Asthma and ATCs

Interesting experience this morning. The Jazzer had an asthma test. It lasted 2 and a half freaking hours.

It must be hell to really be asthmatic. Turns out I’m borderline. You have to lose 20% of your breathing capacity to be considered asthmatic. Me? 19%. Cause me? It would be just too damn easy if the diagnosis for this cough and wheezing was straightforward.

So they make you inhale this mixture containing water and some crap that will provoke and asthma attack if you are, in fact asthmatic. There are nine levels of this stuff and I made it to the very top level – enough to induce asthma in a horse said the tech. Course the Jazzer? Healthy as a horse…

Every level of the stuff, my capacity would go down but I’d recuperate really quickly. It became a joke in the lab, betting on what would finally get me. Last dose though? Jesus Murphy. Wasn’t funny anymore. The gasping for breath, the coughing, the shaking and hyperventilating. Not good at all. Which is where I figured it must be hell to really be asthmatic – cause I was at 19% by that point…

But I guess it’s enough that I’ll be on the Ventolin for a long time to come… All I want is to be able to get my ass back into the gym and onto the elliptical trainer without collapsing from coughing as soon as I start breathing a bit heavy. I’m sick of feeling like a lump, I’m sick of being totally out of shape and exhausted all the time because of it. Bleh…

On another note, I have made and sent out my first batch of ATCs ever. Today was the deadline, today I sent them, after months of pulling my hair out in a total panic. And I actually scanned them so I’ll most probably post them here in a couple of days. Or not...