Considering Pulmonary Rehabilitation as a Treatment Option

When your life depends on a handful of available treatments, it’s understandable that you will want the most fitting treatment for your specific condition. For instance, lung cancer treatment is typically reduced to surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation.

These treatments have the potential to delay or stop cancer. However, they fail to include treatment side effects or the mental and physical toll that cancer can have.

While lung cancer treatment can help you live longer, pulmonary rehabilitation can help you live better. It works in conjunction with cancer treatment to let you feel more at ease, recuperate faster after surgery, and better manage your cancer.

Find out more about pulmonary rehabilitation in the sections below.

Explaining Pulmonary Rehabilitation

People with chronic lung disorders who have breathing problems can benefit from pulmonary rehabilitation, which is an educational and exercise-based program. It was created to help patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, but it has now been broadened to help people with other illnesses such as lung cancer.

Lung cancer patients frequently report weariness and difficulties breathing. Lung cancer pulmonary rehabilitation aims to educate you about your illness and assist you in managing the symptoms.

Learning activities that help you breathe more comfortably, raise your overall fitness, and improve your capacity to handle lung cancer is an important component of this.

Pinpointing the Team That Will Be in Your Rehabilitation

Specialists, including therapists, doctors, nurses, and others, make up every pulmonary rehabilitation team.

Your oncologist or the person in charge of your team will design a plan for you based on your objectives. The other members of your team will collaborate in teaching you the skills you’ll need to better manage cancer.

Exploring What to Expect

In some cases, pulmonary rehabilitation takes place in a hospital or clinic setting. Others, once you have instructions, you can do it at home. Using your smartphone, computer, or activity monitor, you’ll keep in touch with your treatment team.

Expect to attend two or three times each week if the program is in person. Because you’ll be learning about a variety of topics and participating in a variety of examinations and activities, program sessions may not always be held in the same location.

Improvements in breathing ability or stamina take 6 to 12 weeks of pulmonary rehabilitation.

The first step in pulmonary rehabilitation is an assessment, which may include an examination of your symptoms and a medical history. You will also undergo tests of lung function; measurements of your oxygen level, blood pressure, and heart rate; and tests of your ability to walk.

The findings of these tests will be used by a member of your healthcare team to create the best plan for you. You can repeat some of the tests toward the end of the program. This allows your medical staff to keep track of your development.

Checking Out the Benefits

Shortness of breath, fatigue, and depression can be managed with pulmonary rehabilitation. It also increases your lung function to the point that you can undergo surgery cmofortably.

The program is a good decision if you end up enhancing your capacity to exercise, carry out regular tasks, and stay active. It will also help you alleviate anxiety and depression and stay healthy.

Undergoing it may also provide you with access to a large group of people who have been through the experience of living with lung cancer. You can learn from each other and rely on one another.

Understanding the Risks

Pulmonary rehabilitation is generally thought to be safe, especially when carried out in collaboration with a skilled medical team.

The National Institutes of Health’s Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute provides that it’s possible that you could harm your muscles or bones while participating in the program’s workout activities. Your rehab team should treat you and call your primary oncologist if this happens.

Conclusion

If lung cancer symptoms are interfering with your everyday activities, pulmonary rehabilitation may be a good fit for you. Also, if you’re having lung cancer surgery, it might be a good idea to take the program.

Consult your oncologist to see if you are eligible for one of these programs. They should be able to suggest a treatment center in your area. You should also evaluate the prices and call your insurance provider to see whether they provide coverage.

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