What happened this week? 3/27/2017

This week in Cardiac Pulmonary Rehab, a few patients will be "graduating" from the Pulmonary rehabilitation program. These three patients had entered the same week in which I had. As happy as I am to see them get better, it is bittersweet to see them go. I have worked with these patients twice a week since November. During their time in the program, I have learned so much about their health history and about them individually. I have met their families, been with them during their toughest and hardest weeks, and have settled many arguments as to which radio station to pick while they were exercising. One of the reasons why I had decided to study Nursing was because of my love for meeting new people everyday. It is even more gratifying to see the patients form friendships within each other and encourage each other. As I finish this program, I hope to help even more patients, whether it is physically or emotionally.

What happened this week? 3/20/2017

This week was Pulmonary Rehab Week. Most of the time, when I'm in Cardiac Pulmonary Rehab, I work mostly with the Pulmonary classes. These classes are slightly different from the Cardiac classes. Cardiac patients work to strengthen their heart. Like any muscle, it can only get stronger with exercise. They are also hooked up to monitors and constant blood pressures must be taken. However, the Pulmonary patients work without any monitors. The Pulmonary patients, many with COPD or Emphysema, exercise to increase the quality of their lives. We work them to help make their daily activities easier and more comfortable. The only thing we do monitor is their oxygen saturation, heart rate, and how they are breathing. When they first start the program, many can not breathe after walking a couple of steps. As they progress throughout the program, many of them are walking on the treadmill or riding a bicycle. It is truly amazing to see how exercise can make a vast different in their performance in everyday life.

What happened this week? 3/13/2017

This past Friday, I was able to observe a few patients who recently had some sort of Cardiac surgery. For example, one patient I had met had recently had a pacemaker put in. He had suffered from sepsis poisoning. Another patient had a stent put in. He did not have enough blood releasing from his heart. It was truly amazing to see the patients right after their major surgeries. In Cardiac Rehab, I am only able to see them 6 weeks post-operation, now I can watch the process for these patients from the start to hopefully finishing the rehabilitation program. My time in Cardiac Pulmonary Rehab has definitely sparked my interest in this specialty. There are so many diseases associated with your heart and lungs, so every patient is unique from the next. Although it is heartbreaking to see some patients suffer, the science in which the medical professionals use to treat them is incredible.

What happened this week? 3/6/2017

The following picture shows exactly what I do in Cardiac Pulmonary Rehab. In this instance, if a patient (in this case, Amber) were walking on the treadmill during a Pulmonary class, I would need to assess them mid-workout. I would first question their breathing number based on an RPE scale. The numbers range from 0-8, 0 meaning that breathing is completely normal and 8 meaning they completely cannot breathe. After the number is obtained, I check their oxygen saturation and heart rate. For most patients, I know where their normal vitals range and can tell whether the exercise is strenuous for them. Luckily, I am able to be with the same classes every week, so I am able to get a really good understanding of their health.

What happened this week? 2/27/2017

On Tuesday, I worked in Cardiac Pulmonary Rehab. Unfortunately, many patients did not come in for the Pulmonary class. Luckily, I was able to hook myself up to a heart monitor and watch my heartbeats. I learned what each wave meant. The nurse had taught me how to measure the distance between waves and what the numbers meant. She had also given me many worksheets to understand the patients in the Cardiac class. Now, I study these worksheets and am able to understand the abnormal contractions or blockages that affect the patients.

*Above are a few six-second images of my heartbeat.