OK, I am not good at blogging because I don't do it regularly and it takes me about an hour to figure out how to login with the right account and password and then find my way to the "new post" area. So my apologies...
Anyway, I just want to check in with anyone who might read this and let you know that I am still doing well after over 2 years of being diagnosed with ILD (DIP and/or NSIP) I am now down to taking only 5 mg/day of prednisone (mainly due to my Polymyalgia Rheumatica autoimmune disease, rather than due to ILD) and I weigh 163.5. I am hoping to reach 150 lbs this summer, and my goal is to then stay between 150 and 160. I have been continuing to walk a lot, and have now increased my walking to at least 5 miles a day, five days a week (and sometimes more). I work out with weights for about 30 minutes on the other two days of the week that I don't walk. This helps because I am at my local fitness center every day (unless, like lately I decide to walk laps around our local lake in Black Mountain). I generally walk at 4 MPH, but when on the treadmill, I like to increase it often up to 4.3 miles per hour and then every two laps (or every half mile) I jog at 6.5 or 7 MPH for 1 minute. I started out by walking a total of 3 miles or so and doing three 20 second spurts of jogging (spaced a couple of minutes apart) [alla Dr. Michael Mosley's suggestion on PBS] near the end of my walk, but now those 20 second spurts have become 1 minute spurts and I do ten of them instead of 3 during my walks, which is now a 20 lap or 5 mile walk. (Sometimes I have done 24 laps or 6 miles!)
But the best part is that I have no symptoms at all of shortness of breath or any pain from breathing deep as I had a couple of years ago. I had a good checkup back in November with my pulmonologist at Duke Medical Center and he seemed to think I would be able to "put this behind me" or as he explained it is being held in check and that I need not make another appointment with him since he is busy with patients who really need his help. (I knocked the top out of the 6 minute walk test) and I did pretty well on the PFT (Pulmonary Function Test) also, but I asked for another appointment in a year just to make sure things are on track still, but I really do feel great!
In addition to continuing to walk 5 or 6 miles (at least 5 days a week) I have also continued to stay on the 5:2 Fast Diet and find it so amazing that I can just take off any pounds I might have gained the day or two before by sticking to this fast diet and walking.
I have an annual physical appointment with my doctor in about a week, so I am hoping I'll get a good report then as well. I'll try and login and post another update again soon. In the meantime, I'm looking forward to finishing up the semester and getting back in the studio where I will be doing some sanding once again, but with a new tool designed for dust extraction and while wearing an appropriate mask to reduce the risk of fine dust particulates getting into my lungs. (I have virtually been avoiding working in the wood shop since being diagnosed, so it will be a cautious adjustment to make.)
The bottom line is that WALKING seems to have changed my metabolism and it really works!
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