Helping you
breathe easier
“ I J US T WANT ED
to find out why I was having trouble
breathing, and then I was hit with the news that I had
a trifecta of dangerous health conditions,” says Arlene
Pickard, who is pictured above.
In an effort to uncover the cause of her bouts with
shortness of breath, Arlene’s diagnostic tests revealed that
she had breast cancer, blood clots in her lungs, and a lung
disease called pulmonary arterial hypertension.
After months of recovering from surgeries for her breast
cancer and blood clots, Arlene was ready to tackle one
more hurdle—intense therapy to improve her breathing.
Pulmonary arterial hypertension is essentially high
blood pressure in the lungs. The pulmonary arteries aren’t
working properly, which restricts oxygen from being
pumped throughout the body and forces the heart to work
harder and faster.
“I was limited not only in how far I could walk or how
fast I could walk,” explains Arlene. “Oxygen powers
everything you do, so even carrying my oxygen tank took
extra oxygen and was, at times, very difficult.”
Pulmonary rehabilitation is designed to boost lung
function. PeaceHealth Southwest’s program is medically
supervised and involves close monitoring by a registered
exercise physiologist, a respiratory therapist, and a nurse.
“Being part of this program gave me strength—both
physically and emotionally,” Arlene says. “I regained
strength in my lungs and in my legs, but I also felt strong
because someone was always here to check my oxygen levels
and blood pressure during therapy to make sure I was safe.”
After several weeks, Arlene improved so much that she
was finally able to lose the burden of her oxygen tank and
continue doing the things she loves, like singing in her church
choir. “For so long, someone else had to carry my sheet music
and oxygen tank up to the stage,” Arlene says. “Now, I’m
happy to say, I can walk along with my choir and carry my
own music. It’s made all the difference in the world.”
Cardiac Rehab grads
tackleMount St. Helens
AF T E R 1 0 MONTHS
of training, two recent graduates
from PeaceHealth Southwest Heart & Vascular Center’s
Cardiac Rehabilitation program, Guy Nulph and Larry
Novak, made the trek up Mount St. Helens for an
amazing photo opportunity. But more important, they
demonstrated their strength and courage after recovering
from life-threatening heart conditions to tackle the
4.5-mile hike to the summit of Mount St. Helens—that’s
10,000 feet of elevation change! PeaceHealth Southwest
Heart & Vascular Center’s exercise physiologist, Matt
Nipper, and cardiac rehab registered nurse, Elaine Myers,
came along for this momentous journey (pictured with
Larry and Guy above).
Both climbers are heart attack survivors. Guy had an
emergency stent placed almost two years ago. Larry ended
up with a triple bypass just 1 year, 4 months, and 13 days
before the climb.
“It was tough, but the sense of accomplishment we felt
once we reached the top was indescribable,” says Larry.
“This was the culmination of many months of hard work to
get healthy again after our heart attacks.”
At the PeaceHealth Southwest Heart & Vascular Center,
treatment doesn’t stop when you check out of the hospital.
The Cardiac Rehab program is a nationally certified
outpatient exercise therapy and education program
designed to help patients return to an exceptional quality
of life and stay healthy after a cardiovascular event.
As outpatients, individuals attend three exercise
sessions per week, supported by an exercise physiologist
and cardiac nurses. Participants also attend group classes
to learn about heart-smart eating, coping with cardiac
disease, medication management, and more.
People living with heart failure
face a unique set of needs and
challenges. This may include
distressing symptoms, which can
lead to emergency department
visits or admissions to the hospital.
Heart Connections, a home-
care-based program, helps
patients and their families
during this difficult time. Heart
Connections is a program of
Hospice Southwest and Palliative
Care that focuses on helping
cardiac patients have the best
quality of life possible.
HEART CONNECTIONS WILL:
● ●
Provide care by trained staff
in your home
● ●
Treat symptoms for comfort
● ●
Allow you to stay on your
cardiac medications and seek
reasonable treatments
● ●
Monitor your diet and weight to
better control symptoms
● ●
Work closely with your
physician
● ●
Be available 24 hours a day
Heart Connections is covered
fully by Medicare, Medicaid and
most private insurances.
Heart Connections
5400 MacArthur Blvd.
Vancouver, WA 98661
360-696-5100
profiles
For more information about cardiac or
pulmonary rehabilitation, call
360-514-1600
.
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SOUTHWEST
health
