Protect your lungs!

[NM_Shooter]

I have not done a good job in protecting my lungs.  Throughout my life, I've worked as a sandblaster, metal fabrication, carpenter, exposed to emissions from metal, wood, concrete, trichlorethane, heavy dust, sheetrock sanding, and possibly asbestos.      Never did smoke. 

In any regard, I've had a bit of a scare recently, as I've been experiencing some breathing problems, and had a CT that came back a little abnormal.  Doc said that it could be fibrosis, but did not know yet.

In any regard, for all you do-it-yourselfers, buy decent breathing protection and use it.  It might be cumbersome and hot, but you can't grow new lungs.  For $30 that is cheap insurance.  Remember to wipe out the inside with some alcohol wipes once in awhile. 

I bought an O2 sat meter to monitor levels during the day, and am restarting my aerobic exercise.  Bad lungs are not a good thing for someone whose property is at 10k feet

[Sassy]

Shooter, hope it's nothing serious!   I try to tell Glenn that - he's very bad about wearing respirators/masks...  and I'm not always that careful, either... 

[MountainDon]

I am sorry to hear that Frank. I hope that aerobic conditioning can help. I guess I've been lucky or in the past took some precautions and did wear a respirator mask when doing dusty woodwork.

I wish I could say the same about my hearing. I haven't found any exercises that help that loss.    I have used ear protection for the past decade, but the damage was done many years ago. For those who are not aware hearing damage is a little like sun damage to the skin. The damage, hearing loss or skin cancer does not show up until years later. Too late by then. So to Frank's admonishment to use breathing protection while performing many tasks, we should also use hearing protection when using chain saws, circular saws, planers, firearms, etc. And don't use headphones or ear buds.

A third category of protection is eye protection. This includes protecting the eyes from flying metal or wood chips while working as well as UV protection. I've been negligent in the area of UV protection. Possibly as a result I am in the early stages of age related macular degeneration, AMD. AMD can be caused by many factors, it may be that we don't even know all the factors. However, it is suspected that UV exposure is a big factor.  Do a Google if you are curious. You can print out a chart to test yourself at home. It has to be printed, may not work off a computer screen.

So to all you young iron men and iron women reading this, take care of these things. They are as important, or maybe even more so, than what you eat and drink.

[peternap]

Sorry to hear that Frank!
Hopefully it is OK. Prayers sent.

I've done all you did plus explosives tech which included drilling the holes in rock while in a ditch. I never used a respirator and would come out solid gray every day. I have no idea why that didn't kill me on the spot. Add knifemaker and blacksmith and heavy smoker, and my lungs have had a workout. Thankfully and miraculously they seem OK.

A few years ago, I started gasping for air while making knives. Scared the hell out of me and I had it checked out. I had developed an allergy to Rosewood.

I started wearing a respirator that day and use one religiously since.

[Homegrown Tomatoes]

Frank, I sure hope it all works out OK.... I second what you say and also add to what Don says about heeding warnings while you still have a chance.  When I was a kid, I can remember hauling two fifty pound sacks of feed at a time and my grandma would fuss about my back.  Lifting it was easy then, so I blew her off.  That, and I used to dive off cliffs and do lifting that I really should have waited for help with, so many chiropractor visits later, I really wish that I'd listened to her then (don't anybody tell her that though or I'll never hear the end of the "I told you so's". )