Prayers - your expectations is what keeps you going - just do but do not over do. each person is different depending on gender, age, other health issues etc. It is the "person who is ill" that counts and one must remember that others should not push him/her beyond their exceptions of what they can handle etc. but let them do what they want and they will find their limitations but they may not voice them others just have to "read the signs" and be silent, observe and respect the persons and the signs his/her body gives off; notice silently what the person can or will not attempt to do. Above all if they are sleeping that to me is a "Do not disturb" as that is the body's way for some healing time. Rest and nutrition are the most important items beside "quality" medical care and treatment. In the end we all have an appointed amount of time here on earth and when it reaches the end comes reality is that no one can stop it from coming and happening.

@armstg- I agree, but I'm there with you. I always expect way too much of myself. It leads me to a lot of frustrations to be sure. I'm sure that you can empathize with that! lol. Shoveling, raking, packing are all upper body exercises and will tax your breathing more than lower body. You didn't mention weights or pulmonary rehab. Pulmonary rehab is wonderful, it will teach you how to breath efficiently and get you moving better, although you seem to be doing pretty well in that aspect. I'm also 72. I've had an upper left and lower right lobectomy. I use to power walk 4 miles a day. That is history for me but I still walk, lift weights, etc. Do you think that you might be interested in pul. rehab?

I had an upper right lobectomy at the end of July last year, so I know what you mean. My cyst was very low in the lobe, so I also had 33 radiation treatments and 4 rounds of chemo which all ended about 4 months ago. My 3-month CT scan showed no sign of cancer, but there is still some "glassiness" in my right chest consistent with that many radiation treatments. Personally, I'm blaming the continued need to sleep an extra hour to an hour and a half on the radiation. The shortness of breath, however, I think is certainly somewhat due to the fact that they cut out 20+% of my lung! Oh, I'm an otherwise healthy 58-year-old male.

I'm an early adopter of a Fitbit, which tracks my steps. I'm up to about 7,000 steps a day, or roughly 3.5 miles. I also climbed a skyscraper last Saturday. Yes, you read that right!

I had a friend die of lung cancer in 2014. I wanted to do something to honor her memory. I heard about these things called Fight for Air Climbs. Turns out they are the signature fundraising event of the American Lung Association. This was my 5th year as team captain of The Lung and the Breathless. Here in the Los Angeles area, we climb the 1,393 steps of the Aon Center in downtown LA. I have a 9-week training program I use to prepare for the climb. I had to modify it this year by adding 1.5 to 2 minute rest breaks which is the only way I made it on Saturday. They also record our times. I've done it in as little as 22 minutes in the past. This year, I expect they'll say it took me an hour!

I was positively impressed with the way my body responded to the training. There was no day-to-day perceptible difference. But the first week I climbed a total of 30 floors in 25 minutes. (I take the elevator to the basement, hit the 5 button, get out, climb to the 5th floor, take the elevator back down to the basement. Repeat.) By the 9th week I climbed 35 floors in 20 minutes. All along, I stop and catch my breath when I feel winded. I didn't feel like I had pushed myself any harder in the 9th week than I had in the first, even though I had climbed 5 more flights of stairs in 5 fewer minutes!

My doctor agrees and recommended that I do this regular exercise or get a personal trainer. Gently pushing your body a wee bit more each week WILL result in long-term progress. Another data point: a co-worker is a distance runner - mostly 10Ks and half marathons. A runner friend of hers had an upper right lobectomy. It took time, but she's running again! Apparently, over time, the other lobes do expand somewhat to fill in the hole that was created by our lobectomies.

So be gentle with yourself. Pick something you like such as walking, biking, climbing stairs -- something where you can measure your performance. Very gradually walk faster or walk quicker, rider farther, climb more stairs, whatever. Over time you WILL get stronger! You've probably noticed that we're not in our 20s anymore, so we recover a lot more slowly.

For the record, I still dream of actually being able to jog. I just end up panting too quickly. But I can walk up a shallow hill more briskly than I could 3 months ago! Baby steps.

Hope this helps with your expectations.

Matthew

@armstg- Good morning. I haven't heard from you in a while. How is your winter going? How are you feeling?