Actually my 2005 numbers were just a little shy of where I am now. My numbers took a dive between 2008-2010. Like you, I was low 90/upper 80 with my FEV1. This was all secondary to ABPA and a wicked case of sinusitis, which required 3 surgeries.
I understand what your doc is trying to say, but I agree that it's crap to settle for a FEV1 and not try to improve.
I don't remember really making a point to raise my PFT's, I just wanted to get back to normal. The first thing I did was join a gym to get in shape and put on some weight. I lifted 3 days a week for an hour. During this time I had a personal trainer to keep me on track. I gained about 5 pounds of muscle. After that I got back to the things I like to do. Games of ultimate frisbee, running the track with my EMT partner at work when we were bored, volleyball, swimming (mostly while boating on the lake), biking, hiking etc.
I would think that with numbers in the low 90's most of your stamina issues should be corrected with conditioning. If you plan on going back to running, I would suggest leaving intensity alone (at least your legs) and go for distance.
I've never really had a problem with wheezing or SOB when I'm not sick. The only exception was with HTS. I went from being able to run 5 miles without stopping to barely 1/4 mile and my lungs were on fire. I stopped it immediately and everything returned to normal. Pulmozyme and Tobi both caused a chronic cough and Pulmozyme went on to cause me to lose my voice completely. I never went back to pulmozyme either. I've done Tobi 4 times, I think. It's usually during or on the tail end of an exacerbation and if I don't have one already, it causes a cough. I tried Cayston once thinking maybe I should be doing prophylactics and it was worse than the Tobi as far as a cough and irritation.
One thing that I learned from being around the fire station that might help a bit is: get some young friends. At work, (which sometimes is 24 hours or more if I sleep there) I am around a much younger demographic than I normally would be. Younger friends are more likely to be active and involved in activities that promote an active lifestyle. Keep the older friends around for social and intellectual stuff. Most of the guys I play volleyball with are still in high school. Not good for social stuff, but great if you want to have a game of Ultimate or basketball.
Cheers and good luck!
I understand what your doc is trying to say, but I agree that it's crap to settle for a FEV1 and not try to improve.
I don't remember really making a point to raise my PFT's, I just wanted to get back to normal. The first thing I did was join a gym to get in shape and put on some weight. I lifted 3 days a week for an hour. During this time I had a personal trainer to keep me on track. I gained about 5 pounds of muscle. After that I got back to the things I like to do. Games of ultimate frisbee, running the track with my EMT partner at work when we were bored, volleyball, swimming (mostly while boating on the lake), biking, hiking etc.
I would think that with numbers in the low 90's most of your stamina issues should be corrected with conditioning. If you plan on going back to running, I would suggest leaving intensity alone (at least your legs) and go for distance.
I've never really had a problem with wheezing or SOB when I'm not sick. The only exception was with HTS. I went from being able to run 5 miles without stopping to barely 1/4 mile and my lungs were on fire. I stopped it immediately and everything returned to normal. Pulmozyme and Tobi both caused a chronic cough and Pulmozyme went on to cause me to lose my voice completely. I never went back to pulmozyme either. I've done Tobi 4 times, I think. It's usually during or on the tail end of an exacerbation and if I don't have one already, it causes a cough. I tried Cayston once thinking maybe I should be doing prophylactics and it was worse than the Tobi as far as a cough and irritation.
One thing that I learned from being around the fire station that might help a bit is: get some young friends. At work, (which sometimes is 24 hours or more if I sleep there) I am around a much younger demographic than I normally would be. Younger friends are more likely to be active and involved in activities that promote an active lifestyle. Keep the older friends around for social and intellectual stuff. Most of the guys I play volleyball with are still in high school. Not good for social stuff, but great if you want to have a game of Ultimate or basketball.
Cheers and good luck!