I went to the doctor a couple weeks ago because I was so tired all the time. He had a hard time coming up with ideas for what it might be about, so he sent me for a bunch of tests. The blood tests were about ten days ago. I expect the write-up to arrive in the mail any day now. The doctor also ordered a stress test for my heart, and a breathing test. I did the breathing test yesterday.
I wish I could have taken a picture of the machine, but I was never alone in the room with it, and I wasn’t brave enough to ask the technician if I could take a quick picture. The test consisted of me breathing into a tube. I would breath slow, then fast. Shallow, then deep. Then hold my breath. Then empty out all the air I could possibly squeeze from my lungs, then quickly inhale. The machine measured, resisted, pumped gasses into my lungs, and sucked them out. It was most certainly less relaxing than an ultrasound or MRI.
But the results were pleasing: The woman said: “You move air wonderfully, no matter how it’s measured. Are you a runner? Do you swim?” I told her that I sing. Who knew singing could be so good for your lungs? I have healthy lungs! Yay! But I still don’t know if there is a physical reason I’m so tired. Maybe the blood results will show something. Or maybe it’s just stress.
Congratulations on your healthy lungs! All those lessons with Betty really paid off, didn’t they?
Could you draw us a picture of the machine? I’m kind of stuck with a mental picture that’s a combination of scuba diving and the egg-laying scene from Alien. *jibblie*
I sat in a chair, and there was a swinging arm-thingy that reminded me of the targeting device in Luke Skywalker’s X-Wing fighter when he blew up the Death Star. Except there weren’t goggles on the end of it, there was a tube I had to clamp my mouth on. The tube was kind of big… about an inch-and-a-half in diameter. Its large size made it harder to blow forcefully.
Ha, I was actually picturing the surgical droid from Empire Strikes back before your description.
Oh, and I think all that singing is making you tired.
I feel obligated to ask this since at least today nobody as done so yet: so………are the people where you go overly professional? (borrowed that one from Martha Bickel, in all honesty)
Don’t hang too much on the singing thingy. I have developed bronchitis-induced asthma in recent years (remember the Year of the Cough? I believe it is the latest addition to the Chinese claendar, but I digress…) and as much as I enjoy singing with gusto (and Al Fredo and …), I surely would have failed all those huffing and puffing tests big time. They might have even needed to do CPR on me to bring me back to the land of the living. You’ve got healthy lungs is all – all that clean livin’, I wager…