PH Awareness Month - Post #23
Once a PH patient has been diagnosed, and started on meds, pulmonary rehab MIGHT be suggested, either by the PH specialist, or the PH patient (who knows enough to bring it up). Exercising is essential to keep a person's strength up, and for a PHer, this is important. The great benefit of a pulmonary rehab program is that it helps a PHer SLOWLY build up stamina. There is an emphasis on slow!
I started PR in September, and I was nervous about it at first. When I walk on my treadmill at home (which is so sporadic lately, and not good!), I usually tire out easily. But then some days I do so well. My biggest problem has been consistency. It isn't good to exercise for quite a while and then just stop. The body gets de-conditioned that way, and if exercising is started up again, it's like starting all over. Pulmonary rehab has at least made me go somewhere to exercise 2 times a week, and sometimes I walk an extra day at home. Here is what I do at PR:
*I get my portable oxygen set up when I get to the rehab gym, grab my chart, write down goals for the day if the respiratory therapists haven't done it, and check my heart rate and oxygen sats.
*I do warm up exercises! There are pictures on the wall to follow. I exercise my head and neck, shoulders, arms, and legs. After that, I check HR and sats again. I write them down on my chart.
*The 4 exercises can be mixed up in any order I'd like to do them in. Their only request is that I alternate arm and leg exercises. So if I do a leg exercise, I need to do something with my arms after! Usually I like to walk on the treadmill first. When I first started PR, they only had me doing a few minutes at at time, until I built up to 10 minutes. After that, they like to increase the incline slowly. And obviously, I do what I feel I can do!! After walking on the treadmill, I check HR and sats, and write them down.
*I lift weights after the treadmill, and right now I'm using 4lb weights. They started me off with 2lbs. There are pictures on the wall to follow along in using the weights, and I do 10 repetitions of the exercise slowly. After that, I check HR and sats, and write them down.
*There are several different pieces of equipment to use for legs besides the treadmill, and my favorite lately is the stationary bike. The last time I rode an actual bike was when I was maybe 11 or 12, and I ran into a tree, fell off the bike, and sprained my ankle! I was all the way down the street from my house, and actually I live across the street from the tree today. I couldn't get up, and my mom saw me because she was on her way to work Bingo! Anyway, that was the last time on the actual bike! So when I tried the stationary bike for the first time at rehab, I realized how much I missed biking! I had to slowly work up to 10 minutes on that machine, because it certainly can kill your legs if you overdo it. After I finish riding, I check my HR and sats, and write them down in my chart.
*The final exerciseI usually do is the arm cycle machine. I have found the arm cycle fun, until I added a tad bit of resistance. Oh my, that can be tiresome! But I can still do 10 minutes, and, I can certainly feel the arm mucscles I'm getting from it!! I check my HR and sats afterward, and put them in my chart.
*Cool down exercises are the exact same thing as the warm ups, and it's the final thing I do at the end of my exercise routine. I follow along with the pictures on the wall, and after I'm done, I check HR and sats for the final time, write them down, and then I'm done! Everything takes me about 45 minutes to do. So far, I've been loving it. It's the first time I've been to a gym, even if I'm exercising with people way older than me! But, it's fun!! And I think that any PHer, if they have the chance to go to pulmonary rehab, SHOULD go!!
For a few more exercising tips, go here!
I started PR in September, and I was nervous about it at first. When I walk on my treadmill at home (which is so sporadic lately, and not good!), I usually tire out easily. But then some days I do so well. My biggest problem has been consistency. It isn't good to exercise for quite a while and then just stop. The body gets de-conditioned that way, and if exercising is started up again, it's like starting all over. Pulmonary rehab has at least made me go somewhere to exercise 2 times a week, and sometimes I walk an extra day at home. Here is what I do at PR:
*I get my portable oxygen set up when I get to the rehab gym, grab my chart, write down goals for the day if the respiratory therapists haven't done it, and check my heart rate and oxygen sats.
*I do warm up exercises! There are pictures on the wall to follow. I exercise my head and neck, shoulders, arms, and legs. After that, I check HR and sats again. I write them down on my chart.
*The 4 exercises can be mixed up in any order I'd like to do them in. Their only request is that I alternate arm and leg exercises. So if I do a leg exercise, I need to do something with my arms after! Usually I like to walk on the treadmill first. When I first started PR, they only had me doing a few minutes at at time, until I built up to 10 minutes. After that, they like to increase the incline slowly. And obviously, I do what I feel I can do!! After walking on the treadmill, I check HR and sats, and write them down.
*I lift weights after the treadmill, and right now I'm using 4lb weights. They started me off with 2lbs. There are pictures on the wall to follow along in using the weights, and I do 10 repetitions of the exercise slowly. After that, I check HR and sats, and write them down.
*There are several different pieces of equipment to use for legs besides the treadmill, and my favorite lately is the stationary bike. The last time I rode an actual bike was when I was maybe 11 or 12, and I ran into a tree, fell off the bike, and sprained my ankle! I was all the way down the street from my house, and actually I live across the street from the tree today. I couldn't get up, and my mom saw me because she was on her way to work Bingo! Anyway, that was the last time on the actual bike! So when I tried the stationary bike for the first time at rehab, I realized how much I missed biking! I had to slowly work up to 10 minutes on that machine, because it certainly can kill your legs if you overdo it. After I finish riding, I check my HR and sats, and write them down in my chart.
*The final exerciseI usually do is the arm cycle machine. I have found the arm cycle fun, until I added a tad bit of resistance. Oh my, that can be tiresome! But I can still do 10 minutes, and, I can certainly feel the arm mucscles I'm getting from it!! I check my HR and sats afterward, and put them in my chart.
*Cool down exercises are the exact same thing as the warm ups, and it's the final thing I do at the end of my exercise routine. I follow along with the pictures on the wall, and after I'm done, I check HR and sats for the final time, write them down, and then I'm done! Everything takes me about 45 minutes to do. So far, I've been loving it. It's the first time I've been to a gym, even if I'm exercising with people way older than me! But, it's fun!! And I think that any PHer, if they have the chance to go to pulmonary rehab, SHOULD go!!
For a few more exercising tips, go here!
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