Tolkien Moot IX done, onward to Spocon 2013, Gamers Hands of Fate, The Packer, Getting Published, and Tolkien Moot X. Phew!

I am sitting at Columbia Medical Associates Diagnostic Imaging across the street from Dr Jamison's office. I am going through the full works physical and other diagnostics today, with follow up results Tuesday.

This was triggered by several things (triggering my scheduling this a month ago):

* Gained 50 lbs in a year!

* Edema of hands, feet, arms, and legs after working out.

* Heart rate too high, and too long resuming to resting rate

* Passing out and falling at LaserQuest

I was very sick for 2 years with recurring pneumonia and bronchitis. I had bronchitis more than a dozen times, and pneumonia at least 9 times, during an 18 month period. Finally, after a year and half of stumping the doctos, the wonderful Dr Draine at Spokane Asthma and Allergy clinic figured out from additional testing that it was hypersensitivity pneumonitis caused by the dander of the boys' parrots.

Once we figured that out, I had the house scrubbed, the upstairs carpets pulled, and isolated the birds downstairs, and I stopped handling them, and only entered the rooms when wearing a high filtration mask.

It still took me six months to recover from the last bout.

By January/February I was able to begin the slow road of recovery now that the lung crisis was addressed.

I had been repeatedly given (more than a dozen times during that 2 years) massive doses of:

* Antibiotics (many, and increasing strength).

* Prednisone.

* Pulmicort/budesonimide (sp?).

* Dulera inhaler with dispersant tube.

* Albuteral respules and inhaler.

* Cough syrup with codeine.

* Hydrocodone, Percusets (sp?), and other pain killers).

* ulcer medications for the lower stomach ulcer caused by the meds.

* And various other meds for the side effects of the above meds.

Now I am down to just using a rescue albuteral inhaler a few times a week, and the respule breathing treatment once every week or two.

I started going back to the gym in late January.

At first only able to handle about 3 minutes on the eliptical at level 3 (lowest level resistance), and only about 70 strides per minute.

Slowly this improved, until towards the end of June I was around level 3-4, but able to go about 15-30 minutes depending on the day, and up around 95-105 strides per minute.

I also had bought a heart monitor, which not only worked with the watch, but also with the gym equipment at Anytime fitness.

This showed some trouble information:

At rest I was okay, around 72-80 beats per minute (bpm).

But just getting up to go to the kitchen my heart rate would jump to 100 bpm, and then take 5-10 minutes to resume resting rate.

Just going up the single flight of stairs in my house left me winded, and my heart rate around 120 bpm, and averaged 10 minutes to resume resting rate.

I determined my normal (healthy) max rate should probably be around 178. I targeted around 130 to 155 as my optimal heart rate for aerobic exercises, but it would 15 to 20 minutes for me resting heart rate to resume!

I also weighed myself on the gym scale, and found I was a whopping 314! (this peaked around 318!). I have never broken 300 before, and usually hover around 260 to 280 range. I feel "too light" at 260, and "out of shape" at 280, feeling most ideal around 270-275 when toned.

I also began experiencing recurring and painful leg cramps, whether at rest or exercise.

Then around the end of June, after working out at on the eliptical, I noticed my hands and wrists were all "puffed up" (edema). When I came home, I noticed my feet and ankles and lower legs were swollen too.

After lying down, this subsided in a few hours.

Over the next 3 weeks this happened 4 times, worse each time, and taking longer to subside, even though I significantly cut back my intensity (I was also feeling really poorly after exercising, while in the past I usually felt great).

The final straw was when I was at LaserQuest with the boys,  started to "gray out" because I couldn't breathe, and then I completely passed out, and fell down a ramp (somehow not actually injuring myself). Brennan found me passed out, and shook me awake.

I then called to schedule with the doctor, who was booked a month out.

After the 4th edema event, I discontinued the exercise, but I halved my intake since I was still gaining weight.

At the doctor today I am down (thankfully) to 304.

I am waiting for all the details on bloodwork, blood sugar, chest x-rays, urine samples, etc. I am supposed to find out by Tuesday... I will update this posting when I have more information....