If You Have COPD, What You Should Know About your Heart

By Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT, CRT, Health Pro Thursday, July 21, 2011

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You’re visiting this site right now because chances are you or a loved one has COPD – a lung disease. So, why is this a sharepost about the heart? Your heart and lungs work closely together, as partners, and when one is compromised the other one works harder to compensate and get the job ...

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Kathi MacNaughton, Health Pro

8/ 2/11 5:14pm

Great article, Jane! Thanks for sharing your knowledge. I thought you explained how the heart and COPD are connected so clearly.

Kathi

Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT, CRT, Health Pro

8/ 2/11 6:00pm

Thank you, Kathi! It was fun writing that one and I look forward to working on my next article about common cardiac tests.

Jane.

dabardi

8/ 4/11 9:34am

thank you. I find many of your articles very informative. I have emphysema. Information helps keep unnecessary paranoia at bay. Therefore I am able to have some control over my breathing when times get rough. I have been curious about what is happening to my heart during breathless bouts. I look forward to the second part of the article.

Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT, CRT, Health Pro

8/ 4/11 10:13am

Dear Dabardi,

I'm glad you found it helpful. You're so right about information! A wise woman with very severe asthma once said that we're much less inclined to fear what we understand. And this holds true especially when you have any chronic lung disease.

Sometimes it can be very tricky (even for doctors) to know if it is the heart or the lungs causing problems in the chest. I'm looking forward to posting the article on Common Cardiac tests.

Have a good breathing day.

Jane.

http://www.breathingbetterlivingwell.com

journeyfawn

8/14/11 6:30pm

I wanted to give you a big thanks for keeping it simple! I understood what you wrote. journeyfawn

Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT, CRT, Health Pro

11/ 1/11 2:21pm

Dear Journeyfawn,

Thank you for your comment. I do my best to keep it simple and easy to understand. If we can't understand what's going on, how can we help ourselves?

Thanks again,

Jane.

http://www.breathingbetterlivingwell.com

anne louise

11/ 1/11 4:01pm

your article was very good but my concern, I thinkk, is with the left side. I have alot of edema in lower legs and feet plus shortness of breath. I do have COPD and am on spirava and ventolin but breathing is still short and labored. Does both the edema and breathing difficulties have to do with heart. Am being referred to cardiologist for both but would like your insight. thank you

Jane M. Martin, BA, LRT, CRT, Health Pro

11/27/11 12:31pm

Dear Anne Louise,

Thank you.

Yes, edema and breathing difficulties can both be related to the heart. It's good that you're being referred to a cardiologist.

If you have left-sided heart failure, that may be very treatable and your doctor might put you on diuretics or "water pills" to get rid of some of that extra fluid.

Again, your heart and lungs work closely together, so if one is over-worked, the other one works harder to take up the slack and consequently, that can cause problems.

I hope it goes well with your cardiologist and you breathe easier soon!

Jane.

http://www.breathingbetterlivingwell.com

If You Have COPD, What You Should Know About your Heart

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