I had my left lung removed last December because of cancer. I was never a smoker or was exposed to second hand smoke. I have never heard of a competitive swimmer that has one lung. Is there anyone out there like that? If so, can I ever compete again if I really work at it. I am having quite a time now trying to swim distance without stopping. Need some advice. Want to conquer this!!!
I wrote an article on athletic performance several years back and asked one of my sources if there's anything you can do to increase lung volume (i.e., vital capacity.) He told me there really isn't, but that it's unnecessary to do this anyhow. One lung alone is more than sufficient to get all the oxygen you need into your system. What distinguishes elite athletes is the ability their muscles to extract and use oxygen from the blood.
The one-lunged Olympian is a good example of this. You will probably have to adapt somewhat to your situation, but please do not consider it to be severely limiting! Good luck.
I wrote an article on athletic performance several years back and asked one of my sources if there's anything you can do to increase lung volume (i.e., vital capacity.) He told me there really isn't, but that it's unnecessary to do this anyhow. One lung alone is more than sufficient to get all the oxygen you need into your system. What distinguishes elite athletes is the ability their muscles to extract and use oxygen from the blood.
The one-lunged Olympian is a good example of this. You will probably have to adapt somewhat to your situation, but please do not consider it to be severely limiting! Good luck.
