Slowly, but surely, Hubby's energy is coming back.
That tiny shift of a few days ago is growing, stretching back into feeling good once again.
Hubby has begun that long road towards getting back in shape. Back to his rehab exercises, which he had given up weeks earlier.
Those exercises (breathing, very light weights and treadmill or stationary bicycle) are absolutely essential to the COPD patient. Without them, their muscles deteriorate at a faster rate. Once they stop moving, the muscle tone doesn't come back.
That's why Hubby is religious about his rehab exercises. He hates to give them up, even when his body is weak and begging for rest. Exercising, even if it's only for 5 minutes gives him a measure of control over this devastating illness.
So, he's back. Not at the normal pace, of course. COPD'ers move very slowly.
But slow and steady wins the race, doesn't it?
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5 comments:
That's great! I wish I could get my hubby to do a little exercise but he just gets so discouraged since he's exhausted so quickly. He's lost most of his muscle mass already as he is so sedentary much of the time. Exercise is of course the one thing we simply can't do for our loved ones and trying to encourage them to be active is something I find very challenging.So it's wonderful that you don't have to try so hard and he's willing to make the effort because he knows it will benefit him. Hugs, Joy
Hi Joy,
One of the hardest things is to get our loved ones to do what we'd like them to. We want them to be healthy, to take their meds, to exercise, to stop smoking, to eat well.
As you can see, it doesn't always work. You are having trouble with the exercise part. It's understandable that your hubby doesnt' want to exercise. It makes him tired! You can't force him. Just accept him and his choices.
My husband still smokes. Even though he is functioning at approximately 20% of his lung capacity, he still takes the oxygen out of his nose, hangs it on a doornob and smokes his smelly cigarette. I wish I could make him stop. I know it's a lost cause. At this point, he'll never stop.
Same with your husband. You love him dearly, wish he would exercise, but he won't. Nothing more you can do, but love him unconditionally.
Thanks for posting and hope you have a great weekend.
Wendy,
So happy things are improving. Hope you are feeling better too.
Nancy
wow, I never realized your hubby was still smoking. That must make things considerably more difficult for you. It took my guy seven years to quit. And surprisingly. it was the "patch" that actually worked! He was down to 4-5 cigarettes a day while using his puffer and suffering from occupational asthma. The doctor said he needed to quit, but it wasn't until he got pneumonia and started coughing blood that I absolutely refused to tolerate it another minute. By then he was on oxygen and still is to this day. I still believe that a person can reverse a certain amount of damage caused by smoking if they stop before it's too late.
Hi Joy,
I admire you for insisting your hubby give up smoking. It sounds like you have an inner core of strength, which helps your hubby.
You sound very much like my younger sister. She did the same thing to her husband years ago - threw away his cigarettes. I don't remember why. He has Crohn's disease, not lung disease, but he hasn't smoked since.
I know my hubby still suffers with guilt about his smoking. He went on the patch last spring because he was in hospital and couldn't get out to smoke. He stayed on the patch for a while, but then quit. It seems to be more of a stress to quit than not,
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