Last October, I had pneumonia. When I went to the Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS) meeting in San Diego, California, I found that shortness of breath and leg muscle weakness really limited my mobility. San Diego is warm and dry in November, and over the week, my muscle strength improved with a program of walking regularly. When I went back to work, however, I was unable to climb the stairs to the chest unit and had to resort to taking the elevator. It took three months before I really felt that I was getting back to my usual exercise tolerance and endurance. This experience helped to explain to me why we get so many referrals regarding shortness of breath after an illness.