G-3230 Beecher Rd.
Flint, MI 48532
Ph. (810) 342-5370

Enter McLaren Pulmonary Rehab “huffing and puffing”; After six weeks’ therapy, you’ll begin a new lease on life….

You leave your doctor’s office with a prescription for six weeks of outpatient Pulmonary Rehabilitation. You can hardly walk 10 steps now without stopping to rest. You wonder: “How in the world am I going to exercise?

” You cling to his reassuring words that McLaren’s Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program is one of the first programs to be accredited by the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation. And the benefits, he said, will give you a new lease on life. Jean thinks to herself: Yes, it sure would be nice if I didn’t have such shortness of breath…maybe I could keep up with my grandchildren.

The exercises would help me get the most of the lung function I have. He said:

• I’d feel so much better I would want to keep going to Rehab. That would be a first…
• I would learn to breathe differently so I can breathe in more oxygen…and control my shortness of breath rather than it controlling me.
• I would be less anxious and depressed about my health. That would be a relief. All I think about is: “What if I can’t get my breath?”

His office staff said they would send my recent pulmonary tests: arterial blood gas, chest x-ray, complete blood count, electrocardiogram and pulmonary function test. I guess all I have to do is show up.

The Day of Reckoning

It feels to Jean like the first day of school as she pulls into a parking space at the McLaren Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program located inside McLaren's Medical Education Building off of Beecher Rd. in Flint. It's taken her two hours to get ready and drive the 10 blocks from her apartment to the Center. She feels exhausted. But she promised herself she'd do this...

First to greet her with a smile and warm hello is Valerie McLeod, supervisor of McLaren’s Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program. Festive balloons, and hot mulled cider and cookies provide another welcome backdrop for Jean and her five “re-habbers.” All have some form of lung disease – emphysema, chronic bronchitis, bronchietasis, or severe asthma (all referred to as Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease or COPD); restrictive lung disease (example: pulmonary fibrosis); or are recovering from lung surgery.

The first session

When introductions conclude, Jean feels a bond with each class member. No matter what their particular lung challenge, they know how it feels to wonder where the next breath is coming from.

Valerie and her team are quick to encourage each individual to put their “I wish I hadn’ts” on a piece of paper. A shredder slices the words into unrecognizable bits. “We can’t go back and undo choices we made way back when,” says Valerie. “But each of you can move forward with a positive attitude, and the desire to learn how to make the most of each breath.”

The six sessions look at:

• Understanding COPD and coping strategies;
• How to be as intent in bronchial hygiene as on brushing one’s teeth;
• Learning how to breathe from the abdomen;
• Strategies to stop the panic if you feel you can’t breathe;
• In-home breathing exercises and using Pulmonary Rehab equipment to bolster functional capacity;
• Community resources and support groups that can help pulmonary patients cope with their disease for the long-term.
• Several patients share their stories of how pulmonary rehab has changed their lives.

It all comes back to me…

“We can give you lots of information, encouragement, and opportunities to improve your functional capacity,” says Valerie. “But the decision to restore your quality of life is yours.”