Yesterday I had to return to the QE hospital for a 3 monthly health check to make sure I'm still fit for transplant.
I knew one of the tests done would be the 6 minute walk test and I was feeling confident a record distance was a possibility.
The Doctor attached the oxymetre to my finger and the nurse zero'd the distance measuring device, I took my oxygen pack off as I always do my test without any assistance and off we went. The QE has some very long corridors which are ideal for straight walking but there was a lot of traffic today. People were everywhere but nothing was going to deny me today of a record new distance. I wanted to show my transplant consultant that his advice telling me to lose weight had been heeded and I wanted to give him some positive feedback with evidence to back it up.
As usual I started puffing quite heavy at around the 3 minute mark and the doctor asked me if I was ok, I gave him a nod and kept pushing hard, my calf muscles were beginning to burn and tighten a little but I was able to maintain an even pace right up until the 6 minutes were up.
I looked up at the nurse and she said well done 480 metres, I then turned to the Doc and asked what my oxygen levels dropped too, 74% he replied which came as no surprise as I, as usual held nothing back.
Well that's it, 3 months earlier I could only manage 408 metres and now I'm doing 480 metres so there is no doubt now that losing almost 2 stone has improved my condition considerably. My recovery time was much quicker than previous attempts too and I was soon able to talk normally without struggling for breath.
When my consultant was presented with this evidence he was quite pleased to see that I had listened and acted upon his sound advice. I got the feeling that not many do. He did say though that weight loss doesn't always help the breathing in all patients.
If you are a little overweight as I was, and your contemplating trying to lose some of it then I can only tell you of my experience, Its well worth it because you not only feel better, you are better!!
After my positive experience my thoughts then turned to wendells and her husband Harry who at the same time were going through a pretty rough day over in Austrialia.
I hope all is still going in the right direction for them as I think they deserve some better luck. Tony. Keep breathing easy all you huffers and puffers out there
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dall05
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26 Replies
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congratulations Tony, glad everything went well for you today.
Is that the end of your weight loss or do you need to lose some more.
I'm stuck on 10 stone, put 4lbs on when I went on holiday, so need to diet even more now, lol
Take care.
Peta
Well done Tony, nice to see your hard work paying off, wishing you well
Well done medow, the bin is the best place for them or the bird table. Oucha!! I can't believe I just said that.
Congratulations Mr Miracle!!!!! That is so impressive, both weight loss and distance. You have worked hard for that. Believe me I do know how hard, especially when the sats start dropping and they want you to stop. You are still my inspiration of what can be done. When I'm off the oxy I'll come and walk your hill with you.
Thanks Peta, I dropped to 10 stone when I was sedated for a month and on a ventilator and it took over 8 months to get back to 13 !/2 stone where I was before being sedated. My problem was it didn't stop there and I reached 14stone 2lbs before talking to my transplant consultant.
I'm now down to 12 stone 4lbs and feeling better for it and that's just under my so called ideal weight.
Are you struggling to put weight on, If so that sounds a lot more fun, being able to eat what you like. I quite enjoyed my time eating my way back to my normal weight after my ICU experience but I don't think I'd like to do it again.
No, trying to lose a stone, put 2 stone on when I gave up smoking 5 years ago.
Lost 1 stone, this stone is much harder, trouble is I eat chocolate etc in the evenings, boredom, think I will have to sit with my hands in a bowl of water every evening, lol
Hi Kim, things are heading in the right direction, I knocked another minute off my round the estate walk tonight but I'm a little worried at the moment as my wife and daughter have both got stinking colds and Iv'e started sneezing and coughing quite a bit today. I'm on immune suppressants so a little cause for concern, but whats to be done eh'
Tony xx
Hi Dall05
You are an inspiration. I've got my walk test next week - I'm aiming for 400m but now you've done 480!! I have very short legs though!
Another 1.25lbs off this week - it's a hard slog but I'll get there just not in time before I see my consultant in a fortnight! I expect a stern talking too!
I'm on the slow weight loss journey too. I have lost nothing for weeks when I had my infection and was on steroid tablets. Now my energy has returned I can do more and I'm hoping to lose a pound a week.
Hi Lynne, I'm on 11mg of prednisolone per day at the moment and still managing to lose some weight but the good weather is helping as I'm doing a fair amount of walking too. Exercising and eating less than you need is the key.
Thanks BC, It wasn't easy but the evidence shows it was well worth while.
Fingers crossed all is well over in Australia for Wendells and Harry.
Great that you are seeing improvements....though please be careful with that oxy sat level. I was told at Pulmonary Rehab to pace myself and asked did I always push myself that hard when mine dropped to 79 from 96. Think it depends on how quickly you recover... just remember anything under 88 means your organs are not getting the oxygen they need as pressure is not good enough for oxygen to get through the cell walls to them. Maybe ring BLF helpline for clarity on this.
Its ok Julie, I only push myself this hard on the odd occasion. Iv'e been doing what I do now for 2 1/2 years and have regular checks and so far all I have seen is improvements so I can't be to far off the mark.
I'm surprising myself at what I'm able to do because when I left hospital the ICU consultant told me that I would probably spend the rest of my life at home on permanent oxygen.
His other comment was 'well at least you've got the internet'. That kind of made me all the more determined to work hard and prove him wrong.
Mind you the internet is a wonderful thing, as without it I wouldn't be in touch with good people like yourself and many others on this site.
I promise I will take care as one set of duff organs is enough to cope with and oh yeh' My recovery time is far quicker now than its ever been.
Tony xx
Thats brilliant. So pleased that prat motivated you so well. You are an inspirational example...ok will push me tomorrow at pulm rehab
I can't say anything bad about the consultant as his decisions when I was in dire straights saved my life and I think he was just saying what he believed to be true. But he didn't know me and how determined I can be. There has been many a time when I heard his words and even began to believe them at times when progress seemed very slow but if you keep chipping away and working hard the improvements keep coming.
My sats are normally in the mid 80s at PR on 6 litres of oxygen and I try and pace myself at this level for most of the session.
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I have very short legs though! 
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