what is pulmonary rehab please? Has a... - Lung Conditions C...
what is pulmonary rehab please? Has anyone had it and what happens. Thank you
Good Morning heho, My husband has been on two pulmonary rehab classes and I firmly believe they saved his life!!
The course itself is usually 6-8 weeks long, two sessions a week, two hours long. Each session is one hour monitored exercise and one hour information. One of the main aims is to increase fitness levels - by doing so you are able to do more. It honestly changed my husbands life.
In our area you need to be referred to the course but after two years you can self refer to go again.
There is usually an assessment prior to starting which includes a six minute walk test. This is not a fail or pass - it is to assess your fitness at the beginning - the test is repeated at the end to show the improvement. My husband completed his last course in October last year. During the assessment in the walking test it was realised that his sats were falling below 88 during exercise so he was given oxygen to exercise with . He uses it now if we are going to a big shopping centre etc. and on the new treadmill he has just bought.
You will learn all about your condition, all about your medications, what your doctors should be doing etc. AND you will meet other people with similar conditions. Some will look much healthier than you and others will look much worse but it shows you that you are not the only person. My husband made a lovely group of friends and they meet once or twice a month and try to attend an exercise class (or just have a cup of tea!) It also introduced him to the local Breath Easy group which he now attends.
I hope that you have been referred - such a positive experience and if not - go and ask to be referred. You may need to ask a few times - I was told my husband was too well to go on the course to start with! Take care, TAD xx
thank you
Great explanation fro Tad - as always 
Also, you can click below on the 'Other Posts'. Fist one has 6 intersting replies.
I've done it, excellent. Helped me enormously. P
What is pulmonary rehabilitation? blf.org.uk/Page/Pulmonary-r...
When you have a lung problem, particularly a long-term one, you can find it difficult to move around or do your normal daily activities without getting breathless. You may also find that you get tired very easily and often feel exhausted. Pulmonary rehabilitation is designed to help you cope with your breathlessness and feel stronger and fitter at the same time.
Getting out of breath can be very frightening, which makes the breathlessness worse. In trying to avoid this, people often reduce the amount of activity they do. However, this does not help, as over time you become unfit, tired and more breathless. Pulmonary rehabilitation can help by breaking that vicious cycle.
A typical pulmonary rehabilitation course includes:
a physical exercise programme, carefully designed for each individual;
advice on lung health and coping with breathlessness;
a friendly, supportive atmosphere.
With the support of trained health professionals -physiotherapists, nurses, occupational therapists, doctors and many others – a rehabilitation course will teach you how to increase your activity carefully, cope with your breathlessness and manage periods of panic better.
It can help in other ways too; for instance, a dietician could help you learn more about healthy eating to suit your lifestyle. You can also know how and why you are taking your medicines and learn how to look after your chest better.
Pulmonary rehabilitation is about helping you take control of your condition. It is not a cure, but you will feel better and more in control.
Where does it take place?
Courses can take place in hospital chest clinics or community settings, such as community halls or doctor’s surgeries. A course usually lasts between six and 12 weeks. After your course has ended, you may be referred to a local leisure centre to carry on with your programme of exercises. If you do not know where the nearest pulmonary rehabilitation class might be, speak to your health professional or contact the physiotherapy department of your local hospital.
Even if your course does not have this arrangement you should know how to exercise by this time. You will have learnt the best type of exercise for you and how often you should do it. Pulmonary rehabilitation requires your commitment. It does work, but you have your part to play.
How can it help me?
Research tells us that pulmonary rehabilitation leads to improvements in your ability to exercise. One benefit is that you will be able to walk further. As a result you will probably feel less breathless doing day-to-day activities such as walking up stairs, shopping and dressing. You are quite likely to feel less tired too.
However, your lung function (as measured by spirometry) is unlikely to change. This is because improvements result from stronger muscles (and therefore more efficient use of oxygen), stride length, greater co-ordination and improved understanding of breathlessness.
It is very easy to be frightened by breathlessness. After pulmonary rehabilitation, you should be able to handle it better and have more control.
Who should consider pulmonary rehabilitation?
Pulmonary rehabilitation is aimed at patients with breathing difficulty, most commonly those with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, some studies have shown that people with asthma and other chronic lung diseases may benefit.
Realistically, anyone with a breathing problem that affects their ability to do simple tasks will benefit. How this happens will differ according to individuals, but we know that age and the severity of a condition do not stop people from taking part in rehabilitation.
The people who do best from pulmonary rehabilitation are likely to be those who really want to help themselves, who want to learn and who have a positive attitude. Take a chance, pulmonary rehabilitation will not make you worse. For some people the effort of getting to hospital may be too much; if so, you may be offered gentle activities to do at home.
You will get out of breath when you undertake a programme of rehabilitation, but this is part of the therapy. You will always be monitored and will never be asked to do more than you really think you can.
How do I go about receiving pulmonary rehabilitation?
The first step is to find your nearest programme. If you do not know where your nearest class might be, speak to your health professional or contact the physiotherapy department of your nearest hospital.
The next step is to get referred to the right hospital. At present most referrals are via your local GP and he or she should be able to do this. Bear in mind that some hospitals have waiting lists.
To help yourself while you are waiting you can get in touch with your local hospital and ask to speak to a respiratory nurse or physiotherapist. They should be able to give you some general advice over the telephone.
Above all, try not to reduce the amount of activity you already do. Do it more slowly and take more rests, but don't give up.
thank you
I thoroughly enjoyed it. It helped me no end and I met some lovely friends all in the same boat as me. In this area once the course has finished we can then attend a maintenance group - a weekly exercise class to help keep up the fitness levels.
I am doing my second course now...the first one was 5 years ago. After 4 weeks the change in me has been remarkable. More optomistic, more active, more energy.
The first time, when they said "Gym", my brain said "No way"....if I want exercise, I take the batteries out of the TV remote....thats it, end of. Then under pressure, I went, thinking "I'll give it a half hearted attempt for a couple of sessions and bow out gracefully". I went, tried my system but before the start of the second week, I had bought myself a pair of decent trainers and arrived at the gym complete with a small towel to help soak up the sweat. The six weeks were life changing...honest. So why am I back? Because I let it slip and slip and slip. You know the sort of thing. You get an infection, feel like death and don't want to do nothing. If I sat in my chair, my beloved would go and buy me a paper and I would sit and do the crossword. If I dropped my pan, she would say "Let me get that for you" a drink, a snack....in the end you end up doing nothing. Ok, your ill but when you start to recover, you don't take these little things back. Five years down the line, she was still picking up my pens, making me a drink etc. Tuesday night, my grandson Oscar came visiting. He is three this week. I got on the floor, played cars, had a rough and tumble with him and then did some of my bestest ever colouring....didn't go over the lines or anything. When Oscar was leaving, he gave me some funny looks and i said "Whats all that about"? My wife said, he's nearly three and that is the first time that you have ever got on the floor and played with him.....thats the difference PR makes.....life changing.
thank you
thank you
Found all these posts helpful. Waiting for my appointment. I was of two minds whether to go. Will now most certainly.
Hi, I've had three sessions of PR and they really help. You'll get a manual which is worth keeping for constant referral. If you are offered the chance of "after classes" take it. It will usually cost around £2.00 per weekly session but it builds on the initial PR. Good Luck. .
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