Sushi
Moderation Resource Albuquerque
- Messages
- 19,973
- Location
- Albuquerque
I know that we all have "feelings" about graded exercise and that many have had extremely bad experiences with it. But, my cardiologist (ME/CFS literate) wanted me to try cardiac rehab. She said, "Teach them about ME/CFS--it is an excellent facility." So, with trepidation, I began and 36 session program armed with articles and data. They listened! They took ME/CFS and Dysautonomia seriously and designed a program that I could do without payback (loosely based on Dr. Nancy Klimas's program). I was monitored by doctors, EMTs, and exercise physiologists. They had me wear an EKG monitor for the first 6 sessions, they took my HR and O2 stats every 5 minutes. I rested for 5 minutes after each few minutes of exercise. They helped me set reasonable goals and modified the program according to my feedback. There were times when I wanted to increase time or resistance level and they said, "Not yet, you aren't ready."
Result: I more than doubled my aerobic exercise time and the amount of weight I could lift. We concentrated on the legs and used all recumbent machines. With stronger legs and greater cardiac efficiency, I have less OI and less PEM. Now that I have finished the program (paid for by insurance) they will help me design a program to continue at a local community center gym. I am really pleased!
Result: I more than doubled my aerobic exercise time and the amount of weight I could lift. We concentrated on the legs and used all recumbent machines. With stronger legs and greater cardiac efficiency, I have less OI and less PEM. Now that I have finished the program (paid for by insurance) they will help me design a program to continue at a local community center gym. I am really pleased!