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"It gave me a boost throughout the autumn"
She had already been ill for many years when she finally collapsed 10 years ago. Since then, she has struggled with breathing difficulties, flare-ups, and hospital admissions, because sometimes her breathing fails altogether.
"When I have an attack like that, it feels as though I am about to suffocate. I also get terribly hot, and have to hang out of the window to cool down while I wait for the ambulance," says Karin.
Could exercise at home
But not all the years have been this difficult. During the autumn of 2005, she took part in a project through the Norwegian Centre for Telemedicine. A total of 10 participants in the project had a computer installed and connected to the TV at home in their living rooms.
This technical solution enabled the participants to measure their oxygen level themselves, for example, and then to send the results to the rehabilitation service at the Elisabeth Centre in Tromsø. They could also talk directly with the physiotherapist in town, and take part in common exercise sessions for all the participants via the TV screen in their own living room.
"It was a bit strange at the beginning to sit at home and see all the others in the group exercising. But it was fun. We started all the group sessions with a round of laughter," she confides, and smiles, thinking back to the autumn a year and a half ago.
Patients with COPD are absolutely dependent on exercise to keep the disease under control. But for very many of them, the journey to a rehabilitation centre is long.
If you are very ill, you cannot manage even the short trip from the suburb of Kroken into the centre of Tromsø, only 6 km (less than 4 miles) away. Karin has experienced this herself many times. The solution developed through the telemedicine project "Min Helsestasjon" ("My Health Centre") can then make the difference between regular exercise or becoming even more ill and being admitted to hospital time after time.
Sparkling with the joy of life
Karin has an illness that she will never be able to shake off, and it makes its mark on her life. There are many things she used to enjoy that she can no longer do. But her cheerfulness, her persistence and her hobbies leave a lasting impression. Karin has no intention of giving up.
She talks about her hobbies, and every single day she does what she can manage and what she feels like doing. For example, she has created both exquisite necklaces and fabric pictures, while photography is now one of her great passions.
"I focus on what I can do, and I don't sit around moping about what I cannot manage any more," she says, and shows one of the beautiful wall hangings she has created during the good times.
Although the telemedicine project is over, her memories of all the good experiences from the autumn a year and a half ago remain. She had the opportunity to be involved in developing technology that can be used to help others. It also became extremely important for her to be able to take part in a social fellowship, even though she was sitting at home in her chair and could not go out.
"Taking part in this project gave me a boost throughout the autumn of 2005, when I was actually very ill. In spite of that, I was able to be involved and contribute something positive. And then I could meet others and start exercising again, during a period when I was so ill that I could not travel into town."
An easier everyday life for people with chronic diseases
The researchers at the NST are now doing further work on new projects based on their experience from 2005. The aim is to develop new technical solutions that can make everyday life easier for people with chronic illnesses, such as Karin Ludvigsen.
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