“My daughter and son-in-law want me to move in with them, but I don’t want to.” If you have a chronic disease process, or even a temporary (but debilitating) one, it’s wise not to live alone. Barring the fact that they might be smokers, think about why you would not want to do this….
Current standards for performing the Six minute walk test (6mwt) include not walking with the patient, so that they will walk at their own pace rather than attempt to keep pace with the tester. While this may allow a better result, careful observation of the patient before, during, and after the 6mwt, and handoff of…
One of the markers we use in Pulmonary Rehab is the Borg scale. We have patients rate their breathing from 0 to 10, and their exercise intensity from 0 to 10. It takes them a few weeks to get used to this, as most of them rate their breathing as either good or bad, and…
Are you facing having to undergo a lung transplant? The “Good News” that you are on the transplant list may have been a long time coming… or, may have happened so quickly you were surprised. Either way, the events leading up to being on the list are grueling, and scary… so many tests, so many…
I get asked all the time… “Kelly, I have no insurance. So every time I go to the clinic, I get seen by a different doctor. They have my chart, but I have to start all over every time I go. You say to ask my doctor about this and that, but I have no…
Are you using your oxygen correctly? Most patients don’t! The only way to tell if you need oxygen, and when, is to do the proper tests. A six- minute walking test, done by your R.T., will tell you if you need oxygen with exercise, or at rest. An overnight sleep study will tell you…
I continually tell this same joke: Patient: “Doctor, what’s the best exercise for me?” Doctor: “One that you will actually do” In my live Pulmonary Rehab classes, we do the “Big 4” exercises: treadmill, bike, arm bike, and weights. I have people who like all but the treadmill, and others who will do anything to…
In February 2016, I sent out a survey to determine how different lung diseases affect daily activities. Thank you to all 62 of you who participated! Here is what I learned: The majority of you have 1-2 doctor appointments per month. <10% of you have 3-4 doctor appointments per month. No one had more than…
In Respiratory school, we had to learn about the magic FI02 box. That was 32 years ago, but the strategy behind the box still works today, when thinking about Nasal cannulas, HFNC, and aerosols . Sure, today we just set a number on a machine and we’re done. Or are we? Before you can…
I belong to a lot of online discussion forums, the participants being patients with lung disease. Many of them tell the story of how they thought they just had a lingering cold, went to the ER when they couldn’t breathe, and were told they have COPD or another chronic lung disease process. They were shocked…