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Physiotherapy Is Hard for PF Patients
There is an abundance of literature out there on the benefits of pulmonary rehab for patients with pulmonary fibrosis (PF). A simple search on our PF News homepage using the key words “pulmonary rehab” reveals over 200 articles about this speciality type of rehabilitation for the lungs. However, have any of my fellow patients done physiotherapy (PT) for another body part while living with PF? It’s hard work!
I sustained a fairly significant injury on January 12 which ended up with two torn ligaments in my left knee. I started doing physiotherapy shortly after and I realized it’s been awhile since I’ve been in PT or a rehabilitation program for anything other than my lungs, and I found the exercises a lot harder. Not only were they painful for my injured knee, but trying to breathe and muster up the energy to complete them with low 02 levels was challenging. I plan to write a column in the near future about this topic and am curious to hear:
If you’ve participated in a physiotherapy program (for something other than your lungs) as a patient with PF, did you find it difficult?
If so, what was the most challenging about it?
I’d love to hear from you!
Char. -
1 Reply
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Charlene. I tore my tricept off my bone right before Christmas last year. I did go to therapy because I chose to not have surgery. I wasn’t sure how hard it would be on my lungs. The therapy wasn’t hard. I still had problems doing the exercises because I would get short of breath. I was using my oxygen and still dropped to to the 80’s. I was set at 2 but am now at 3 thinking I might need 4 when I’m up and about. I am in light physical and breathing therapy, now. Every day seems to be different. Tuesday and today I had a hard time getting in 30 minutes of exercise. Last week I did great. My therapist even said she was surprised how well I did. She didn’t hear much crackling in my lungs so that makes a huge difference in what I can do. I didn’t tell her today that my chest was bothering me. She noticed at about 3 minutes that I was struggling. I pushed to get my 30 minutes in. She then checked my lungs because of my breathing and coughing. Today the middle right lung was crackling a lot. She said she is going to suggest going to 4. I was put on oxygen in July 2021. That’s when I was officially told that I have PF. I haven’t been able to walk to my mailbox and back for over a year. With the oxygen I still run out of air just going from room to another. I assume oxygen is to keep my organs getting the oxygen they need. It doesn’t seem to help me to walk farther before running out of air. That’s when I feel I’m a nuisance. I hate that feeling. I have been the caretaker in our family. This disease is depressing. I love my flower gardens and I’m already worried about keeping them up. I don’t understand how some people can walk miles and aren’t on oxygen. I sometimes wonder why I was put on oxygen right away. I didn’t have time to do things I wanted done. Other days I’m okay. I have a few friends that don’t understand what we go through. One will ask me if I’m getting better yet. I have told her I won’t. Then, if I don’t go out in groups she says that I could if I wanted to. I guess I had more on my mind. Sorry for going on.
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