What actually happens on a PR course ? - Lung Conditions C...

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What actually happens on a PR course ?

puffless profile image
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puffless
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stone-UK profile image
stone-UK

Hi

You have one hour of light exercise one hour of discussion.

Excercise are timed from 30 seconds to 2 minutes over the period of 6 weeks

You self monitor , using the Borg scale c/r 1....10 of breathless .

The next lesson you times may stay the same .. decrease... Or increase

You will not be asked to do more than is capable of you

I have just returned from mine session 9

Have a look at healthunlocked.com/blf/post...

Hi - the above description is great. My husband has just started (well 4th session) of his second course. The discussion session he has is more of an information session about COPD, medications etc. etc. He found the first course invaluable and gave him so much more confidence. Have great hopes for this course. If you get the chance to go on one - please do. Your Doctor or respiratory team should be able to refer you. Good Luck TAD xx

Puffthemagicdragon profile image
Puffthemagicdragon

You do what you can at your own pace. They like you to push yourself a little bit further as this will increase your fitness level. Learning about the medicines and biology of the lungs and it's relation to COPD and other pulmonary diseases I found to be reassuring.

You learn how to manage your illness, your symptoms and how to avoid further lung damage. The course is educational and physical. If you ask for a referral to a PR course through your GP or consultant you will likely get issued with initially a letter to confirm your place, details of your assessment date and further course information.

On my course patients were issued with a folder including literature, with each professional speaker usually came additional detailed information on paper which could be added to the folder for future reference.

Pulmonary Rehabilitation is a comprehensive course for patients so they may learn the tools that will help manage their illness in a way that can improve their quality of life and help prolong their lung health and health in general.

I would highly recommend this course for all who have been diagnosed with a lung condition. To not do the course could be detrimental to your health.

Here is a link to another post that explains about the physical side of PR:

healthunlocked.com/blf/post...

peege profile image
peege

Hello Puffless, Having recently finished my 6 week Pulmonary Rehab - PR - course I cannot recommend it highly enough.

At the initial assessment you have to do a measured walk if you are able to, in 6 minutes. Mine was 540 metres. At the end of my 6 weeks I had to do it again and it was 750 metres. Result!

Most people in my group were very well supported & had individual attention throughout. I was the most able being mild but they were still keen to teach me to do the exercises correctly plus explain what happens in the body both in the strengthening exercises and the cadiovascular ones.

The specialist physiotherapists running mine were genuinely caring. I learnt a great deal, the most important was from the visiting specialist nurse: that I'd been using my inhaler and spacer wrongly for years. Now, using it properly I'm taking a lower dose of Seretide :) - another great result.

Do it if you get the chance, nothing to lose and everything to gain. Good luck, peeg

beatles profile image
beatles

Puffless, all the advice above is same as my experience. I think BlakeyC gets it right by

saying it is a "comprehensive" course of learning exercises that help you manage

your COPD and you learn an awful lot also about the medical aspects and also the

psychological impact it can have. Would I recommend it ? Yes 100%. Will it make you feel better?. If you carry on with exercise programme at home it will change your life for the better. I do 40 minutes 4 times a week and I feel better and look better than I have

in years. A golden opportunity, Grab it! Best Regards Adrian

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