Today I began a twelve session course of Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
This is a twice weekly series of exercises in very controlled surroundings for the next six weeks.
Physiotherapists are on hand to guide the patients through a series of mild exercises.
When a patient has Pulmonary problems, COPD, Severe Asthma or Emphysema for example, then everyday activities are usually very difficult. Things such as walking, washing and drying after bathing. Simple housekeeping tasks etc can all result in the patient becoming very breathless. Once the patient is at this stage, the simple tasks are too strenuous to do and so as a result, the patient tends not to do anything to make them more out of breath. Over a long period the patient does less and less and spends more and more time becoming very inactive.
Pulmonary Rehabilitation is to teach the patient how to move and to cope better with everyday movements. It is designed to build the patients muscles and stamina and to allow them more freedom of movement. Taken seriously, there are dramatic improvements in the tasks we are able to do and daily exercise can only help. It is not designed to ‘cure’ the lungs or the breathing, but to allow the patient to be able to tackle more movements and with less effort.
Today I began the first session. My exercises were specific to me and the Physiotherapists walked me through each of them. Three physiotherapists are on duty and there were 7 patients on today’s session. Only three were new, as I was.
Today’s session began with a simple warm up session for a few minutes. We only had to do the amount we were comfortable with. Any time it became too difficult we were at liberty to stop and rest.
The pattern was to tackle one exercise for three minutes and then to sit and rest for three minutes before moving on to the next piece of apparatus or exercise. We are to count how many repetitive moves we do of each task and in our three minutes rest time, record the number completed on a clip board. Over the following twelve sessions we should be able to see a gradual increase as our tolerance and stamina builds throughout the completed course.
I have eight exercises to complete each session. They are:-
1/ Steps . . . We have a small step placed in between parallel bars. For three minutes I step up with one foot, join with the second foot and then step down, a foot at a time, holding on to the bars for safety and comfort/support.
2/ Arm Curls . . . Sitting in a chair, I was given light weights in each hand. The object was to keep the elbow close to the body and to raise alternate arms to the shoulder with the weights.
3/ Static Bike . . . Three minutes riding a bike was sooo strenuous for me. I was wiped out at the end of the three minutes, but I did complete the three minutes. I just couldn’t breathe enough to even get off the bike at the end for a little time until I relaxed and regained my breathing.
4/ Winder . . . This is a piece of apparatus which looks like the foot pedals on a bike. It is placed on a table I used my hands on the pedals. It is to exercise and strengthen the arms.
5/ Sit & Stand . . . As this one says, it is simply sitting on a fairly lowish seat and then standing straight up. To strengthen the knees and legs generally.
6/ Punches . . . Back to the weights. This time, still sitting down, but reaching out the arm in front alternatively in a punching motion. Obviously to strengthen the upper body/arms.
7/ Step To . . . Similar to the Steps, but this time just touching the step top with the toe and placing it back on the floor and then repeating with the other leg.
8/ Treadmill . . . I actually like this one. I have got my own Treadmill at home now, so I do enjoy this one. There are so many settings and speeds and inclines for the Treadmill. Today I started off slowly and on the first level. I will build up as the sessions progress.
I haven’t disclosed any of my totals today, but I will at the end of the course let you know the starting levels and the finishing levels of all the exercises so you can see my amazing progress. I hope it will be amazing.
These exercises are specific to each patient as to how much they can cope with. Upon closer inspection of them, you will notice that they alternate between exercises for the upper body and exercises for the lower body. Designed to evenly exercise you without tiring the legs or arms in following tasks.
Once the class had all completed the series of tasks, we all had a wind down session to stretch the warmed muscles.
This was followed by a drink and a biscuit and then a class on the Pulmonary features of the body, the diseases and the medical outcomes and medicines for each. Stretched over the entire twelve sessions we will be greatly educated about what is wrong with us, why and how the Pulmonary Rehabilitation is helping. Also we are expected to repeat these simple exercises as much as we can in our own homes – daily – to increase their value and to improve ourselves more.
The photograph below is of my Physiotherapy Team. They are taking me through the twelve sessions of Pulmonary Rehabilitation.
Pulmonary Rehabilitation Team
In the centre – in white – is Senior Physiotherapist Miss LISA MURPHY
Flanking her on either side is JANE CASSEY (left) and WENDY FRANKS (right) Physiotherapy Assistants.
