Rehab
You go to rehab three days a week
Why? because your body is so very
weak
You walk on the treadmill to give
your legs the strenght they need
So you can walk where ever you want
to be
You do these streching using muscles
you never knew you had
Your body gets so very tired and
you get so very sad
Sometimes you will experience heartache,tears,
and pain
But with rehab you have so much
to gain
It is a challenge to recover some
of your lost skills
You will see improvements even though
you are very ill
You are really put through a test
But you have to do your very best
You pedal this bicycle as fast as
you can
You do all of these exercises with
your feet and your hands
Sometimes your breathing isn't to
good
But they turn your oxygen up so
you can get the air you should
When your health goes, nothing else
hardly matters at all
Everything else for you in this
world, seems so very small
Some of us are lucky and some of
us are not
But we have to make the best of
what we have got
The good people at rehab will tell
you that you are doing just fine
To hang in there that you will get
better with time
Then you rest again, trying to get
your breath
And you look around at all the equipment
you still got to use yet
They say that you are going to go
to the beach today
You will lay on this table and they
will teach you to breathe a certain way
You don't have the sun,water,or
the sand
But you do have a ray of light on
your head like a band
You will listen to the waves in the
water going on in your head
Now you're so very relaxed,and getting
up you do dread
They teach you how to do your daily
chores in a new way
To make you more independent,so
in your home you can stay
You will be informed about infections,and
what all you should do
If you happen to get pneumonia,a
cold or the flu
You will be educated how to prevent
getting all kinds of germs
And you should stay clear of sick
people,because they can cause you so much harm
They tell you about all of your medicines
and you will ask all kinds of questions
The caring people at rehab will
make all kinds of good suggestions
So let your dreams be big,and have
hope that they can come true
So if you are down in you body and
your mind,rehab is the best thing for you
Dedicated to patients and all involved in rehab
Copyright By,
Glenda Jones
July 24,1998
All Rights
Reserved
I graduate from rehab today. We will wear a cap and gown and
get a
doploma. This diploma will mean just as much if not more
than the diploma
I got form school. No this time I didn't get this diploma from learning
my
A.B.C.'s I will get this diploma from fighting so very
hard to stay alive
with my awful disease.
My physical body as well as my mental state
had been wreaked by my last
illness. I was very depressed by the fact, I was having
more problems
breathing and even having difficulty moving around. Before
my last
illness, I was able to get out every other day, but after my sickness
I was
confined to the hospital or my home.As I began rehab, I could see my
mental and physical strength mproving daily.
I warm up by doing hands and legs exercises. I walk on
the treadmill,
ride the exercise bike, then I have relaxation therapy. Most
days we have
learning classes on our medication and classess on how to prevent from
getting germs.
We also have occupational therapists who informs
us on the easiest ways
to perform daily activity. I would like to express the
most important
things to me was to learn the purse-lipped breathing and how to cope
with
the anxiety that comes with this awful disease. I began to see the
strength in my
body return. I even began to feel more positive about myself.
Due to the many
weeks of rehab, I am able to go out with my family, and walk for short
periods of
time. I feel my lungs are strengthening giving me the
ability to breathe better.
It doesn't seem like I have as many breathing spells now.
If I had to put a percent on how much rehab
has helped me, I would have to say
one hundred percent. The reason I use this precent is
due to the fact I have
seen such great improvements in my physical condition.
I begin to look back on
my physical condition several months ago and compare it with
my condition
now and I see great improvements. I feel I am doing
better because of the
good care I receive at rehab. I would recommend rehab to
everyone with a
breathing problem.
Now I will go on to maintenance three days a week, until I go to St.
Louis
to be evaluated for a lung transplant. I've become to appreciate
every
moment of my life.
Written By,
Glenda Jones
July 21,1998
I have been on and off oxygen for the past
five years. I remember the
first time I went out in public with my line
of life {that is what I call my
oxygen now). I brought myself the biggest
pair of sunglasses I had ever
seen. I thought the big glasses would
take away from the hose that was in
my nose. I thought people wouldn't recognize
me with the big glasses, so
I know just how some of you might feel.
I have always been such a vain
person. I don't want to be but I am
and can't help it. I got to thinking
that the oxygen was for my survival and that
made me have a different
outlook on trying to hide my oxygen hose.
From that point on I was no
longer ashamed of my oxygen hose and took
my big dark glasses off.
Please don't let pride take away from your
life. I know the thoughts of
oxygen is scary, but it is not a death sentence.
It just means that our
lungs needs more air. Oxygen is used
to help our breathing and decreases
the work on our lungs. By using oxygen
properly, you can lead a longer,
more active life. It does not mean you are
ready to die. Oxygen is availabale in
lightweight tanks so you can get out, travel,
and do ALL the things you enjoy
doing. I thank my GOOD LORD everyday for my
line of life which helps me
to breathe. I have had seven collasped
lungs and one of my lungs partially
removed. I feel with the help of oxygen
that I have been able to live for another
five years and still going strong. The
most inportant thing is our breathing.
