Day 21: Egypt with 50% lung function
The Great Pyramid I walked around the base of the Great Pyramid. If tourists were allowed to climb it, I probably would have given it a go. Instead, I used the Robber’s Tunnel to climb to the resting place of Khufu. The Robber’s Tunnel is a narrow, airless passage. The air quality is extremely low. For most of the climb, I was bent double, barely able to breathe. At the resting point, where most people stayed long enough to catch their breath before they continued, I needed to stand, and just breathe for ten minutes. Even then, I could not properly regain my breath. A constant stream of people squeezed past me whenever I paused and tried to pull a little more oxygen into my lungs. But I had come many kilometres to climb this tunnel. And so I pulled air into my lungs and forced myself to keep climbing. It took me three times as long to climb than most other people, but I made it. Reaching the King’s chamber with a lung function of 1.6 litres remains one of my proudest achievements. Valley of the Kings My second challenge was at the Valley of the Kings — once again hot and crowded, but this time, the tombs had industrial fans to increase the air circulation. Increased air circulation sounds like a good idea in theory, but the tombs were also somewhat dusty. The fans created a whirlwind of dust. I pretty much sucked at breathing to begin with — so breathing through a cloth to keep the dust out of my airways was not my strong point. But I wasn’t going to let anything stop me.
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Day 20: 2009, The Year of the Swine Flu
Despite having had the flu vaccination, I contracted the flu three separate times that winter. One on top of the other, with no break in between. They gave my lungs a beating. Swine Flu was rampant, but each swap returned a negative result for the Swine Flu, showing that I’d contracted Influenza A instead. Which is lucky because, based on those numbers, contracting the Swine Flu may have killed me. There were no answers. I spent nearly the entire winter on IV antibiotics. I ended up spending two weeks as an inpatient so that the team could do additional testing. Nothing conclusive came of these tests. My CAT scan showed significant inflammation in my lungs without extra scarring. Scarring would indicate the damage to my lungs was permanent. With that good news, my team and I chalked it up as a bad winter that I should be able to recover with time and effort. By November, my lung function was at 45%, and we took a family trip to Malaysia. I found it more challenging to cope with the air quality this time, but I still enjoyed the holiday. This is the holiday that Grant and I remember as the one that Jarryn bitched and moaned the whole way through. Apparently, it was hot, there was strange food, and he had to walk everywhere (truly tragic stuff!) Jarryn, however, recalls this trip ‘fondly’.
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Written bySandi Parsons - Cystic Fibrosis Warrior. |