After my first BPABalloon Pulmonary Angioplasty Balloon pulmonary angioplasty, or BPA for short, is a technique for widening narrowed or blocked blood vessels in the lungs of CTEPH patients. Small balloons attached to a catheter restore blood flow to areas of the lungs that do not receive blood due to the disease.  When successful, BPA eliminates or reduces shortness of breath, increases exercise tolerance and quality of life, and extends life expectancy. treatment, I wanted to know if my lung function had noticeably improved. Exercise is the best way to find out.

Today is Wednesday. My first BPA treatment happened last Monday. The doctors did a great job. They treated about ten sports in my right lung and were able to reduce mean pulmonary arterial pressure (mPAP) by 5 mmHg or about 9%. The treatment went smoothly, without complications.

I never have any breathing problems at rest. To test my partially improved lungs I need to exercise. I am confined to my quarters, hence a hospital room workout is the logical thing to do.

After my usual warm-up, I did 2 sets of 12 squats and 2 sets of 12 push-ups (all bodyweight). It felt good. I had the impression gas exchange had improved a bit. There seems to be less heavy breathing which makes for shorter recovery times between sets.


Push-ups in the hospital room to test my partially improved lungs.

At least three more BPA treatments are scheduled, one for this week, and two more next week. Together they will hopefully bring the desired results.