Quality, Compassion, and Lifesaving Care: How Beebe Helped Carol Breathe Easy Again
For more than five years, respiratory distress was a key theme in Carol’s life. She had trouble breathing, walking short distances, and doing everyday activities. At one point, Carol felt so badly that she went one of Beebe’s walk-in care clinics with hopes of being prescribed medication that might help her feel better. Instead, she left that clinic in an ambulance.
“The nurse took my vitals and then quickly left the room,” recalls Carol. “She came back with oxygen, a doctor, and the message that I needed to get to the hospital immediately.”
En route to the Emergency Department in an ambulance, Carol lost consciousness, and didn’t wake up for over a week. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema, a chronic heart condition, and health issues related to Carol’s weight were threatening her life. She needed to make some lifestyle changes, quickly, if she wanted to survive. And, she did.
A lifechanging step was Carol’s decision to join Beebe’s Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program. It allowed her to gradually begin incorporating exercise into her life, in a place that was supportive, comfortable, and medically supervised. Initially, getting in the door was difficult, and Carol needed to sit and rest in the lobby area before making her way down the hallway into the rehab gym. There were days that she didn’t feel up to going, but she mustered up the energy and courage to go anyway.
“Everyone around me was also addressing a medical issue, and the staff was so encouraging and supportive,” recalls Carol. “There is no judgement when you need to take things at your own pace, or when you need to take a rest. It was a very gradual process, and it was not easy, but I definitely started to see improvements in my health. It really changed everything for me.”
Over time, big changes took place. Since joining the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program, Carol has lost over 100 pounds. She is breathing much easier. She has learned to love her exercise routine. And a very important, yet unexpected bonus is that she has built new relationships that have evolved into friendships Carol knows she will have for the rest of her life.
“When you are going in there several times a week and seeing familiar faces, you start to have a bit of fun. You start getting to know the people around you on a personal level and they become your friends,” said Carol. “There is a group of people who connected at rehab that now socializes every Friday night. We care about and support each other, and enjoy being together.”
Carol is incredibly thankful for Beebe’s Pulmonary Rehabilitation team for the ways they believed in her, encouraged her, and helped her change her life for the better. She has also relied on Beebe for cardiac care, obstetrical care (both of her children were born at Beebe, years ago), cancer care, and surgical weight loss.
“I can’t speak highly enough about the ways this hospital has taken care of me – physically as well as mentally and socially,” said Carol. “They have provided care, time and time again, that has changed and saved my life. When you go to Beebe, you are surrounded by people who care.”
With her health in check, Carol is now able to enjoy the things in life that are most important to her. Spending quality time with her children and grandchildren tops the list. Being able to volunteer with her church’s food pantry and soup kitchen is important to her. And simple things like being able to go out shopping, with ease, bring her happiness, too.
“I didn’t get to do the simple things for a long time,” Carol said. “Now I do it all, because I can."
