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Positively Breathtaking
It’s never too late to stop smoking and start exercising. Just ask this Monmouth County
man, whose pulmonary illness has surprisingly led him back to wellness.
Russell Shay, 60, knew it was time
to quit his 37-year smoking habit
when the simplest of daily activities
left him gasping for air. Six months
after kicking his habit, however, he was
still short of breath and extremely tired.
"I had to take naps regularly to get
through my day," Russell remembers.
An exercise stress test revealed that
Russell suffered from chronic bronchitis
and that "he was breathing at only
51 percent of his capacity," reports
Gustavo De La Luz, M.D., a boardcertified
pulmonologist on staff at
Ocean Medical Center. "I never asked
Dr. De La Luz whether smoking caused
my bronchitis, because I didn’t want
to know. But deep in my heart, I think
I know the answer," Russell confides.
With the bad news also came good
news: Russell’s condition would not
impact his ability to exercise, so pulmonary rehabilitation was prescribed
as the optimal treatment to improve his
quality of life.
Customized Treatment
"The goal of pulmonary rehabilitation
is to get patients well enough to do
the things they’ve always done,"
Dr. De La Luz clarifies. "The program
is about a lot more than just exercise.
It’s about education, dedication, and
the psychological aspects of getting
beyond this illness. And the nice thing
about the rehabilitation is that there
are no negative side effects."
Convenience was another plus, for
Russell found that Ocean Medical
Center’s Pulmonary Rehabilitation
Department, a component of Meridian
Life Fitness and Rehabilitation — just
a hop, skip, and a jump away from his
home — was fully equipped with
everything he would need.
The department’s multidisciplinary
team set to work
by establishing personal goals
with Russell that he would
have to achieve to graduate
from the rehab program. These
goals included dancing the
jitterbug, walking all 18 holes
of a golf course, swimming
laps in the pool, even taking
out the garbage. Next, the
staff developed a customized
exercise plan that would
improve Russell’s breathing
and thus make his goals
attainable. And the first step
toward restoring his lung
capacity was walking on
a treadmill.
Stepping It Up
The treadmill was slow-going at
first. Despite the untiring support
and encouragement from his team
and his three-times-per-week schedule,
Russell’s sessions proceeded at less
than 1 mile per hour, with no incline.
Over time, though, he began to see
the exercise pay off, and this energized
him to keep moving forward: "With
every day of exercise, breathing was
becoming easier and easier."
By the time Russell had advanced
to a pace of 2.5 miles per hour at a
level 1 incline, he was sufficiently
encouraged to join the hospital’s
"Step Up" program, which would
enable him to continue with his
exercise plan but remain monitored
by professionals.
Cindy Feeney, RRT, CPFT, department
manager, is quite proud of Russell’s
level of commitment. "After he
graduated from his prescribed program,
Russell made the voluntary decision to
join Meridian Life Fitness to continue
exercising," she boasts.
Taking It All in Stride
One year after starting his
rehabilitation, Russell’s breathing
capacity has increased by an
impressive 12 percent, and he’s
clocking in on the treadmill at
close to 4 miles per hour, with a
2.5 incline. "These are the kinds
of results we like to see," enthuses
Dr. De La Luz.
With 60 to 80 minutes of
cardiovascular workouts a day,
weight lifting three times per week,
and a healthy 20-pound weight loss,
the things that take Russell’s breath
away today are the things that truly
make life more enjoyable: dancing with
his wife, swimming, and playing golf.
 – Beth Chunn
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