Management of severe COPD

Hello rossop:

   My heart goes out to you in your time of difficulty.

I, at one time had problems with exaserbations with my

COPD.  I had Pneumonia 3X, was intubated once, and

hospitalized 3X, once by Ambulance. 

   I also use Proventil, Atrovent, and Asmanex.

I use puffers and nebs.  I have not had a problem in the

last 6 years.

    What I did, with Doctor's advice?  Breathing exercises,

walking, and concious breathing. 

  Of course, I am not on oxygen, so this makes a difference.

My COPD is moderate, so that makes a big difference.  I am also

smoking about 5 Cigarettes/day (stupid right?).

I try to keep a positive attitude, and a thankful heart.

My condition could be worse (CANCER), so I try to be thankful.

I am 72 years old, and have been smoking for 59 years!

    Well, I do hope you will be feeling better soon, and my Prayers are

with you.

Take Care,

John

Hi there... Sorry to hear you're having a rough time. Two exacerbations in one week is pretty distressing. My first thought is that you're encountering some kind of trigger that is setting these spells off. For instance, you don't say where you live, but out west where I live, forest fires are common this time of year and they can greatly reduce the air quality, which definitely can have an effect on people with chronic airway disease like you and my mom. If that's the case, then your symptoms should even out as air quality eventually improves. Meanwhile, stay indoors with the doors and windows closed as much as you can.

Or, have you been more active than usual? Activity requires tremendous reserves of energy in people with COPD. Even seemingly simple things like dressing and preparing meals can make you short of breath.

The medicines you are on sound generally appropriate for someone with COPD, but not everyone responds the same to medicines, so experimentation is sometimes needed to find the exact right combination. This is especially true, given the chronic progressive nature of COPD. You can expect your lungs to get gradually worse as the years go by, and changes in medicine might be needed as that happens.

Also, it could be that you need to be using your supplemental oxygen more often or more consistently. As COPD progresses, it's not uncommon to start using the oxygen all the time.

If you've had 5 fairly healthy years, I know it must be a shock to suddenly have such severe problems, but I can tell you something similar happened to my mom. She seemed so healthy at times, we could hardly believe she even did have COPD, and then a year ago, she suddenly started to have visible symptoms, which do seem to be growing steadily worse.

I don't want to discourage you, though. A heart to heart conversation with a doctor is in order here. If your doctor seems to be at a loss as to how to treat you, then it might make sense to consult with a respiratory specialist, such as a pulmonologist. I'm confident that there is a treatment plan that can help keep your respiratory status fairly stable, so that you are not traveling to the hospital twice every week!

To your health,

Kathi