By Serena Agusto-Cox | News & Views
Dave Dreibelbis, age 78, considered himself an active man before his diagnosis led him to a pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) program at the Phoenixville Hospital in Pennsylvania. He was a baseball player until age 19 and a fast-pitch softball and basketball player until his mid-30s and early 40s. He also often walked up to two miles daily before he discovered golf, falling in love with the game nearly 25 years ago. But in April 2021, all of that changed.
“The first thing I noticed when I carried my golf bag to the clubhouse 50 yards away was that by the time I got up there, I was gasping for air, and that had never happened before,” Dreibelbis says. “I considered going home after I calmed down my breathing, but I stayed and played a round of golf.”
The Winding Road to Diagnosis
At his wife’s urging he visited an urgent care center where he was diagnosed with bronchitis and urged to get X-rays and a CT scan. That summer passed with many days on the golf course. In early November, on a trip to see friends in Arizona, Dreibelbis played golf three times and was coughing a great deal, but he wasn’t out of breath.
Dave’s healthcare provider prescribed him steroids and antibiotics and advised him to see a pulmonologist. “The pulmonologist looked at the scans I had back in May 2021 and diagnosed me with pulmonary fibrosis,” he recalls.
Pulmonary fibrosis can cause scarring of the lungs, which makes it difficult to breathe. The disease can develop from long-term exposure to radiation or toxins, but in Dreibelbis’ case, the cause is unknown. His local pulmonologist advised him to see a Temple pulmonologist at a Temple Oaks, Pennsylvania, facility, who confirmed his diagnosis. There is no cure.
“The pulmonologist there went over the diagnosis and what it meant, combing through each part of the scan. But since I was doing well, we both agreed to wait another four months for new scans to see how much the scarring had progressed,” Dreibelbis explains. The new scans showed no additional scarring. But the reprieve was short-lived. “In June, I could barely breathe while taking out the trash, and my wife rushed me to the emergency room where I was admitted and stayed for a few days,” he remembers. “I left the hospital on oxygen.”
Dreibelbis continued to struggle and was eventually referred to Phoenixville Hospital, where he was on steroids for four days with no change. It was here that he met pulmonary therapist, Joan Bassler, who suggested he try PR. He said he’d think about it. He was discharged on about 8 liters of oxygen per minute before he upgraded to a concentrator for use at home that brought his intake up to 10 liters of oxygen per minute. He was again referred to the hospital at Temple Lung Center in Philadelphia that August for 12 days, where the doctors talked about a lung transplant.
From Lung Transplant Candidate to PR Star Patient
After undergoing the tests to qualify for a transplant, he was discharged and remembered Joan Bassler’s advice about rehab. He enrolled in the Phoenixville Hospital PR program. The 36-session program included a consultation and a six-minute walk to capture baseline oxygen and other vitals. Dreibelbis went to PR two times weekly for up to 90 minutes each session. While using the treadmill, recumbent bike, hand bike and other equipment during his sessions, he was on oxygen, which was monitored throughout the program.
“At first, I thought the program was boring, and on rainy or cold days, it was even harder to get motivated,” he says. “I had to push myself to go down to the hospital and get to work.” A television was available to entertain patients, but Dreibelbis found listening to his own playlist was more motivating. “I also had a great pulmonary rehabilitation therapist,” he adds. “Joan Bassler was really encouraging, and she helped me a lot.”
“On the equipment, I was down from that high of 10 liters of oxygen to 7 liters,” Dreibelbis recalls. “By the end of the program, I was down to 1 to 2 liters of oxygen, depending on which piece of equipment I was using.” The hospital had its marketing team interview him for a PR program brochure to encourage others to enroll.
He continued his every other month visit to Temple in Philadelphia for six-minute walks and pulmonary function testing (PFT) until April 26, 2023. “The takeaway for me, is that when I was diagnosed and put on oxygen, I never thought I would be able to play golf again,” he says. After finishing PR, he played nine holes of golf with his brother, who quickly took a photo and video of him, golf club in hand. When he went for his regular checkup at Temple Lung Center in April 2023, he pulled out his phone and showed his doctor and nurse a video of his golf swing when they asked how he was doing. The doctor said he was doing so well he was taken off the transplant list.
Setbacks Can Happen, Get Back to PR
Dreibelbis did struggle to find an exercise routine after he finished his 36 sessions of PR, especially when it came to using the treadmill at his community fitness center. “I met with Joan and she recommended I sign up for a second round of PR, although I only finished 18 of the 36 sessions,” he says. “My six-minute walk at the start of those sessions was just as good as it had been after I finished the first 36 sessions. I did 18 sessions and recommitted myself to my health, and I’ve been more diligent about hitting the community fitness center.”
According to Dreibelbis, PR taught him to keep moving, to get his steps in and to take charge of his own recovery. After the last of his second set of PR sessions, he says, “I took a picture of Joan pointing at me. I put it on my phone to remind me that I must go take a walk today. And I’ve got to take a walk tomorrow.” Dreibelbis credits his progress to the PR program at Phoenixville Hospital, to his health care providers and to a lot of prayers by many churches and individuals.
During his regular checkup visits at Temple Lung Center in Temple Oaks, Pennsylvania, Dreibelbis still takes a six-minute walk test, has lung scans and undergoes PFT. His doctors are pleased to hear that at home, he doesn’t need oxygen if he’s walking around the house or watching TV and only needs about 2 liters of oxygen per minute for other tasks.
“If you have similar respiratory issues, do PR because the results will not only surprise you, but give you the second chance at life you need,” Dreibelbis advises. “But the journey isn’t over, you have to keep at it; keep moving.” With a portable oxygen concentrator, he can return to the game he loves. Dreibelbis says, “I’m grateful for every day I get to golf, spend with family and friends and continue living.”