Southview Rehabilitation for a Dayton Man Aids in a Life Saving Lung Transplant

Clyde had been experiencing breathing problems for quite sometime when he decided to visit the Cleveland Clinic in early 2007 to see what, if any, medication or treatment was available.  After x-rays and blood work up it was confirmed he had Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Before Clyde could participate in a clinical trial for the disease he needed to have a biopsy. Unfortunately, for Clyde, the results were not as hoped.  His expected overnight stay turned out to be a week stay in the intensive care unit.

Before that visit to the clinic, Clyde had been walking around and living life with what he though was a minor breathing problem and he had never been on oxygen support. After his stay in intensive care, he was sent home with 13L of oxygen and in a wheelchair.

Due to the damage from the biopsy his only recourse was a lung transplant. His local pulmonary doctor suggested that his wife put him in hospice, but Clyde would not give hospice any consideration.

In order to be eligible for the transplant Clyde had to take several tests and needed rehabilitation to help him pass some of those test.   He began rehab at the Pulmonary Rehabilitation Center at Southview Medical Center. On his first visit to the center Clyde was skeptical.

“I am going to teach you how to breathe,” said Pat, respiratory care therapist at Southview.

Clyde laughed to himself and thought, “What a waste of time this is going to be.” Now, he admits Pat was right. “There really is a technique behind breathing correctly.”

On each six week visit to Cleveland, Clyde showed improvement, but he still needed to make a six minute walk without oxygen before he would be placed on the transplant list.

Clyde knew he had to fight. He kept visiting the rehabilitation center at Southview Medical Center and made his six minute walk on Dec, 14 2007. Clyde continued to visit Southview up until his transplant and had well over 100 visits before receiving his new lung on July 31st at the Cleveland Clinic.

Two days after surgery Clyde was off oxygen. Only 11 days after surgery, he was released to the Cleveland Guest House where he stayed a short two weeks. Typically a lung transplant patient would spend 30 days in the hospital and three months in the guest house. Clyde attributes his short stay to his hard work and the dedicated staff at Southview Medical Center.

“The staff at Southview were great throughout the entire process, they even gave me a special parking pass.  The funny thing is now that I have a state issued handicap sticker, I try not to use it, so the spot is left open for someone who really needs it,” says Clyde.

After healing, Clyde continued to visit the rehab for an additional 10 visits. His Cleveland specialists have credited his success before, during, and after surgery to his pulmonary rehabilitation work. He still goes to the Cleveland every four months for a breathing test, but is grateful and blessed for the new life he has been given.

He is back to work in his profession, and enjoys travel by car and air. Clyde is now active around the home and is on the treadmill each day for a half hour and increasing the speed regularly.

“I am a different person than before; I can do the little things again, like take the trash out. People say to me all the time, ‘Clyde, you have been through a lot,’ and I reply, ‘no, I haven’t’, but then when I sit back and think about it, I guess I have. I received much support and encouragement from the pulmonary rehab staff at Southview, which I am very grateful for.”