On August 9, I went in for a follow-up visit at Asheville Pulmonary, and was given a PFT (Pulmonary Function Test) pr breathing test. The results were very favorable and approximately similar to the results I received from the PFT at Duke 3-1/2 weeks before. Some results were in normal range and some were slightly below normal, but for the most part things looked in the normal range. I am going to try an scan these results and post them on here so the details can be viewed, but one of the main things I remember is that the exchange of Oxygen and CO2 had actually improved to normal range! Dr. Campbell, my local Pulmonologist, stopped in and congratulated me on the results and said to keep up the exercise and dieting!
Slight setback: About a week later, I was walking on campus uphill and discovered that I was getting out of breath in doing so, this despite my regimen of walking 3.5 miles per day. And over the past couple of weeks, I have days when I over exert myself and experience dyspnea or shortness of breath (SOB). It is puzzling to me, as to why this happens some days and not others. However, this all started 5 days after I had tapered down on my dose of prednisone from 40 mg/day to 30 mg/day, so one suspicion I have is the dosage of prednisone. A few other things that also happened at the same time were that school started at the university where I teach (which increases stress) and I was painting for the first time again in 11 or 12 months, in preparation for the annual faculty art show—although I was wearing a mask when sanding primed panels and I was painting with acrylic paint only, and I had missed 3 days straight of exercise around that time, due to classes starting, etc.
So over the last two weeks, when I go to the gym to walk, sometimes I am able to do the 3.5 mile walk just fine, and other days, I find my heart rate goes up into the 180s (which is fine for me and my doctors have approved this rate, as long as I am feeling okay. But this occurs by the end of the first mile sometimes, and I have not felt like continuing, as I am somewhat out of breath and laboring more than usual, so I will stop and do some weight lifting,, etc. then try another mile, but that is usually my limit on those days (2 miles total with a break). Other days, I seem to be able to do my 3.5 miles with little or no problem, so I am stumped and look forward to finding out what Dr. Campbell and/or Dr. Morrison recommend.
I am planning to contact Dr. Campbell and let him know about my recent symptoms of not being able to get through 3.5 miles of walking on a treadmill on some days and see what he suggests regarding changing course on the prednisone dose, but I really don't think I am ready to taper down to 20 mg/day from the current 30 mg/day that I am currently taking.
