Lori, it took me a couple of years to feel normal again. I was 42 at the time (I'm now 66). It was really about baby steps. The body takes a long time to heal from an assault like that; the capillaries in my lungs were bleeding as well. I saw a pulmonologist for 2 years. But after that, I slowly began exercising again and went on to weight train and run half marathons. These days I'm still running and weight training. But when I got out of the hospital, I couldn't keep up with my 80-year-old father. It was very depressing because I didn't know if I'd feel like that forever. So this is to reassure you. Nurture yourself, eat healthy food, listen to your body, sleep, and avoid stress. If you have other questions, please feel free to reach out to me as often as you need to. Not too many people understand what it's like to be an ARDS survivor. Or the PTSD most of us still feel. (Every time I have to go in for an invasive test, I'm a wreck: My ARDS was from e-coli blood poisoning from an amniocentesis so any invasive test unmoors me now.) You made it through a really frightening medical crisis. Thankfully you are on the other side and the healing will come.