Amazing! What a difference balloon pulmonary angioplastyBalloon 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. (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.) makes! I tested my “new” lungs on the trails around Khao Chalak today, and they performed well. An entirely new and exciting experience.

What used to be RPE 5 to 7 during my CTEPHChronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension CTEPH is short for chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, a rare form of high blood pressure in the lungs caused by blood clots or narrowed blood vessels. High blood pressure in the lungs is often also called pulmonary hypertension. days is now RPE 3 to 5, with the occasional RPE 5.5 on steep climbs.

BPA is awesome! What used to be RPE 5 to 7 during my CTEPH days is now RPE 3 to 5. An entirely new and exciting experience.

I frequently stopped to keep my heart rate low and my blood oxygen saturationBlood Oxygen Saturation (SpO2) The oxygen saturation (SpO2) of a person's blood is defined as a percentage of the maximum amount (100%) of oxygen it can transport. A healthy person's SpO2 percentage should be between 96% and 99%. - Source: What is oxygen saturation (SpO2)? What is the normal range for SpO2??. Retrieved 11 November 2022, from ihealthlabs.com (SpO2Blood Oxygen Saturation (SpO2) The oxygen saturation (SpO2) of a person's blood is defined as a percentage of the maximum amount (100%) of oxygen it can transport. A healthy person's SpO2 percentage should be between 96% and 99%. - Source: What is oxygen saturation (SpO2)? What is the normal range for SpO2??. Retrieved 11 November 2022, from ihealthlabs.com) as high as possible. Doctor’s orders.

Heart rate should not exceed 120 bpm, and SpO2 no lower than 90%. In real life (on the trails!), you must be a bit flexible, though. 🙂

The right side of my heart still needs to recover from the stress and excessive chronic pressure placed on it during CTEPH times.

Today’s trail walk was just as enjoyable for my heart as it was for me. No abnormal heart rate spikes or arrhythmias.

Without a doubt, my lack of fitness was the actual obstacle. I’m clearly out of shape after all this time. We will tackle the issue gradually but steadily. Let’s give it a few months, a year, and see what happens.

I returned to the guesthouse pleased but drained. Still, it went far better than expected.

Selfie in the jungle during a trail walk. Sepia image with the sentences, "BPA is awesome!", and "Thank you, doctors!"
BPA is awesome! Thank you, doctors!

BPA is awesome!

Thank you, doctors!

For those interested, check out my trail walk on Strava, where you can find a lot more of my activities. My Strava profile can be found here.