Did you ever realize that we were never taught how to breathe? We all just came out of our mothers’ wombs and we just knew. So it was surreal for me that I had to enter a program that was teaching me how to breathe again.
Because of my autoimmune disease, I developed some form of interstitial lung disease (ILD). It causes inflammation and scarring around the lungs, which can lead to shortness of breath, fatigue, chest pains, dry cough, and weight loss.
One of the main treatments for this is a Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program that would help improve my lung function. I did my rehab at the Institute of Pulmonary Medicine at St. Luke’s Medical Center – Global City, Taguig. The standard program consists of 16 one-hour-long sessions usually done three times a week but I decided to continue it up to next year to be safe.
A session usually starts off with an incentive spirometer and basic breathing exercises. The goal of these exercises is to take deep, sustained breaths, which can help re-expand the lungs. This is where I learned that I need to be using my diaphragm and not my chest when breathing.
Diaphragm breathing is when you breathe in slowly and deeply through your nose and exhale slowly and completely through the mouth. The abdomen should rise and expand as you inhale and fall as you exhale. The doctors even gave me a trick to remember it – “Smell the roses then blow the candle”.
I couldn’t get through my first session without coughing every time I tried to breathe deeply. It felt like my lungs were being stopped by a wall that would hit my chest and lead me to cough uncontrollably. Over time and with the help of my medications, that wall-like feeling started to disappear. It was a sign that things were definitely improving.
Aside from the breathing exercises, the rest of the session would be focused on my muscle strength and mobility as well. It would consist of a mix of weights, elastic bands, squat workouts, a treadmill, an ergometer, and cycling. In between the workouts, they would check on my heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen level just to monitor.
The exercises would adjust as I progress with weights increasing, longer minutes on the treadmill, and more intense workouts. I’ve had 28 sessions so far and I can honestly say that my body is strong again. They even made me try jogging for a few minutes, something I thought I wouldn’t be able to do for a while.
However, the journey to get here was not easy even for someone like me who used to exercise all the time. My body had to relearn how to do even the simplest movements like bending downwards, stretching left to right and even just getting up from a chair on my own.
I am grateful that I enjoy working out and have established the discipline needed for it before so it helped keep me focused and determined. It’s easy to just decide not to go but I made sure that I never missed a session. Even when I was in Singapore, I still attended via online tele-rehab. Even when my grandmother passed away and after crying all night, I still attended the next day. I was even more determined because I knew it was what she would’ve wanted me to do.
But what really keeps me going are the pulmonary therapists who take care of me. It never feels like a burden or work when I’m with them. They make each session fun and light despite what I’m going through. It’s so nice to be surrounded with good energy as it motivates me even more.
They even have a graduation ceremony when you complete the 16 sessions with a graduation toga and certificate. Super cute! Thank you to Ms. Cyril Tan, Jeff, and the whole pulmonary team at St. Luke’s Global City for helping me get here. They’re really the best!
The medicines and treatments I’ve been doing have all been helping but I believe I wouldn’t have improved this quickly without my own effort and hard work. I had to decide for myself that if I wanted to get better, I had to make sure I did what was needed. There are still days when I would get lazy but I try my best not to be complacent. I also learned to allow myself to take a break and rest too. It’s all about finding the right balance.
Seeing my progress in the video above amazes me to this day. I’m glad I decided to document my journey because it’s a good reminder for me to keep at it. Soon I’ll be doing yoga again and maybe even start to run. Claiming it! –
Hi, it's Maiqui. 
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