January - Post Covid workouts

[Pam]

Thought this might be a good place for me to keep track of and share my post covid recovery. Fish I’ll be getting an email off to you in the next couple days. I don’t really want to post some of the details of this in a public forum.

Reduced oxygen to 1 liter (came home on 2 liters, reduced to 1.5 during the day a little over a week after being home, doc wants it back up to 2 at night. This has been my first time at 1 liter all day with O2 in the 90’s. Tried once before but I wasn’t quite ready for it)

Walked 15 minutes hauling my oxygen behind. O2 hovered between 90-93 with a few drops to 89, but those were few and quick and I was able to keep walking.

“Squats” 10 from the love seat, my quads are not level. O2 remained in the 90’s for the entire set, went into the upper 80’s after for about 30 seconds, then back up to 90’s. Did not feel real winded but HR in the 120’s

“Squats” from the ottoman, quads level. O2 dropped to 88-89 for last 2 reps, HR upper 130’s, felt really winded but did them without stopping.

Bicep curls, 5 lbs(first time with that weight) 12 reps; 2nd set 20 reps; for reference in November I was doing 20+ lbs

Overhead tri extensions 2 sets, 12 reps, 5 lbs

Breathing exercises: laying in back 2 mins, stomach 2 mins, sitting as often as I think about it which is a lot; also have 2 meters I use throughout the day to help strengthen my lungs

Child pose rocking back and fourth 2 minutes

Slow recovery but I am going in the right direction.

[Pam]

1/5/22

Going off 2 hours of sleep today.

Oxygen set at 1.5 liters

“Squats” 2 sets 10 reps off the ottoman separated by upper body exercises. O2 stayed in the 90’s for first set, down to 88 second set. Recovered in less than 30 seconds.

All done with 5 lbs

Bicep curls- 1/12 2/18
Overhead tri extensions 2/18
Should press 2/12
Shoulder raise(to side) 2/12
Did final set of squats after this

3200 steps, most I’ve gotten

Also cleaned a bit. Was able to walk into the kitchen, get eggs in the pressure and walk back to living room with no oxygen, o2 stayed above 90. Just a few days ago walking to the bathroom and back it dropped to the low 70’s. Small improvements, looking forward to getting off this.

[fish]

We are all relieved that you are home and on the recovery road.

I have been very systematic about my breathing for many years.

probably since the time i broke 8 ribs in many places on my left side.

flail chest w collapsed lung.

hemothorax.

good war story for another time.

rehab of the lung took a long time.

I still do the breathing exercises.

That blankety blank air tower thingie is a torture device when your ribs are broken but you have to inflate the lung.

women, according to my readings, are notorious shoulder breathers which is to say they inflate only the very tops of their lungs by elevating the shoulders.

not good.

I try to start at the bottom and work to the top.

Inflate ab from bottom

inflate chest from bottom to top eventually raising collar bones

deflate ab from bottom

deflate chest

like a wave rolling.

gentle inflate and deflate, not trying to fill up like a taut balloon.

At times I use my heart rate as a meter.

3 beats intake lower ab

3 beats intake chest.

3 beats to empty lower ab

3 beats to empty chest.

Also like focused breathing when doing cat camel - aka cat cow.

hands&knees.

exhale when arching the back. (drop the head)

inhale when dropping the belly. (raise the head)

slow

i find that if i think of maximizing (camel)and then minimizing (cat) the distance between my xyphoid process and pubic bone i get best range of motion.

and at other times i listen to chant and coordinate my breathing to rhythm.

corpse pose

this is a great meditation device. clear the mind and focus on the breath.

Take care of yourself and get well.

[fish]

Pam,

Very glad you are getting better, and Kara, too.

Respectfully suggest:

Be very careful until your body gets a chance to recover.

Remember that overexertion can be dangerous, and what constitutes overexertion depends on relative strength and soundness.

I know too many people who tried to come back too early and whose comeback turned into a setback.

A Most Serious Setback for one of them.

Please be careful.

Please be patient.

[Pam]

1/6/22

I hate that you can’t see the posts you’re replying to. Fish, thanks for the info, did the breathing the way you described, it was harder than I thought.

Walking 15 mins
Total steps 3600
Recommended post covid workout- about an hour, not the kind of workout you guys do. Will post details tomorrow. I’m beat, need to figure out a way to sleep.

[fish]

I hate that you can’t see the posts you’re replying to.

Block it, copy it, open your reply page, paste it.

Fish, thanks for the info, did the breathing the way you described, it was harder than I thought.

You are involving a lot of unconditioned musculature in unfamiliar movement patterns.

It gets easier over time.

Walking 15 mins

Total steps 3600

Good for you ! Walking is great exercise. as you know, it involves lots of muscles including the big ones, raises heart rate and deepens respiration.

I’m beat, need to figure out a way to sleep.

Regular meditation can help. I started with Benson's "Relaxation Response" and wound up with co-coordinating my breath with my heart beats or with my chant recordings.

I still use this technique, and either i get profoundly relaxed, or i fall asleep.

Search u-tube for Robert Gass and On Wings of Song.

www.youtube.com/results?search_query=robert+gass+%26+on+wings+of+song

If you can't sleep, empty your mind and listen to these.

Focus on your breathing to the rhythms of the chants.

Try again during your daily relaxation period.

There is lots of stuff on u-tube.

practice, practice, practice.

[Pam]

1/7/22

Didn’t feel great today so just stuck to the breathing exercises. I did manage to get 3500 steps in.

