Week Four ~ Tues and Thurs

Hello everyone, and welcome to week 4 of pulmonary rehab maintenance! Overall this has been a good week, although I'm ending on a slow note. Things were great on Tuesday but by Thursday my resources were pretty much depleted. But I did attend and get exercise which is a great new insight for me into my fortitude!

On Tuesday I did all of the machines and my blood pressure was down. When I left it was 120/73. I did well on all of the machines and my sats ran 95-96% with my pulse running from 101-113. My resting pulse was in the 80's and while I felt this was an improvement, the therapist said that it still needed to be lower.

At home I have been packing and moving my whole kitchen in anticipation of a new kitchen. I did it all by myself and am sure that what I've gained in pulmonary rehab helped me to accomplish this! I was packing and lifting and hauling to beat the band!

But by Thursday, today, I was wiped out! I almost didn't go to rehab but decided that it would be a very poor decision and went. Although I didn't do as well as I have been, I was proud of myself for trying. In an hour and a half, I got 45 minutes of steady exercise in and felt better for that.

Tonight I am thoughtful and pondering the fate of one of my exerciser buddies, Cheryl. She has COPD but in addition, she has terminal multiple myeloma which is a cancer that affects the bone marrow. She had a bone marrow transplant about 5 years ago which allowed her a better quality of life until recently. From what she told me, the cancerous cells attack areas of her body which causes her much pain. Right now, they are producing tumors on her left shoulder. But she comes every Tues and Thurs and has a wonderful fighting attitude and great sense of humor. I am so inspired by her. She deals with so much more than I do and continues to plod on and hope for the future. She says she will not go out without kicking and fighting. I really think that she will beat the odds. What a fighter!.

See you next week!
~Eileen