Hi my husband is breathless when resting, the lung consultant who we saw last week, said he doesn't need oxygen, exercise is the best, my question is … How much exercise is good , when he is already puffed out. He has low blood pressure and weighs around 69 kilos. The lung consultant is meeting his cardio consultant hopefully this week. If they liase hopefully they can come up with some answers, I am trying to get him to walk up and down the lounge , he resents this as he is already tired, not entirely sure if it is a heart/lung problem.
Had a letter from pip benefit yesterday , despite one of their own representatives filling out the form for him , and advising him to get a blue badge as he clearly struggles to get about , he has to have a face to face interview. As the options to get there are a 6 or 30 minute walk, depending on which bus you use, plus a walk across the town centre , I cant see that happening . So tomorrow I will ask for a home visit , I am really annoyed when they have had the consultants evidence as well!. Sorry for the rant , just find it so strange .
I can't advise you about the PIP situation. But I can tell you than exercise is very beneficial , it will help his circulation and this will enable his body to make better use of oxygen, it can be relaxing once he gets used to it, improve his strength and muscle mass, strengthen his bones , improve flexibility, build energy, keep his blood pressure in check , stretch his lungs and strengthen his heart amongst other things.
Having said that, starting slow is important. Building up his exercise tolerance slowly is key . The problem with us lungies is that the more breathless we are the more we don't want to move, the weaker we become. It's a vicious circle . Has he been referred to pulmonary rehab? If not it's a good place to start. I know how hard it is, but please do encourage him to walk. Even if it is in the lounge. Choose a time of day when he is less exhausted. For me it was in the mornings. By mid afternoon I was always too tired. Slowly increase. Hopefully in better weather he will feel more like going outside as well. It won't be easy, but it's necessary.
I hope everything goes smoothly with the PIP interview. Take good care.
Hi thanks for the advice, you have really hit the nail on the head regarding the vicious circle , I think he is also better in the mornings, providing he doesn't have a coughing bout, this really sets him back.
I will speak to the Dr today about the rehab.
pip home visit Friday 13th xx. ps. hope that you have a good day x
Hi. Exercise is the best treatment we have. I had a bad exacerbation last April, ICU for 8 days. Anyhow once I got home it took me about 6 months before I was back to my activity level it is a hard and painful journey but worth it in the end. I refuse to be tied to a chair. I am 76 yrs young stage IV C.O.P.D. emphysema. FEV1 19% . If you walk 2 mtrs today and 4 mtrs next week its a start. If you have a pulse oxymeter to keep an eye on Sp02. Oxygen is not a cure for shortage of breath. My motto is "I have C.O.P.D. but C.O.P.D. does not have me" Have a good day Dave.
Wow. Thats inspiring Dave. And a great attitude to have too. You keep doing what keeps you going. I am like you worked all my life. Certainly dont want to be stuck in a chair. Trouble in the uk is this dreadful weather we are having . Have a good day Brian
What a fantastic motto, I think because this illness came on so quickly ,it has been a huge shock , it seems such a huge feature in his life, as everything now is an effort for him. I also think the weather is very lowering , hopefully he can improve we will be looking at pulmonary rehab , good luck to you x
Perhaps between the 2 of them your husband could try Cardio Rehab. Or ask yourself about it. I had a pacemaker last August and was also diagnosed with C.O.P.D. i asked about cardio rehab to get me back into exercising and exercise. At present doing a 8 week course. Hope you get some help. Sorry to hear about your pip problems. From cases i have read about. It seems if your breathing you can work. So good luck with that too. Hope your husband feels better soon Brian
Hi thanks for the reply, yes the weather is so windy and wet, I will try to get him a place on the pulmonary rehab course, so many people seem to think it is helpful. Just booked a pip home visit 13th March x
When i called to enquire about this i was told that they will agree to a home visit if the person is house bound. I find that on the days i don`t exercise , my breathing is bad, but when i walk round the park or go on my cross walker, my breathing is better . My mum ( who also had emphasema ) used to panic when she got short of breath and she would only move when absolutely necessary and so she was stuck in her bedroom for the last 2 years of her life and her breathing was cronic. Hope all goes well x
thank you for your reply, at this moment I think my husband is really scared, particularly about the morning "coughing" . Pulmonary rehab seems the way to go. x
Sorry I missed your amazingly positive post, at the moment my husband is only on tablets for the heart , I am presuming when he is discussed at the consultant meeting he will hopefully get the Carbocysteine. it would make a huge difference .Loved your post what is NSIP?. Have a good day x
Talk to a consultant or GP about pulmonary rehab they will help build up the exercise and give lots of other good advice too including how to deal with breathlessness worth pushing for!
