[eweissenbach]

or other breathing trouble? My wife has suffered with breathing problems for years and recently had a lung biopsy to get to the bottom of things. Her problems are not life threatening, but are nonetheless challenging. My question is; with the humidity in the villages, would someone with these kind of issues be likely to suffer and thus not be likely to happily tolerate the climate? I love the activities and lifestyle of the villages, but may be forced to look at Arizona as an alternative if she is likely to have trouble.

[swrinfla]

Oldcoach:

I "suffer" with emphysema (a common fallout from many, many years of smoking), and have breathing problems which slow me down some, and cause me to avoid walking too far, even though I know and am frequently reminded that I should walk all the time.

The summer's humidity is generally no worse than that in St. Louis (or the rest of Missouri). Sure, it has an impact, but one copes fairly easily.

I am VP of a support group known as the Airheads, originally started for those who needed an auxiliary oxygen supply, whether that be only at night or 24/7. Our Pres is 24/7, but many (most) of our regulars are nights only. I still manage without the Oxygen happily.

None of our members seem to be slowed down by the summer's heat and/or humidity any more than the rest of folks. They're more likely to complain about our cold, especially this year!

The Airheads meet twice each month (2d & 4th Tuesday, 10:00-11:30am, Mulberry Grove Rec Center) for general support and informative discussions with each other and with various medical experts, even those not related to our illnesses. All are welcome, whether "challenged" or not.

We also have a twice monthly breathing and exercise class (1st & 3rd Friday, same times, same place) to which you are both welcome when you're in town. I would personally urge your wife to join us in these sessions - the things I learned in my first session over 5 years ago immediatly improved my outlook and how I deal with my "difficulties." As far as the exercise part goes, we do NOT "break sweat" so don't worry about that!

More info? PM me.

SWR