Keeping Your Airways Clear-Lovego Weekly Report

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Keeping Your Airways Clear

Mucus-or, more accurately , getting rid of mucus-is often a pesky problem for people with COPD . The disease makes you produce more mucus than people who don't have COPD, and if you allow it to stay in your lungs , it can make breathing even harder. It can also promote infections.

Some of the medications that your doctor prescribes may help loosen mucus in your airways, so you can cough up more of it. Drinking lots of fluids also helps keep the mucus thin, so it's easier to cough out. And , believe it or not, regular exercise helps loosen mucus and move it out of the lungs.

Before you start tossing back gallons of water to thin out your mucus, talk to your doctor. Other health conditions may require you to limit your fluid intake, so if you have one of these conditions, you'll need to consider other methods to keep your airways free from mucus.

You can use various coughing techniques to get rid of mucus, and your doctor probably will recommend trying them before considering mechanical devices or medications specifically aimed at clearing mucus.

Postural Drainage:

The postural drainage technique is common in hospitals and may be part of what your home health aide does for you. NOTE: If you don't have a home health aide , this technique may be less convenient than others.

To do postural drainage , you lie on your stomach on your bed, with your head and arms hanging over the side; your elbows should rest on the floor or on a pillow placed on the floor. Someone-home health aide, spouse, or other family member-claps you on your back to shake mucus loose so you can cough it out. You can adjust your position so the " clapper " can target areas where you feel congested.

Deep Coughing:

Deep coughing simply means using your stomach muscles, rather than just your throat and chest muscles, when you cough. Using just your throat muscles doesn't really affect the mucus in your lungs: it's more effective for moving mucus in your throat to the esophagus so it can be swallowed. Using your chest muscles results in a hacking cough, which can be very tiring and which doesn't loosen mucus farther down in the lungs.

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Rehab goals and who needs rehab- Lovego weekly report

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Rehab goals and who needs rehab

Rehab Goals:

The goals of any pulmonary rehab program are to control and ease symptoms of COPD and, therefore, to improve the patients quality of life-and maybe even extend the patients’ life expectancy. Research indicates that the multidisciplinary approach does a pretty good job of attaining those goals, too. Patients who take part in rehab improve their tolerance for movement and activity and are enable to engage in movement and activity for longer periods. They also report fewer episodes of feeling short of breath and a better quality of life. Finally, and significantly, rehab reduces healthcare costs because those patients typically don't use emergency and hospital services as much as COPD patients who aren't in a rehab program.

There's no evidence that your lung function actually improves with pulmonary rehabilitation when you have COPD. However, it does help you maximize your existing lung function, and the other health benefits of exercise, nutrition, and counselling help make breathing easier and improve your quality of life.

A formal rehab program may include exercises and therapies that you wouldn't otherwise use, and some that you may already be using. For example, most pulmonary rehab programs include training in controlled breathing techniques such as diaphragmatic breathing or pursed-lip breathing. But you're likely already using one or more of these breathing techniques: COPD seem to instinctively find the method that works for them to ease their symptoms.

Other techniques do require training if you're to do them properly and without risking injury. Techniques like postural drainage and chest percussion are effective ways to clear the airways of mucus, but, to be safe and effective, you need specific instructions from a rehab specialists who is similar who is familiar with the technique. And, until you're completely comfortable with it, you shouldn't use these techniques except under the supervision of your rehab specialist.

Who Needs Rehab:

Many doctors and pulmonologists routinely recommend rehab only for their patients with severe, late stage COPD. Research shows that even patients who are so sick that the need lung surgery or a transplant can improve their overall fitness and lung function with the proper rehab program.

There's also a growing body of evidence that early rehab can at least delay and perhaps even prevent the progress of COPD. Like most disease's, the earlier COPD is diagnosed and properly treated, the less likely it is to cause severe disruptions in your life. And, of cause the less severe the disease, the lower the costs-in time, money , and energy-of treating it effectively.

Even if your COPD is in the mild or moderate stage, ask your doctor about pulmonary rehab. If your doctor seems reluctant to recommend it for you, ask him if it makes sense as a preventive measure-a way to help slow the progress of your COPD.

The key to a successful rehab program is an individualized structure. Every element of your rehab program should be geared towards your specific needs, from your tolerance for certain forms of exercise to your diet to your goals for everyday living.

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Keeping Up Your Mental Energy-Lovego weekly report

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Keeping Up Your Mental Energy 

Just as depression can put you in a cycle of ever-worsening health and declining energy, a positive outlook can help you manage COPD better, and perhaps even slow its progress.

Mounting research shows that a positive mental outlook has definite health benefits. Optimists have stronger immune systems and recover more quickly from illness, injury, and surgery. When it comes to chronic illnesses like COPD, they tend to have less frequent acute attacks.

So how do you cultivate a positive mental outlook? Here are some tips below that can help you feel more cheerful and upbeat.

Exercise. Part of the reason your doctor wants you to exercise, even if only a tiny bit, is because exercise does wonders for your mental health. Movement stimulates the natural feel-good chemicals in your brain, and the more of those feel-good chemicals you can release, the less severe your physical symptoms seem.

Keep Up Your Social Connections. Isolation and loneliness, especially among the elderly, can be just as debilitating as physical ailments. Make an effort to keep in touch with friends and family. If you can't go out on the town like you used to, ask people to visit you in your home. Use the telephone and email to stay connected with the people who mean the most to you.

