Mine consisted of pedaling and arm rowing for 15 minutes on one machine, then light weight lifting for 15 minutes, followed by 15 minutes on a treadmill. Could have used stationary bike if I wanted. All was done with supplemental oxygen. My doc had to prescribe it and Medicare (I guess) picked up the cost. Walking is probably just as good as long as you're consistent with it and start with short walks (10 minutes) and work up to 45 minutes plus, 3 or 4 days a week or more.

A good PR program is exercise tailored (at least somewhat) to you and your abilities, combined with an educational program designed to teach you about your disease and how to manage and control it. Some programs are really good and others are very poor. A good program ought to do three things: teach you how to make yourself really short of breath so you learn how to control the panic that sometimes happens; teach you to push yourself little by little to increase the intensity of the workout to get to your very best level of fitness; and teach you how to exercise safely by yourself in an ordinary gym with the rest of the world. That's the gospel according to me, so lots of people ignore that. But I really believe that's what a successful PR program would do. All that said, Medicare will pay so much for 36 session per life. Most private insurance companies will pay so much per session, but that varies a lot. If you have private insurance, you probably need to call and ask what they'll do. You do have to have a prescription. cheineck is right: walking is an excellent way to do your own rehab. You do need to start wherever you are, VVVEERRYY SSLLLOOOWWWW, because you're going for time. You want to be able to do 30 minutes of walking without stopping to catch your breath, and most of us have to start really slow and add a little bit of time every three or four days. It'll get you into the habit of pushing yourself, because you should be doing that all the time.....not much, just little bits, but adding time, speed or distance. Keep your O2 sats right up in the mid-90's for best results, and it you don't use O2, keep track, because you may very well need O2 for exercise. I travel a lot, I use O2, and I've exercised in many hotel and regular gyms with O2; no one pays any attention or cares.

Hi Jean, Have you travelled overseas with a POC? I'm contemplating purchasing the Inogen 4; I am at 3 lpm when exercising and 2 sleeping; none when sitting. We're thinking about taking a train tour of Europe and was wondering how many batteries I would have to buy/rent. I walk on the treadmill every day - 1.5 miles for 35 minutes - trying to increase the distance to 2 miles. Haven't been doing upper body exercise but my breathing has improved greatly with the use of the treadmill and O2. Any suggestions for me? Thanks.

@A MyCOPDTeam Member depending on where your from ? Here in Canada it is covered by our health insurance I do not know about other places ! Pulmonary Rehab is a good thing to do!

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A MyCOPDT...

Flying with a Portable O2 Concentrator isn't that difficult. It does require some planning. Most domestic airlines have a health section on their website, and that's where you can find the form that your doc has to fill out. For all but Delta the form is good for a year. Delta makes you get a new one every time you fly (which is why I don't bother with them). I always carry that form and I ask for a paper prescription for O2 as well. You carry that with you on the plane. Most of the time no one asks for it, but the time you don't have it is right when some newby is going to get all by the book and ask to see it.

You need to tell the person making your reservations that you're going to be using a POC or call the airlines health desk and let them know. Ask for a wheelchair in airports, especially big ones. Take advantage of the opportunity to board first.

Enjoy the trip!