Week 14 - Thursday

My little friend Audrey went to Boston this week for a follow up visit post double lung transplant. A couple of weeks ago her fev1 was 40%; this time it is 78%!!! Last weekend she went sliding in the snow, something she hasn't done in a couple of years. Her 13th birthday is next Sunday. What a great birthday present - the ability to breathe again. I am so proud to be one of her supporters!

It was tough going to rehab today because it was so nice out. The rains have stopped, the sun came out and the temp was in the low 60's. But I went and did 15 minutes on each of the machines. My O2 sats remained in the 97% range and my blood pressure is back down again.

I'm a little disappointed that I couldn't get to 20 minutes on the machines. It's been a struggle to get to 15 minutes and I guess my body just isn't ready yet for more. I hope by next week that it will happen.

A couple of the regulars weren't there for various reasons, but we still have quite a group. We have great personalities and they are fun to be around. That helps to make the exercise time go by when the machines become boring.

See you next week!

~Eileen

Week 14 ~ Reflections

Well, it's been about three and a half months since I started back at pulmonary rehab maintenance. This has been such a positive experience that I have to share with you how much it has meant to me.

At the end of last year, I was staying home way too much. I didn't have the energy to go anywhere or do much of anything. I did what was absolutely necessary to get by and nothing more. I needed money and went to my part time job but wasn't really getting into it like I wanted to. I cancelled on a couple of classes because I didn't feel well. I was very depressed and thought I was quite the failure and thought alot about my life and how disappointed I was that it ended up with a chronic disease and nothing to do about it. I didn't stay in touch very well with family and friends and I even didn't attend a family wedding. I knew that if I could just get motivated, maybe there was hope for me to have a better life, but didn't persue it. I made half-hearted attempts to exercise at home but never followed through. I lived in my mind and that was a horrible mistake because I always saw the cup as half empty rather than half full.

When I was at my wit's end, I contacted the pulmonary rehab that I had attended in the past and asked if I could come back in the maintenance program. I didn't think it would be a problem but I was told that all vacancies were filled and that it would be quite a while before any spots would be open. I accepted this and it fed into my defeated attitude that I couldn't get better.

BUT, I got a call at the end of December that a new program was being added for the folks who were on the wait list to get pulmonary rehab maintenance. It was to start January 9. The news hit me like a ton of bricks - a second chance! I savored it. I looked forward to it. I saw it as a new beginning and a way to be accountable to someone or something like I couldn't be to myself.

The past 3 months have been slow going but with phenomenal results for me. I feel better, I want to do more, I CAN do more. The more I accomplish, the more I want to go forward. As I feel better, I get out more, and that has been instrumental in lifting the veil of depression that has clouded my mind for so long. I see family and friends again and I haven't cancelled out of one session in the last class of CNA's. I am more involved in life around me and want to do more to give back.

I cannot say enough for pulmonary rehab and an exercise program. For me, it was life altering. I look forward to each Tuesday and Thursday when I can join other people like me who need exercise to live. My comrades, mes amies, my lifeline to hope. I cherish the hope that I can be better, live better and be a better person.

I found all of this at pulmonary rehab!

~Eileen

Week 13 - Thursday

I argued with myself for a long time before going to rehab today. It was sleeting and raining out and I wanted to go but was thinking maybe I shouldn't go out. But in the end, I knew I'd feel worse and be kicking myself for the rest of the day if I didn't go. So off I went and I'm glad I did!

Usually I have a hard time breathing when it's raining out but today wasn't too bad. I think it's because of the prednisone I'm on. But I was quite short of breath when I arrived and after a short rest, went to the UBE.

I did 20 minutes on the UBE!! Wow! What started out as a torture machine for me has turned out to be one of my favorites. It helped that Libby sat next to me. She is the most pleasant person I have ever met and she loves to talk! I love to listen to her and we wind up laughing and having a great time. So she can work by my side any old time!!

After a rest, I went to the Nu-step. I did 15 minutes and 1,380 steps. Just a little improvement on the steps but I just wasn't feeling the love enough to extend the time today. Next I went to the TM and did 15 minutes at 1.2 mph.

By the time I was done, I was exhausted! My calves were killing me and I was so tired. But my blood pressure came down from 170/90 to 147/70 during my time at rehab today. And my O2 sats stayed up at 97% throughout.

Between machines, I was talking with someone who didn't know about alldaychemist.com and I was happy to share information about it with her. She also didn't know about WalMart's $4 perscription program. Speaking of alldaychemist.com, I finally got my order yesterday and not a minute too soon! My order had been delayed in customs, but not stopped.

Keep moving and see you all next week!
~Eileen

Week 13 - Tuesday

I am always amazed at how quickly a bug will hit me and make me feel so lousy but I am so happy that my body responds so quickly to meds. I am feeling much better this week and back at it!

Walking into the rehab room is always such a pleasure. It's funny, but I never felt this way before when I attended. It was always a chore to get over with as quickly as possible. This time around, I look forward to going, taking my time and really do enjoy it. I "get" the connection between exercise and breathing.

My O2 sats were low, around 91%, when I first got to rehab. But they gradually came up to 94-95% after working out. I imagine that they'll get better as the week goes on and I feel even better.

I tried really hard to progress a little this week, but just couldn't. Maybe Thursday I'll get to 20 minutes on the machines but for today, I stayed at 15 minutes on each. On the TM I continued at 1.2mph, on the UBE I did 16 minutes, and on the Nu-Step I did 15 minutes and got to 1,365 steps, which was a bit of an improvement over last week.

Audrey, our 12 year old double transplant friend, has been coming to rehab twice a week and is doing great. It's hard to believe that only 3 weeks ago she had such a major surgery! Let's all keep her in our prayers for continued recovery.

Cheryl, the lady who has COPD on top of cancer, has been out for a while. She started on a new chemo regime that left her pretty wiped out but she will be coming back this week. I am so humbled by her courage and determination. She is pure dignity in the face of her challenges.

See you Thursday!
~Eileen

Week 12 ~ Tuesday/Thursday

This week I went to rehab both days and have maintained 15 minutes on each machine. I've increased the speed of the TM from 1 to 1.2. Considering how I felt this week, I have to give myself a pat on the back for making the effort.

I felt feverish and starting coughing alot as soon as I started moving around this week. By Thursday I called my doctor and got started on an antibiotic and prednisone and within 24 hours started feeling better.

This week was hard for me and I'm happy that I perservered and made the extra effort to do more than I thought I could. But it took all that I had to do it and left me feeling tired, depressed and frustrated. I hate that my mind says I can do things but my body just doesn't cooperate. I was so angry at my COPD this week when I couldn't walk without getting short of breath and it was so awkward dragging my tank around because I was so clumsy with it for some reason.

But I calmed myself down, cut myself some slack, asked for help with chores around my house, and now that I'm feeling better, I'm feeling better about everything around me. A few good cries and a few temper tantrums didn't really hurt any and probably helped some, things got done, and I'll be ready for a new week. And definitely ready for a new attitude. I hate feeling so down and defeated! That's really not my nature and it takes so much more effort to support that than it does a positive attitude.

~Eileen