Pulmonary Rehab Day 9

[Blossom/Jackie W.]

DAY 9 - PULMONARY REHABILITATION

I think I had an excellent day today. Of course, I'm worn out, but that's OK. My stats were good, so I took off to the walking track with three other copders. I know we aren't in competition with each other, but when we all start our warm up walk at the same time, we do notice who is first and who is last. I've always looked at the walking track as sort of a raceway and us copders as the horses, so off we went with one male and one female far ahead of me, and one male at my heels. I came in third, and I think we all overdid our warm up session, but we had some laughs and all did our stretches together.

All the bikes were taken by the time I finished my warm up. They told us to always do the most difficult exercise first, so I always ride the bike first. But, I ended up starting out on the Treadmill since all the bikes were in use. I did 14 minutes on the Treadmill at 2.2 miles per hour. Most people are walking for 17-20 minutes, but we each are different, and they have me at 14. At the last session on Tuesday, I walked for 12 minutes, and I could tell the difference between 12 and 14 minutes, but it wasn't difficult.

I found an unused bike and climbed on and set it at 14 minutes at a level of 6-7. That last five minutes was a push for me. Normally, I do the bike first when I have more energy, but today did it after the Treadmill, and I could tell that my legs tired more easily. However, I did complete the 14 minutes, and when I got off the bike, I felt as though I had ridden a horse and was still on it. Those bike seats are not very comfortable.

Needless to say, my cool down walk was a slow one, and I did make sure to stretch very well after my walk. I have noticed that on rehab days, even though I am never sore, sometimes at night my right leg will be "jumpy". It's hard to explain. It's not a muscle spasm nor a cramp, just jumpy feeling. The RT told me to be sure to stretch out that leg well at the end of my workout, so I did make sure to do that today.

Since I am not yet doing as many minutes on the machines as most others, I am one of the first to finish and leave. I wonder about their physical condition, and why they can do more than I do, but it is not a worry of mine. I know that my copd is severe. I know that some people there have pulmonary hypertension. Some have pulmonary fibrosis, and others have a combination of pulmonary and heart problems. I don't have any heart problems yet. I see that I am progressing, and that makes me feel good.

They weighed me today, and I have not lost any weight. Even though I lost weight at first, I now have gained it back. I am a snacker at night, and I am going to cut back on the evening snacks and also my sugar. I am not diabetic. I love sweet tea and drink a good bit of it during the day, and I also put sugar in my coffee in the mornings. Since I don't like sugar substitutes, I am going to put only a small amount of sugar in my tea and coffee and drink more water. It's easy for me to reach for a glass of sweet tea instead of water, and I just forget the health benefits of water and my bodies need for it. Today I weighed 169 lbs., and if I remember correctly, they set a weight goal for me of 158 lbs.

After realizing that I am very close to that 170 lbs. mark, I came home and ate some tuna fish on lettuce and drank a big bottle of water. Actually, the tuna fish tasted better than it sounds, and I must remember that eating healthy and good nutrition is something I need to do each and every day...not just on rehab days or days when I've gained weight. A healthy diet both in quality and quantity and exercise have to be a daily goal for me. It's important that I exercise and be as active as possible each day. It is not something I can ever take for granted.

I had fun today at rehab. I worked hard and increased my minutes. I also am making new friends and finding out that we each carry our own burdens both mentally and physically. We all set goals...some we reach....some we do not reach...but we always keep trying, and in rehab I often hear the words, "Never give up." It's been an excellent day.

Until next time---Joyce