RE: Werre...not a lot of movement in rib cage with respiration..and manganes

[Guest guest]

Greetings Pat !

Sorry to hear it's an 'interesting' time for you. If you don't mind I

will jump in and answer one of your questions.

> ... so I wonder where I could find information on what sort of

> exercises he could do to help his chest muscles. Would this cause

> him to have a shortage of oxygen and if so, could it be contibuting

> to his confusion at all?

Yes, it will add to the confusion. Not enough oxygen = not enough

oxygen to help the brain function well.

Yes, if your father is not breathing well, it can contribute to his

shortage of oxygen. What sort of exercises? Well, the most important

is to help your father learn to breathe using the diaphragm, not just

the upper chest muscles. This takes a LOT of practice. If you wonder

if that's the problem. Place a hand on his abdomen while he breathes.

If that part of his body rises and falls with this breathing, he is a

diaphragmatic breather. All you would need to do is to encourage him

frequently (many times per day) to breathe deeper. This will help his

body to learn to breathe more deeply. If not, then a physical therapist

should be able to help.

In either event, if your father is not getting enough oxygen into his

blood stream, then he should see a pulmonologist as soon as possible.

Remember, work with his doctors to try to improve his situation.

Regards,

=jbf=

B. Fisher