Count Your Blessings. It sounds trite and corny, but research has shown that people who focus on good things in their lives feel happier and more satisfied. You can use several techniques to remind yourself of the things that make life good for you. You can try to keep a gratitude journal, in which you write down events and things that you're grateful for or that make you feel happy. Or, before you go to sleep each night , think of three good things that happened that day ; if you can think of more than three , even better.

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COPD is not a death sentence-Lovego weekly report

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COPD is not a death sentence

"COPD is not a death sentence.” These are the words of the late Bill Horden, COPD patient advocate and writer. And these are the words I clung to when diagnosed with severe COPD in August 2000.

That summer I began to have spells when I couldn’t catch my breath while doing the simplest of activities. I was extremely short of breath most of the time, and I was smoking way too many cigarettes.

Following a battery of tests, including a spirometry and arterial blood gas, my family doctor said, “It’s bad, very, very bad.” The words didn’t scare me as much as the sombre look on his face and the sad tone in his voice. “You have severe emphysema,” he said, “which is progressive and incurable.” The next few minutes were a blur as he explained the diagnosis, interspersed with instructions for the nurse to order oxygen to be delivered to my home that very afternoon.

Oxygen! I thought. No, he can’t be serious. Too stunned to ask questions, I nodded as he referred me to a pulmonary specialist and told me I needed to be in a pulmonary rehabilitation program.

That day my life changed forever. In a blink of an eye, I went from an independent, energetic newspaper editor with a bright future to a disabled, chronically ill patient, who had to rely on oxygen at night and medications by day to breath more easily.

I tried to keep up with my fast-paced lifestyle, which now included 3 days a week at pulmonary rehab, but I couldn’t. I simply did not have the energy. I took a leave of absence from work and fell into a deep depression.

I felt like I had become my illness. I had no life of my own—merely a life of survival—racing from doctor to doctor only to confirm what I already knew: at age 54, I had end-stage COPD caused by more than 30 years of smoking. I suffered in silence, wondering how long I had to live. 3 years? 5 years? I didn’t know and was too afraid to ask. After months of living in limbo, I got downright angry and vowed I would not settle for a life that was defined by this illness. I turned to the internet to learn all I could about COPD. The one thing I already knew was that pulmonary rehab was beginning to work miracles on my breathing and overall health.

While researching COPD online, I stumbled across the website of the late Bill Horden, known as the COPD Advocate. His positive words of wisdom gave me hope that I could not only live with COPD, but live well by becoming an informed patient and learning how to manage my disease.

I joined an online support group, where members shared their experiences on living with COPD. I learned that quitting smoking was the best thing I could do to slow the progression of my disease and that exercise was the key to keeping my energy levels up. I developed an attitude of gratitude, as many members were sicker than I was. When depressed, I spent time in the chat rooms with people who knew exactly how I was feeling.

Today my lifestyle does not revolve around my illness. I have adjusted to the fact that I have physical limitations and spend my precious energy wisely doing the things that are important and meaningful to me. I am grateful for what I can do—even on the days when I must slow down and rest because my breathing is more labored than usual.

My pulmonary function tests are almost the same as when I was first diagnosed 4 years ago. I attribute that gift to staying physically, mentally, and socially active and to staying connected to others who suffer from COPD.

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Targeted Exercises For Your Goals-Lovego weekly report

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Targeted Exercises For Your Goals

COPD often is associated with muscle weakness , especially in the Upper Body and in the Legs. Targeted exercise can help preserve and improve muscle strength , which in turn , enables you to do more and to remain independent longer . Your occupational therapist will show you how to do certain exercises and explain how to help.

Upper Body Strength:

Your body uses more energy-and puts a higher demand on your lungs-when you use your arms, shoulders, chest , and neck. This is why some daily activities like bathing, dressing , and grooming yourself can be tiring when you have COPD . It's also why carrying things groceries and laundry baskets can be difficult, and why you may feel nervous about pulling heavy objects from upper shelves in the kitchen or closet.

Upper-body exercises typically are designed to improve flexibility, strength, and range of motion. Your therapist may have you place a long, wide band of resistant rubber under your feet and pull up with both hands , for instance to strengthen both your grip and the muscles in your arms and shoulders.

The goal of any exercise program is to increase your tolerance for and ability to move around. Even if you have the strength to do your exercises for only a couple of minutes each day, investing those couple of minutes is important. A regular exercise routine will help you keep whatever strength you've got and eventually, make you stronger.

Lower Body Strength:

Weakness in the legs is common with COPD, and that's not surprising. After all, if you have trouble breathing, you’re not likely to increase your activity level , and the lack of activity leads to loss of muscle tone and mass. Then, when you try to increase your activity level , you find yourself fighting harder for breath at even lower levels of exertion , and you feel so weak that you can't do much anyway.

Research indicates that COPD patients benefit more from an exercise program that includes specific arm and leg exercises than from a generic program. Breathing capacity and quality of life both are higher in people with COPD who use a targeted exercise program.

Treadmill walking and stationary cycling are often recommended for COPD patients, but make sure you're ready and able to undergo this type of exercise. If your COPD symptoms don't seem to be well controlled, talk to your doctor before starting any exercise program.

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