I had a home visit. The lady was nice. Could see walking around was a struggle. Be truthful tell them about his day. Let them k ow what meds taking. More will get him to have a walk arou d a d she will be able to see hubby struggling. Let them know applied for blue badge.
Get on to rehab course its helping me. Given me my confidence back and helping me with my breathing.
While sat down at home he could do leg exercises ask at rehab for exercises to do while sat down every little bit of exercise helps.
Thank you . I think he is really lacking confidence , this illness came on so quickly , really do not think he had time to absorb it, the impact has been huge.
Know what you mean it is a shock to the system I was a full time childminder always busy but I could feel the chest causing problems then discovered had copd took time for me to absorb. But I sat down and thought not going to let it beat me. Your hubby with encouragement will get there. My hubby is a great help took early retirement to be here for me. Good luck
Thank you for your reply, I cannot believe this has happened in the last 7 months, I am hoping for some good news for the future , thank goodness for your husband , I think my husband thinks he isn't as ill as he is.
I was the same playing with the little ones I knew I was having problems I felt like if i stopped working I would lose my independence which I eventually realised was t true. I was rushed in to hospital and it shook me. And I realised having family and friends with support I could still do things like exercise classes. A a course to help me understand more about my condition. Your husband will get there once he has digested the information. Order some leafletscabout copd from BLF. And sit down and encourage your husband to read them with you.
Exercise is very beneficial. Just walking helps a great deal. It is hard at first when so tired and breathless. Everyone is different but in my own experience if i go for a walk i am breathless to start with but after a few mins of slowly walking i begin to feel more relaxed and later in the day i find i feel better. But as i said, we are all different and what helps one might not another.
I hope you get some answers and you can have some help.
if The weather is reasonable a 2 minute walk outside will be good. Putting coat,scarf on etc is a bit of exercise. I know it sounds silly,but 2 minutes is ok and can hopefully build up a bit. I sympathise with you as he won’t want to do.
Have a look at the next post from Bkin, explains oxymeter use. They're available for about £20 via Amazon.
I'm not too breathless at all except walking uphill, during exacerbations or infections. At those times with pursed lip breathing (demo on YouTube) I can increase oxygen saturation - I'm aware this is more difficult for people less well than me. Shallow breathing only uses a small area of lung
Hi will definitely look into this , is exacerbation the early morning coughing? , thanks have a good day x
Hi hoping this may help your husband as it has me, put in your browser “sitting exercises nhs “ I do what I can when I feel able and has helped me significantly, also I’ve found that riding a static bike easier than you think it may be, slow and steady is the key 😉
All the above posts have covered much of what I wanted to say: sitting exercises, start where you are and build on it, keep persevering, go to pulmonary or cardiac rehab. You could try dancing in the seat to your favourite music - then it feels more like fun than exercise. Simple to do: put on some music you used to dance to, then sit and dance with your arms and legs. That starts to strengthen the muscles without forcing them to carry your body weight too. It's a bit like swimming on dry land.
Here is a link to some information about an online PR program. He used to charge but is now offering it free so more people will be able to take part in it.
I am actually having a very good day, thanks for asking.
This is the link to the actual website. They have their normal website where if you select the bootcamp it takes you to a registration and there is a charge of I believe $99.99. If you use their other website at this link it should be fre. I plan on signing up for it as well. They have a lot of webinars or their regular website. He also wrote a book which I believe sells for $27.50 but you can read free on their website.
Walking is most important I know it's very hard in winter I go in a shopping centre as it's warm and flat I hate shopping centres but no point paying gym fees they are also good to gauge how far you can go first day nearest coffee shop and back before long you might be having your coffee at the other end wishing you the very best
Thank you , really good idea , for flat walking , at this moment the problem is it is only about 20 yards he can walk, but definitely a longer term goal . Hope that you are having a good day x
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HOW MUCH ????
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Got my results!
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