Pulmonary Rehab Day 4

[Blossom/Jackie W.]

DAY 4 - PULMONARY REHABILITATION

I always look forward to rehab days, and today was no exception. I couldn't get to sleep last night for some reason, so this morning I was a little tired and yawning as I left for rehab. It has been a beautiful day here though...cool and brisk, and a good breathing day. Much better than the past humid, hot days.

I arrived early as usual and wanted to talk with one of the Respiratory Therapists. Last year after my hospitalization, I was sent home with a plastic bag of things which I didn't know what to do with, so I put them in a cabinet. I pulled them out the other day and the bag contained a Spirometer, a Flutter and another thing which I don't know the name of which I was to blow into while in the hospital. So, I took these with me today and the Respiratory Therapist explained each one to me and how I was to use them properly and what they meant. I'm so glad I found these items.

Prior to my warm up exercises, they checked my blood pressure and oxygen saturation and said that my blood pressure was somewhat low, so they checked me a lot today but it did become withing normal limits as time went on. I know I didn't sleep well last night, and I'm sleepy today, so maybe that affected it. I don't know. I do know that after I found out I lost three pounds, I celebrated by eating more and buying a bag of Dove chocolates. I ate it all unfortunately. I gained two and one half pounds, so overall I have only lost a half a pound instead of three pounds. I can only blame myself for this, and I am disappointed, but those chocolates were sure good. I won't do that again...I hope. Who am I kidding?? I'm sure I will slip up and goof up, but my goal is not number one...to lose weight. My number one goal is to become more healthy and strengthen myself physically and mentally, and I have no intention of letting this splurge of chocolate ruin my enthusiasm nor make me feel bad about myself. When I do things like this, normally I feel like a failure. But, the people at rehab don't look at it like that at all. Each day is a new day, and yesterday is in the past, so always move forward, not backward. I will just know that I enjoyed that bag of chocolate to the fullest, it was great, and now I am back eating healthy again taking one day at a time and not beating myself up over a mistake. There is a little routine we all go through preparing to warm up which we do each time we come. We check in, put our personal belongings away in a locker, hook up to one of their oxygen tanks and proceed to wait to have our blood pressure taken and our oxygen saturation. After that, we all begin our warm up exercises. I confessed to the RT about my chocolate binge and how I am hoping to one day have a flatter stomach. He told me that the secret to that is not more intense exercises nor crunches nor any type of sit ups, but the length of time exercising. He said it doesn't take a lot of strength to develop muscles where there once was fat. It only takes time. It takes exercising at a good rate for a longer period of time per exercise. I didn't know that. He explained to me that it is much healthier and easier on the whole body to take the time to do it correctly rather than to warm up the body and then put the body through an intense workout. This may be just the opinion of the RT's where I attend rehab, but this is their way of doing things, so it will be mine too. For example, my legs will become stronger walking at 2 miles per hour for ten minutes as I'm doing now, then upping it bit by bit, longer to twenty or thirty minutes and with an incline at some point in time. This is a 36 week program, and progress takes place slowly but surely.

I walked my warm up walk rather briskly and quick this morning. I didn't mean to or intentionally walk fast but it seemed comfortable for me to take larger strides in my steps when walking. I noticed this right away and was pleased. I did my stretching exercises slowly though because I can tell that my muscles can't be stretched too far or too much without it hurting, so I take my time and do each one slowly. Doing it slowly, I usually can get a farther stretch and do it in a more relaxed manner. It's easier too.

I rode the bike today for 12 minutes at a level of approximately 6 or 7. I sure could feel those thigh muscles pulling for those two extra minutes. When I say the word "pulling", I don't meant hurt nor pain, and even now, my thigh muscles are not sore. I have heard the phrase "no pain, no gain", but that isn't true in my case nor the case of others at rehab. I have gained in strength and ability to do certain exercises without one bit of pain. I also did the two minutes of bicycling without peddling. Since they won't let me do the theraband exercises without seeing my doctor first about the pulled muscle (or whatever I did to it) in my arm, so I did make an appointment to see my doctor about my right arm tomorrow morning. I will post what he says.

I walked on the Treadmill at 2 miles per hour for ten minutes. I thought they had increased it, but my card hadn't been changed. So, Thursday I will walk on the Treadmill for eleven minutes at 2 miles per hour.

By the time I got around to warming down, the sleepies had set in due to my bad night's sleep last night, so I slowly walked the walking track twice, did my stretches and sat down to wait on the RT...yawning the whole time. All was fine, so I left for home. I feel lucky in that the hospital where I do my pulmonary rehabilitation is only a fifteen minute drive from my home. I can honestly say however that if I had to drive an hour for pulmonary rehabilitation, I would do it. It is definitely worth it in every way.

After I arrived home, I ate lunch and took a long nap. It is not abnormal for me to have difficulty going to sleep. I tend to "think" too much and plan the next day or worry, etc. That's a bad habit I need to work on. I mention this because I want to assure you that it has nothing to do with rehab. I have had this problem of going to sleep for many years. Actually, I bet I'll sleep good tonight. It could be the lack of exercise in the past that makes me feel sleepy but not be able to doze off. I don't know, but I will try to keep track of how I sleep after my rehab days vs non-rehab days.

I do know that on rehab days, I feel more alive, normal and a part of the regular world of people than I do on the days whereby I sit around my house or just do my errands alone. Being around other people has been very good for me.

I am feeling better physically and mentally, and it feels good.

Until Thursday---Joyce