Where to find Online Support for COPD-Lovego Weekly Report

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Where to find Online Support for COPD

Dealing with COPD may be very daunting, especially when you’ve been newly diagnosed. It’s always a good idea however, to get help and support wherever you can. Aside from talking to your doctor and getting support from your loved ones, the internet can be a great place to turn to for information and encouragement. There are numerous sites that have great content to help you learn more about your condition, while also having community forums where people with chronic lung conditions can share their experiences and turn to one another for support.

Here are our top online picks for sites that help you cope with the challenges of having COPD.

The American Lung Association’s website (www.lung.org)

This site by far is among the best resources for those suffering from lung conditions including COPD. The website provides a comprehensive list of contents for various lung diseases and symptoms, where you can search by keyword or by letter. It offers topnotch information about the different lung conditions, their treatments, current research trends, as well as advice for managing lung diseases. It contains a section on COPD, along with tips and a management plan. The website also points you to support groups that COPD patients can meet with and participate in, like the Better Breathers Club. It also contains a list of online support groups where patients can join.

The COPD Foundation’s website and its forum COPD360social (www.copdfoundation.org)

The COPD Foundation is a non-profit organization that aims to improve the lives of COPD patients. Its website has excellent content on learning about COPD and dealing with everyday challenges that COPD patients go through. The website’s online forum, named COPD360social, promotes an interactive environment where users such as patients, family members, and health care professionals can ask questions and post about experiences. Users can also give out advice, comment on blogs, and discuss various topics related to COPD. Such an environment provides the members with an online venue to communicate, encouraging social and emotional support for COPD pattients, caregivers, and their families.

GSK’s site for COPD (www.copd.com)

Glaxo-Smith-Kline’s specialized website for COPD has a very neat format and is ideal for patients newly diagnosed with COPD and their family members. The site provides a lot of easy-to-understand information, from learning COPD basics to making a COPD plan. It contains various articles on COPD topics, and also provides a lot of videos to help you learn more about managing the daily aspects of COPD. It also encourages patients to complete the COPD checklist (shich is downloadable from the site), set down goals, and take simple steps every day to improve your health. The site is very easy to navigate and provides patients and caregivers with a multitude of resources on nutrition, exercise, and activities. The videos are very nicely done and feature actual COPD patients who share their experiences and advice about managing their condition. Simply sign up at the site to get more of the free tools and information the site has to offer.

COPD forum at Supportgroups.com (copd.supportgroups.com)

If you’re looking for an online forum where you can easily participate in discussions, SupportGroup’s forum on COPD may just be what you need. SupportGroups.com hosts 220 social support networks that are specific for certain conditions ranging from depression to cancer, allowing patients to seek advice and emotional support by interacting with people who may be going through the same challenges as they are. As a user, you can join various groups, post pictures and videos, ask questions, share how you’re feeling, add helpful links, and respond to other people’s posts. The group on COPD has a lot of active members who respond and help one another through advice and emotional support.  Simply sign up by clicking th “Join Now” button on the upper part of the page, and you can start posting and commenting on the COPD group.

Whatever stage of COPD you are in, it’s always helpful to learn more about your condition and get support from a community who can relate with your problems and challenges. Knowing that there are people out there going through the same things as you are can help make you feel better and less alone in your battles. The websites above can also help you connect with resources and people who can give you help or advice regarding your condition. So whenever you’re feeling down because of your COPD, get online, read some tips, and share your feeling and concerns. It always helps knowing that there are people like you out there!

Do you know of other online sites that provide support for COPD patients? What are your expereinces from these? We’d love to hear about them in the comments below!

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