For pulmonary rehabilitation

Your health care team consists of doctors, nurses, respiratory therapists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists, dieticians or nutritionists, and psychologists or social workers.

To help you develop your pulmonary rehabilitation plan, your health care team may perform one of the following tests:

• Take a stress test to measure your oxygen level, blood pressure, and heart rate while you exercise
• Lung function tests to check your breathing
• Six minute walk test to measure how far you can walk in six minutes

During pulmonary rehabilitation

Your pulmonary rehabilitation plan may include one or more of the following:

• Breathing techniques. You can learn specific techniques, such as pursed lip breathing, yoga breathing, or breathing with computer-aided feedback. These techniques can help you better control your breathing and prevent you from getting breathless, especially when you are physically active or under stress. You can also learn ways to get rid of mucus from your lungs.
• Education. In group or individual sessions, your health care providers can answer questions about your lung disease and provide advice on how to treat it. You can learn how the lungs work and how to use your medicines effectively. You can learn to spot the signs of a flare-up early and develop a plan for avoiding or controlling one. If you smoke, your team may be able to help you quit. You can learn how to conserve your energy and prevent shortness of breath by finding easier ways to perform everyday tasks. These could be ways to avoid reaching, lifting, and bending, or ways to avoid or relieve stress.
• Psychological support. People with chronic lung disease can also suffer from depression, anxiety and other emotional problems. Individual or group support can provide training in stress management.
• Exercise training. Exercise training aims to strengthen your back, arms, and legs, as well as the muscles you use for breathing. Training can also help you build stamina and flexibility, making it easier to perform everyday tasks and the things you enjoy. Your health care team may recommend taking medications to open your airways or adjusting your normal oxygen therapy during physical activity.
• Nutritional advice. You will learn what foods to eat and how to prepare meals to control your condition and feel your bestn. Nutritional advice can ensure that you are getting the right nutrients in the right amounts. A dietitian can also recommend a weight loss plan or dietary supplements or medications to help you build muscle.

After pulmonary rehabilitation

Usually pulmonary rehab is a series of two or three weekly sessions lasting several weeks or months. At the end of your program, your health care team will give you tests to reassess your lung function to see if your breathing has improved. Some of these tests, such as exercise tests, are the same as those you had at the beginning of your program.