3/16/12
Bleomycin, one of the drugs on my chemotherapy regimen, can sometimes cause lung toxicity. Because of this my Oncologist had me go in for a pulmonary functions exam. Once there they basically measured my inspiratory capacity (how much I can breathe in), my expiratory capacity and efficiency (how much, and how well I can expel the air), and the rate at which I can diffuse gases.
They gave me a couple of tests with a mixture of oxygen, carbon monoxide, methane, and nitrogen, the gases we normally breathe, to see how well my alveoli are retaining their elasticity.
One of the problems with the Bleomycin is that it can sometimes cause patients' alveoli (the tiny air sacs that make up our lungs) to lose their elastic quality and become less efficient in doing their job at diffusing those gases.
The good news is that, according to the pulmonary tech, I have large lungs and my inspiratory capacity is at over 120% (that's what classical voice training will do for you!) and my expiratory efficiency is also very efficient.
My diffusion level was a little below the target level, I got 74% my first time and 76% my second time - the normal range is 80-100%, but she said that this should normalize once I go off chemo.
Most people can expect to have an inspiratory capacity of around four liters, with six liters being the target. I was taking in about five and a half liters. The tech said my lungs are pretty massive.
I hope you enjoy the footage... apparently people regularly pass out during this test and it was easy for me to see why! Repeatedly blowing all the residual air out of your lungs is no easy task!
We love you all, and thank you for the prayers. They have been, and continue to be felt.
Turn your volume up so you can hear everything the tech says
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