Its been a while since I’ve posted anything to this blog, frankly I didn’t miss it much. I was pretty burnt out always writing about asthma related stuff. Instead, I spent that time trying to get into the best shape possible for my first ever pilgrimage walk. After setting several start dates and then having to cancel them at the last moment due to asthma exacerbations, on Feb 12th of this year I… Source ..read more

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Dear friends and readers, Rather than make this a long-drawn-out emotional farewell, or have people wonder why I haven’t been posting as often, or if I’m even still alive, I’ll just cut to the chase. At 69 years old Im still going strong, and my lung disease is what it is, but after nearly two decades and almost 800 posts written, I think it’s time to wrap things up with the blog. I don’t really... Source ..read more

Finally, after nearly 3 months of testing the waters to see if I have what it takes to endure a trek like this, I’m starting to feel slightly more optimistic about my ability to complete it. I still have a long road ahead of me, quite literally (roughly 457 kms or 283 miles), but the journey doesn’t seem quite as daunting as it did just a few weeks back. When I get overwhelmed by the thought of... Source ..read more

Everyone’s asthma or COPD flare ups manifests differently. Along with the background breathlessness that’s always present to some degree because of my low baseline FEV1, for me there are 3 distinct types of flare ups that I experience on a regular basis. The mild flare, the severe flare and the one in the middle that I probably hate the most, is the moderate or “Pesky” flare. When I say pesky... Source ..read more

To date Ive completed over a dozen full marathons, half marathons and 5 and 10km foot races, but Ive never done a long distance, multi-day hiking type of walk. Health permitting, I hope to remedy that this Fall by walking the last 360 kms of the Via Francigena, from the city of Lucca in the Tuscany region of north Italy to St Peters square in Vatican city. I hope to finish the trek in about 20... Source ..read more

This last exacerbation really did a number on me. Who would’ve thought that a simple cold virus could reek so much havoc on a person’s body. I guess being older and and having crappy lungs to begin with, really does put you at greater risk for complications from RSV. After everything I’ve been through with this virus I could certainly be the poster child for that message. It’s been over 9 weeks... Source ..read more

First, a couple Happy Pictures. Had a wonderful time in Italy. Was there just short of 3 weeks and despite any fears I may have had about how my lungs might react to the stresses of travel, I actually experienced better than average breathing the entire time I was there. I don’t know if was the ultra clean air of the Swiss Alps or that of Europe in general, but instead of my usual 4-6 neb a day... Source ..read more

On March 19th 2023 I completed my 3rd Rome marathon, but kind of by accident. Here’s the story….. I may have mentioned this in some of my earlier posts, but when I initially signed up for the Rome marathon back in August of 2022, even though I had done this race twice before, I really didn’t know if I could pull it off again. I wasn’t sure if I could complete the entire 42km distance within the... Source ..read more

The eat, sleep, breath mentality of endurance building, which has been the central theme of my life these past 5 months, is finally complete. With 300 miles in the training bucket, if all goes well, next week I head out to Italy for what will hopefully be my third Rome marathon. Considering that I had to train during the coldest and wettest months of the season, its a small miracle that I was able... Source ..read more