Fish, I do meditate. I usually start the day with 20-30 min bible study and 15-30 meditating. Not as structured at night, probably need do that. I recently found Davidji, took a 3 week online class with him and I really enjoy his meditations. I’ll look up your stuff on YouTube and listen to it tonight. I can use all the help I can get. The problem is because of the oxygen I can’t use my cpap, geez I hate admitting I need that. So I sleep in the living room on the reclining loveseat. I can’t sleep laying flat without the cpap. The problem lies when Jack gets up at 2am I wake up, then again when Tanner gets up at 5:30am. He’s moved back home to help kara and I, well mostly me now. Have I mentioned how amazing he’s been? I have to beg him to go back to his apartment on the weekends. I just think he needs the break but he is so worried about me.

Anyway, I just have an awful time falling back to sleep after I wake up. Has been that way all my life. I’m so much like my dad. Seems like just when I do fall back to sleep Tanner is getting up. Thanks for the info, going to do a search and hit the sack as soon as I post this. I’ll let you know how it goes.

[fish]

See if you can get Benson's "Relaxation Response".

It is a very reassuring read.

Lots of instrument measured body and mind responses to the practice.

brain waves, heart rates, respiration, skin resistance.

makes it all very real.

I found it because of an article in the ny times describing the Beatles interaction with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

I'm old.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Relaxation_Response

MMY taught transcendental meditation.

Benson's analysis demonstrates that when TM is practiced it elicits many of the physical markers (and benefits)of deep sleep.

20 minutes 2X daily.

I cheat and use TM when I am abed and awake.

One of the chief benefits is that as I lie there practicing, I am not worried about not being able to fall back to sleep.

It's hard to fall asleep when one is worried about being awake.

Nancy's brother requires a cpap. we are familiar with them.

[fish]

Another wonderful sleep inducer.

We listen to recorded books and courses to read us to sleep.

We own many, and our library system offers many more of "The Great Courses".

And lots of recorded books, too.

So when you are abed awake.

You put one of the lectures on.

either

you learn a lot,

or

you go to sleep.

Great stuff, too.

The harry potter recordings are not bad, either.

U-Tube has wonderful renditions of children's books.

Read me to sleep.

[Pam]

1/10/22

Good idea fish. I have quite a selection of audio books. Might have to find the most boring one or the read by someone with a calming voice.

Was able to be completely off oxygen for 8 hours yesterday. Was even able to do a few things, slowly but I was able to keep O2 levels above 95. Also moved around the house at a normal pace. I was told I’d have days like that and not to be discouraged if/when I had days I couldn’t do that. She also said that as long as my O2 was above 95 keeping the oxygen on was not necessary, there was no benefit.

Progressing with my workouts, if you can call them that, I guess for me they are.

I do all my workouts currently with my O2 on and at 1.5-2 mostly because that’s what I was told but also because it’s hard to keep my monitor on all the time while working out. Supposed to shoot for 20 reps, 1 set for now.

Walking 15 minutes
Chair squats 20, heart rate isn’t going quite as high, I count that as a win
Various leg lifts 20 reps, to each side, back and while sitting
Curls
Shoulder press, this has always been an exercise I do with light weights, did this with 5 lbs and only got 12 reps. Will lower the weight tomorrow.
Breathing exercises, do those throughout the day. Have moved up to just over 2000 on the breathing thing. When I left the hospital I was at 1000. They wanted me yo shoot for a goal between 2000-2500. Tanner can get the damn thing to the top and then hold it, he’s such a show off. My lungs hurt just watching him.

[fish]

as i said before, when one's ribs are broken and a lung collapsed, the breathing tower is a torture device.

real pain.

i suggest that you find a set of one pound indian clubs.

very good for the shoulders, range of motion and some strength.

also opens the chest and lungs.

even plastic juggling clubs are good for this.

heck, one can do the motions empty handed.

if you are interested, i can direct you to routines.

they are fun, too.

[Pam]

Direct away, my shoulders have always been so weak.

No workout today. You’ll be happy to know I’m listening to my body. Oxygen not where it has been and had a bit of wheezing. Inhalers took care of the wheezing. Oxygen wasn’t bad but I strive to keep it above 95, for some reason it just wouldn’t go above 94 and stay there. Turned my oxygen up to 1.5 and I’ve been good.

Went downstairs last night with Tanner. We are bringing the TM upstairs so I can do without having to go downstairs. The down is easy, going up is a bit more challenging at times. What was super cool was when we came back up, I got up here and went and got rocky then did a few things. It then dawned on me that I wasn’t sucking wind, I didn’t even have to rest. Which makes today kinda suck, but trying to focus on the small improvements.

[fish]

Sounds like you are doing well.

Came across discussions of "segmented sleep"

polysleep.org/wiki/Segmented

Are you familiar with nasal wash, aka lavage or douche or flush or whatever ?

You should be.

Ball:

I'll get you more, but for now

This guy does not get to the complete vertical as i do.

Not necessary, but fun.

These guys are amusing, and sometimes informative.

Clubs:

Instruction:

www.semlyen.net/cosmosjugglers/lib/contents.htm

www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLnz9Vw3_FrKhdRAQZX1SyGnFyBYmjX7-3

archive.org/details/indianclubshowto00lemaiala/page/n5/mode/2up

Examples:

[fish]

This MD has a lot on nasal irrigation in a short video.

I don't agree about masks generally.

Maybe, just maybe, perfect application of the N95.

Which means perfect mask-to-skin seal all around nose and mouth.

Which I have yet to see.

Also, I've had a beard for 30 years and i'm not shaving now.

And I'm not sure about isotonic vs hypertonic debate.

I use slightly hypertonic solution.

I use an 8 oz bulb with a tip from a child's nasal aspirator.

There's a lot out there on this subject.

I have not found anything negative.