“I’m falling apart! I have COPD, it’s hard for me to breathe and as if that’s not bad enough, now they tell me my heart is acting up!”

Concurrent disorders, also referred to as co-morbidities, are common with COPD. And it can be discouraging. COPD, with other health issues piled on top, can be a lot to handle. But with a team approach these disorders can be managed effectively – so you can stay on your feet, out of the hospital – and living your life.

Let’s think of it in this way. Picture your health care – the care of your health – as a wheel. At the hub of the wheel are you and your primary care physician. This is usually either a family practice doctor or an internist. He or she takes care of your general health and wellness but should not be reluctant to refer you to a specialist when you need it.

The spokes of the wheel are your specialists. These might be your pulmonary doc, cardiologist, orthopedic surgeon, gastroenterologist, dentist, eye doctor, ear nose and throat doc, urologist, gynecologist, or other. When you are seeing a specialist, your primary care physician should receive reports from each visit.

But no matter how good the hub and the spokes are, a wheel can’t function without the outer circle, the tire that holds it all in place. This outer circle consists of a variety of other important health care professionals; all the good folks who take the doctor’s orders, put them together with your needs as an individual, and work out a plan for effective management of your health. These people are respiratory therapists, nurses, heart failure or other specialty nurses, dieticians, diabetes educators, physical therapists, sleep study technicians, dental hygienists, audiologists, social workers, or others.

So now we have the parts of the wheel – but there’s more. Now you know that your primary care physician must know what’s going on with your other health issues, but it’s especially important that he or she knows each and every medication, vitamin and  / or supplement you’re taking. In fact, every doctor treating you should be aware of all the medications you’re taking. This is because some medications can react with others in a negative way, causing them to lose their effectiveness or causing unwanted side-effects. Some supplements, even if they’re “all natural” can also interact negatively with prescription, or over-the-counter (OTC) medications. Keeping a list of your current medications with you makes this possible – and easy.

Finally, if you require supplemental oxygen, it’s vitally important that you use your oxygen as directed not only to help you breathe easier, but to prevent putting added stress on your body. Keeping yourself at a low oxygen level can exacerbate concurrent disorders – or even cause them! The job of your lungs is to get oxygen into your bloodstream, which then delivers it to all parts of your body to be used as fuel. Your heart, your brain, your liver, your muscles – everything in your body – needs an adequate supply of oxygen to do it’s job. If there isn’t enough oxygen, your body’s organ systems can get into trouble and may even shut down. So, just because you’re not short of breathe (SOB), that doesn’t mean you have enough oxygen. Get your oxygen level tested and follow your doctor’s orders to keep not only your breathing, but all your body systems, on track.