secure?

    I also joined the Silver Sneakers (membership came with my Medicare supplement) and have done a bit of Tai Chi. Not cardio but hoping it keeps the joints able to DO some cardio.

    You know I sang the bicycle bit, lol…

    • tlm0000

      November 24, 2020 at 4:32 pm Reply

      I think the stand is very secure, you just also need the front block. The nice thing about the stands are you can adjust the resistance. Of course, an inexpensive stationary bike will have more bells and whistles. 🙂 Tai Chi is lovely! Good for the mind and body.
      I’m glad you sang!

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