Many thanks for sending through the X-Lung. I have been using it as prescribed and would like
to share my experience and thoughts with you.
Just some background before I get into it. I have always been active. I ran track at school and then after school, I partook in 13 Duzi’s, 2 Ironman and a whole host of cycling and running events. Since leaving school, I developed mild asthma but one squirt of my venteze pump, I was good to go.
I then took a break from sport while I was setting up my business and started a family. After 5 yrs of not being too active, I decided it was time to get back into my sport and get fit again. I did another 2 Duzi’s and a fair amount of running and cycling events, however this time, my asthma was horrific. I was using my Venteze pump probably 12 times daily which is unheard of and extremely bad for you. My GP was horrified and told me to rather take a preventative
pump called Symbicord. This helped to a certain degree, but I was still struggling.
Often, my wife would wake me up in the middle of the night, saying… you are not breathing properly, please use your pump. Every time I got into the canoe or on the bike, I would take my pump. Once or twice I would forget and literally panic would set in, so it became a scenario of… no pump, no train… I wouldn’t take the chance…
Towards the middle of last year, I decided to run the 2018 Comrades. My thoughts were, I am not getting any younger and if I want to hit this asthma on the head, I am going to train through it. So September last year, Venteze pump in hand, I set off. It was a struggle to get started but I was determined. To give you an idea of my times, I would run 10k’s in 57min which is roughly 5’45 pace… I would walk the hills as my chest would be so tight, I just couldn’t get enough air into my lungs. Anyway, I persisted and continued training…
With all the training, my times were coming down, but worryingly my Asthma was still not in check. I remember my dad mentioning X Lung, and the positive effect it had on Asthma sufferers, so I said to him to please ask Mr. Bussiahn to get me one, as I was desperate…
Fast forward to today… My 10K times are down to 48min which is at 4’45 pace; that’s literally 1minuite quicker per km than 3 months ago. I ran 30k on the weekend in 2hrs 33min which is at 5’07 pace… I am doing my marathon on the 25th of February and hope to go under 3hrs 35min…
I feel good, but what hit me the other day was when my wife was asking me how the training was going… I rattled off some numbers but she turned to me and said… have you noticed that you never use your asthma pump anymore… I thought about it and said, hang on, you quite right… I don’t use my asthma pump any more… I always carry it but I don’t use the pump anymore…
Neil, I think you are onto something here… obviously when one trains for a big event like Comrades, one’s times will naturally come down, but what has struck me, and its only because I sat down and thought about it, was how easily I am breathing. I was paranoid about having my pump with me at all times, but now I don’t even think about it. Yes I take it with me out of habit, but it’s a great feeling not to have to use it.
I want to thank you for allowing me to pen these few words as it has forced me to realize how far I have come with my asthma. I am enjoying my running again and put it down to your very clever device.
Thank you again for getting me onto the X Lung. It’s an absolute game changer… I wish you well and know that this will be a very successful venture for you…
-Paul Mitchell
