Contributed by Bob Rawlins, consultant to CAIRE Inc. ~
Pulmonary rehab. Important, no doubt, I’d go even go further and say, “A must!”
This is a big week, Pulmonary Rehabilitation Week, March 13-19th.
We can be thankful for the many people that continue to help those with chronic lung disease. This makes us more aware, but we should remember them every day as well.
This week will help all of us on this journey as a pleasant reminder of how fortunate we really are. I can absolutely understand the feeling of, fortunate?
Oxygen therapy needs, pulmonary rehab, medicines, and tons of appointments. If you have embraced your journey and continue to make the best out of the hand that has been dealt to you, you have already won have the battle.
The acute exacerbations caused by these conditions need the support of respiratory therapists to help get us through these episodes. It is necessary at times and that’s where pulmonary rehabilitation comes into play.
The more diligent you are at going to pulmonary rehab the better these life-enhancing programs will be for you. They show us how to live well with chronic lung disease, how we can stay healthier in the long-term and help alleviate the more costly acute care setting.
I also have stated that regular pulmonary and cardiac therapy can help even the healthiest of people stay that way. Exercise is so important.
It relieves stress and gives you a chance to plan out the things that have been a challenge. This would always help me map a better strategy at tackling the most difficult of tasks as well.
An initiative of the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, Pulmonary Rehab Week is a great reminder to the nation about how important these programs are to the health and well-being of many lung disease patients.
If you happen to be one of these patients, join me in recognizing these programs, and better yet, the caregivers who staff them.
Also, share what a difference it has made in your life. Please congratulate yourself for taking care of your health as best you can on this journey and tell your therapists how thankful you are for their dedication to making you and others maintain a better lifestyle.
Visit the AACVPR website, www.aacvpr.org, to find useful information about workshops available in virtual formats, or in-person, if your location will allow that. Also, the site offers drop-down menus to look for specific interests regarding your own wellness and activities that are close to you.
For the last six plus years that I’ve been on my journey. Pulmonary rehab is a major part of my weekly routine. I will swear that it has been a difference making in my progress in a safe way. It continues to enhance my lifestyle and energy levels significantly. I’ve gotten to a point that I feel guilty when I miss a session.
After my double lung transplant, 15 weeks ago, I started pulmonary rehab 10 weeks after and has been a major reason for my recovery going as well as it has. I had some hiccups, but was still able to maintain my workout sessions. Some days the routines were toned-down, but I still got a workout in. That is the most important thing.
Make pulmonary rehab a necessary part of your weekly routine. I can never find a reason as to why you shouldn’t.
There are many in my class that have more challenges than I do but still come every week, what an inspiration they are to us all. They can’t do as much or as fast as some, but they are embracing their disease and making the most out of it.
Friends you can and will always find someone in a more difficult position in life than you, encourage them and be thankful for what you have and what you can do.
Keep working hard and if you haven’t gotten in a Rehab Program, please do. You will not regret it, I promise.
Till next time,
#Touchaheart #laugheveryday
#Breathe-easy #encouragesomeone
Love you all, Coach Bob
Bob Rawlins, 64, of Medina, Ohio, is a double lung transplant recipient and a patient advocate for those who suffer from respiratory diseases and have been prescribed supplemental oxygen therapy. He is husband to Terese and father to their 17-year-old triplets. He also has two grown twin sons and four grandchildren. He serves as a hospital volunteer, band dad and chaperone, and marketing guru.
If you have been prescribed oxygen therapy, learn more about CAIRE by visiting www.caireinc.com/patients or by calling 1-800-482-2473 to talk to an oxygen advisor.
The contents of this blog post are not intended to substitute for professional medical advice. Please consult your physician for personalized medical advice. When using any oxygen therapy device please consult the applicable product instructions for use for product indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, and detailed safety information.