Tuesday, July 18, 2006

I knew I was right!

  I kept telling the doctor that I thought it was the chlorine in the pool that was bothering my lungs and triggering my asthma.   He said that usually the warm water from the pool was good for asthmatic lungs and wants me to go to water aerobics again.   I kept putting it off because the last time I was sick for 2 weeks.  Well, the New England Journal of Medicine and others have recently put out some papers stating that the by products in pools, human sweat, urine, etc... mixed with chlorine cause a dangerous by-product that is harmful to swimmers and causes not only asthma but lung damage.   They studied children and found the effects showed more damage then smoking.  This is on in-door pools that are not ventilated well.   That explains why I did my workouts last year without many problems but they really esculated this winter when the pool wasn't opened up.

    They say the damage can be reversable but no always.   I suppose my years of smoking made me more succeptable.  But I feel good knowing I wasn't crazy when I kept telling my doctor I thought it was the pool that was making me sick.  It most likely was!  Here is an article based on the study you can read if your interested.  Especially if you have children on the swim team and they use a in-door pool.Chlorinated Swimming Pools Can Cause Asthma in Swimmers

   As usual after a nice bike ride my weight is up a few pounds.  It must be the muscles getting pumped up.  It happens every time.  Weird.  I am not very concerned with it as I go more how my clothes fit.  The bad thing is my budda belly.  My legs are very strong and trim looking these days.  My arms are better, not great but better, but this budda belly refuses to budge.  Must be having had too many belly surgeries and too many cut muscles.  It will be the last to go.  I have been doing abd crunches and actual sit ups for weeks and see no improvement except I can do more then I could when I started.   Hopefully under the budda gut are abs of steal.

   It is cooler today and we are going for another ride soon.  Tomorrow it is suppose to be 102.  Yikes.  I have to go to a class for work.  Even on my days off they intrude.  It should be an easy 3 hours of pay.  Then I think I will hit the gym and stay where it is cool.  My son sees the doctor also tomorrow.  He is wondering about work.  There is no way he can stand for 10 hours lifting the heavy milk crates yet and he wonders when he will be able to.  He works for Wells Blue Bunny in the milk department.   Hard physical work.  It killed him when he first started but over time he got some very impressive shoulder and arm muscles.   Now he will have to start all over.

    I twisted my ankle on the ride yesterday when I jumped off to take a picture.  Jumped off right into a hole.  It throbbed all night last night so hopefully the ride today will loosen it up.

   Well thats about all the rambling on I will do for now.  I had my shredded wheat and bran with whey low sugar sub and no fat milk for breakfast.  For the ride today we are packing Turkey subs and apple slices to eat when we get to the overlook.   I should be able to cook today since it is cooler and am thinking about chicken stir fry.  Think I have the day covered.  I have low fat frozen yogurt for dessert.  Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Always go with your gut!    Well, not the budda one...that one is soon to disappear.   When The Kid was small, her ped. told me that he aways listens to the parents instincts, because he's found them to be right so much....  same goes with our instincts about ourselves, don't you think?    Sorry about the ankle...I HATE when that happens!
~Meg

Anonymous said...

Sorry about the ankle. I know that hurts!  Glad you figured out what's causing the breathing problems.  You were right!!
Have a good night.
Pam