Helpful advice for COPD Self-care--Lovego Weekly report

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Helpful advice for COPD Self-care

Do you have COPD and aren’t sure how to handle your medications and oxygen? Maybe you’ve just been diagnosed and are overwhelmed with all the changes. Or maybe you’ve been living with COPD for some time, and have wanted to learn about how you can care for yourself more efficiently? Most COPD patients know how you feel, and many of them have been successfully able to manage their conditions and still lead healthy, meaningful lives. Here are some tips to guide you with learning how to do self-care more efficiently.

Monitor yourself continuously. One very important aspect of COPD self-care is monitoring yourself continuously. Every day, you have to assess how you are feeling, what symptoms are bothering you, how your energy levels are doing, and how you are responding to medications. To do this, it’s a good idea to keep a journal and set aside a time every day to jot down what you have observed with yourself. You can also write about any physical activities you did or plan to do, and how you feel about them. You can also make a checklist regarding how you feel and what symptoms you have experienced on a particular day. You can then print out this checklist and make a lot of copies, so that all you have to do every day is tick off what feelings and symptoms are applicable. Keeping a journal or record can be very useful — it can help you pinpoint any patterns, any triggers, or simply give you and your health care team a preview of how you have been doing for the past days or weeks. This can be very useful during hospital admissions and physician visits.

Know all about your treatments. In COPD, various treatments are given to optimize breathing and, increase oxygen levels, and lessen the occurrence of symptoms and attacks. It’s quite important to know what your medications are and what each one of them does. Bronchodilators, corticosteroids, and other medications can be included in your daily regimen. Knowing what each of these medications are, how they act, how they should be taken, and what possible side effects they cause can help you be more observant of how your symptoms react with each medication. Oxygen therapy is another essential aspect of COPD treatment. Depending on your needs, your doctor will prescribe you with the oxygen concentration and duration you need to take every day. You may be required to be on oxygen for at least 15 hours, and even up to 24 hours. Knowing your options regarding oxygen therapy can help you decide how to manage this aspect, such as when you are going out of the house or when having to travel.


Make a checklist. Having COPD means having to take daily medications, use your oxygen for certain times of the day (or always), keep track of any symptoms and make sure you have done your exercises and other supplemental treatments. A great way to remind yourself about the items you have to do every day and keep track of the medications and treatments would be to make a checklist. List down all the things you have to do for your condition every day, with a check box beside each item that you can mark when you’ve done it. Aside from functioning as a to-do list, a checklist is also a handy tool that makes you keep track of everything you’ve accomplished for the day.


Know how to manage stress and reduce anxiety. Relaxation and breathing techniques such as belly breathing and visualizing can help you manage stress and keep negative emotions at bay. To do belly breathing, simply look for a comfortable place to sit, relax your shoulders and upper body, then breathe in slowly through your nose, counting to three while you allow your belly to expand as much as it can. Then, place your lips in a pursed position, and slowly exhale to a count of six while allowing your belly to flatten. Do this several times until you feel relaxed. It also helps to think about or visualize your happy place. This could be a place during your childhood, or a place where you are happy with your loved ones. Think about the sensations you will be feeling when in your happy place. As you breathe in and out slowly while visualizing your happy place, you will find that you will be at a very relaxed state,

Advice when doing activities. Before you do any activity, it’s important that you evaluate how important that activity is and how you are feeling before doing the activity. A good idea is to ask yourself some questions before any activity, such as: “Why do I need to do this activity?” “What time is the best time to do this activity?” “Do I have enough energy to do this activity?” “Are there any ways to make the activity easier?” Asking yourself these questions can help you determine the importance of the activity and whether it is a big priority.

Know how to move around the home efficiently. When moving around the home, it’s important to conserve your energy and do things slowly. When doing chores, sit down while doing them whenever possible, such as when preparing food, cooking and doing dishes. When doing chores that require moving around, don’t rush; stop whenever you are tired. Try switching between easy chores and difficult chores to avoid getting too tired. Also, its best to keep frequently used items within reach around the home, such as plates, cups, and other things you use daily.

Advice on bathing and dressing. Choose a time for bathing when you have the most energy. It’s best to have a chair to sit down on during your shower to keep you from getting tired. Keep the temperature to moderate rather than too hot, as the steam may add to any breathing difficulties. Aside from this, it’s best to shower or bath when there is someone in the home to help you if any emergencies or incidents arise. Dry yourself off with a robe instead of a towel to preserve your energy. When dressing, lay out everything you need within reach, which you can also do the night before. As much as possible, sit down while dressing and choose loose fitting clothes.

Ask your doctor or health care team to outline a self-care plan for you. Your physician, along with your health care team, knows what’s best for you. With their years of experience treating COPD patients, they can help you with self-care by drawing out a plan where you get to learn what to do regarding various aspects of your condition, along with everyday aspects of life. They can even show you how to do various things, such as monitor your symptoms, use your oxygen effectively, and do exercises.

Keeping all of these tips in mind will make it easier for you to care for yourself and prevent any COPD attacks. If you live alone, make sure that you have easy access to emergency numbers, as well as having a friend or relative to call whenever you need help. Remember that the person who can take care of you the most is yourself, so knowing how to do self-care is important whatever conditions you have.





 

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