This is an easy one. Most people don’t have one lung! I know I don’t have one and I would never want to, but for those of you who do, you are probably lucky, and I am just as lucky. Your body can take in a lot of oxygen during a normal healthy breathing pattern and you will need only one lung, but I am not talking about you having one. I am talking about having one that is functional.
In the year 2016 there were over 11,900,000 new cases of lung cancer and approximately 1,000 people had a fatal case of lung disease. If you are over 50, a healthy lung is a must, and if you have one, people can be pretty shocked when an individual walks in with one lung.
I have friends who have one lung and it’s not fun. It’s hard to imagine them having a conversation or even making eye contact with a new person. It’s like they can barely talk. I think some people do their lungs a huge disservice because there is just no way to do things like get on a plane, go to the doctor, or even get into a store without one.
One lung can get pretty bad and can be a real challenge to live with. I have friends who have spent years trying to get one of their lungs healthy, and they’ve had a ton of success. I have one guy that has been in rehab and has had major surgery and the two lungs are now in a constant state of healing. But the big question is, how is he doing.
One lung can also be a blessing in a pinch. I know a guy who is currently running a marathon with his one lung, and he is one of those people that really knows what he has. The other one, that he doesn’t, but he’s not too worried about it.
I suppose I would be the one that would ask the question of how he does it. But I think it is a good question to ask because it would show how much of a burden one lung can be.
The good news is that he is able to eat and drink without difficulty. The bad news is that he has to use his one lung more than the average person. It takes a special type of thinking to make your body produce enough energy to keep a marathon going, but he is only at half the pace his peers are.
I really like the idea of his one lung, and he is doing well for a human. The problem is that his one lung has been modified to work for him. It has been surgically attached to his body so that now he can use his one lung while eating and drinking. The only reason it’s called a “one lung” is because his body doesn’t make enough of a difference in the amount of oxygen he uses as he does so much damage.
While his one lung has been altered, the idea of a human being with one lung is still a good one. The idea that a human can survive without oxygen, or that a human can live on the surface of a planet without oxygen, is not farfetched. Also, as it turns out, the one lung has been modified to work for him. However, the lung has no real function (other than as a blood pump) and can only be used in emergencies.
He’s using it to feed off of other humans for power, or to get enough oxygen to keep him alive. When he’s injured, he uses it to breathe. When he’s injured, he uses it to feed off of other people for energy. It’s a very small amount of oxygen, and while it does allow him to breathe, it is also an enormous drain on his body.