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.