Consultants don their lycra to take part in Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Respiratory Consultants at UHDB traded the consultation room for the gym as they took in a Pulmonary Rehabilitation session at London Road Community Hospital.
The team wanted to gain a better understanding as to what exactly goes on in a rehab class so that they can better explain the sessions when they refer patients to them.
The class, which is led by Kate Geofferson, Specialist Respiratory Physiotherapist, consists of a number of different exercises, including a chair-based warm up, use of free weights and resistance machines and treadmill and exercise bike elements.
Dr Gillian Lowrey, Respiratory Consultant Physician at UHDB, was one of those who took part in the special session. She said: “I refer a lot of patients to Pulmonary Rehab – I’m a bit of a fan! I’ve got quite a lot of patients who’ve benefitted significantly from it and I know it really can make a massive difference to the quality of their lives.
“But often it’s a hard concept to sell. You’ve got someone who’s really breathless and we’re asking them come and exercise. So I hope that by showing that we’re all prepared to come down and do it as well, and that it’s a real team atmosphere down here, that it might help patients that are a bit worried about coming to Pulmonary Rehab to take that first step and come to see us.”
One patient who has reaped the rewards of attending Pulmonary Rehab is Terry O’Regan, who has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). This is a term used to describe a variety of progressive conditions affecting the lungs which includes emphysema, chronic bronchitis and non-reversible asthma.
After two-and-a-half years of attending the sessions, Terry has increased his lung capacity from 17 per cent to 33 per cent, giving him a new lease of life.
He said: “When I first started, I could barely walk perhaps a maximum of five or 10 meters. But through Pulmonary Rehab, I can now walk 500 meters plus.
“I’ve recently been blessed with a granddaughter and through Pulmonary Rehab I would like to think that I will actually get to see her grow up and so far, things are looking positive.”
Dr Ruth Aldridge, Respiratory Consultant Physician at UHDB, said that after taking part in the session, she could really tell how it benefits patients.
She said: “It’s been really good and really informative. I didn’t know that much about what happens at Pulmonary Rehab. It’s difficult unless you’ve been here to know what to say to patients that you are encouraging to come along.”