Many men would rather do anything but mow the lawn, but not Ben Clements.
In fact, he’s thrilled to walk behind his lawn mower again. “I guess you don’t appreciate it until you can’t do it anymore,” said the retired director of environmental health and safety at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
“A year and a half ago I acquired a microbacterial infection in my lungs,” said Clements, 76. “I already had COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) because I had smoked for years. I had quit smoking, but the COPD came back. My resistance was down and I got infected.”
What is COPD?COPD is a group of lung diseases that include emphysema and chronic bronchitis that constrict airflow to the lungs and destroy lung tissue. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. More than 12 million people have been diagnosed with COPD and it is estimated that another 12 million Americans may have COPD and not be aware of it. COPD is frequently associated with smoking, second-hand smoke and having smoked in the past.
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| David Vines, M.H.S, R.R.T., is director of UT Allied Health Therapeutics. | |
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“Without enough oxygen, people get short of breath and often cannot perform everyday tasks. This can truly become a debilitating and life-threatening disease,” explained David Vines, M.H.S, R.R.T., assistant professor and program director of the respiratory care program at the UT Health Science Center. Vines also is director of UT Allied Health Therapeutics, a comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facility associated with the UT Health Science Center.
Free COPD screening Saturday, Jan. 26UT Allied Health Therapeutics is holding a free COPD screening and evaluation from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 26. The facility is located on the first floor of the School of Allied Health Sciences building, 8403 Floyd Curl Drive.
The screening will include pulmonary function testing, pulmonary stress testing, physical therapy screening, educational materials on COPD and an explanation of COPD medication delivery devices.
Do you have COPD?The Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease offers the following quick quiz regarding COPD symptoms. If you answer yes to three of the following five questions, you may have COPD; however, COPD must be diagnosed by a physician.
- Do you cough several times most days?
- Do you bring up phlegm or mucus most days?
- Do you become short of breath more easily than others your age?
- Are you older than 40?
- Are you a current or former smoker?
Regaining strength and endurance with COPD After Clements recovered from pneumonia, his physician referred him to UT Allied Health Therapeutics in order to increase his strength and stamina.
UT Allied Health Therapeutics is the only comprehensive outpatient rehabilitation facility in northwest San Antonio. “We are a multidisciplinary clinic, so we work together closely to create and implement a treatment plan to meet the personal needs and goals of each patient,” Vines said. “We provide physician-directed diagnostic, therapeutic and restorative services.”
Clements said, “When I came here [UT Allied Health Therapeutics], I could only walk 100 feet and had a lot of trouble breathing.”
Now on maintenance regimen after an eight-week individualized rehabilitation program, Clements is able to be without supplementary oxygen for up to eight hours a day. He also can mow the yard, push a vacuum cleaner and walk a mile outdoors.
For more information about the COPD screening or UT Allied Health Therapeutics, please call (210) 567-8850.
