Conversations about COPD (Survey)

IN Emphysema COPD Asthma
Conversations about COPD
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TR December 2, 2013 at 6:03pm
Hello, I posted an introduction of myself a couple of weeks back. I am doing a project on COPD for my college Health Psychology Class. If you would please help me by answering a few questions.

  1. What are some everyday occurrences that are harder to do with COPD?
  2. What type of medications and therapies help with COPD?
  3. Are there any alternative treatments besides medications that could help with COPD?

TM December 2, 2013 at 6:28pm

  1. If I stroll I do good. Walking fast is out of my league now.
  2. I take Spiriva once a day and use a inhaler Symbicort 2 times a day when I need it with 1 200mg Ibuprofen a day.
  3. I found changing my diet helped a lot. I eat no pasta and I only eat rye bread now. I felt a big change in my whole body the 1st week of this diet. My chest does not feel heavy anymore. Hope this helped you.

MH December 3, 2013 at 8:59pm

  1. Just going to my mailbox approx. 60 ft. I get out of breath.
  2. I am on Brovano used in Nebulizer 2 times a day, also on Proventil Rescue Inhaler, Qvar Inhaler 2 times daily.
  3. I’m sure there are several but I am on Skinny Body Care which is an All Natural Supplement used to help in Losing weight but I have found it to have many other health benefits and my breathing seems to be somewhat easier and my chest don’t seem to be as tight. There are no stimulants in it nor caffeine to make me jittery and my Heart doc, Lung doc and PCP have all checked out the ingredients and said it was a great product and I was looking better than I have in several years so continue to do what you’re doing, so I am. I also don’t seem to get as sick as often as I was before Skinny Body Care. If you need anymore info on any of this i’d be glad to answer your questions just pm me on FB and remind me who you are. I forgot to tell you I am also on oxygen and a C-pap with Oxygen

LD December 3, 2013 at 3:45am

  1. I am easily winded walking at a quick pace or longer distances. It is much worse on windy or cold days.
  2. I take Spiriva once a day and Symbicort two times a day, along with Nasonex once a day. I have an emergency puffer (Salbut Amol) which thankfully, I have only needed twice in past few years.
  3. I have found hot yoga makes me feel better, maybe not during the class, but always after..

DMH December 3, 2013 at 11:39pm

  1. Was diagnosed with severe stage3/4 COPD with lung FEV1 of 48% in may, 2012. Things that are difficult range from being able to sleep laying down to walking, cooking, breathing, eating, grocery shopping; basically everything in life.
  2. What helped? Dietary changes which included removal of all sugar, omega 6 oils, simple carbs, processed foods , wheat and all dairy. In place of all that is a primarily plant based diet including raw and steamed vegetables and fats with lean proteins and fish(Mediterranean diet). In addition, I added supplements of NAC(1200 mg twice a day), D3(5000 mg), curcumin. Quercetin, vitamin E, B12, zeaxanthin, obiquinal (CoQ10), magnesium/calcium/zinc, and a multivitamin. Exercise of 20 minutes to 60 minutes five times per week to include (recumbent bike burst exercises), treadmill and weight lifting. Added yoga and kick boxing as I gained strength. Last test my COPD was at a Gold stage 2/3 FEV1 of 70% (that was a year ago) and will be taking my yearly test in the next few weeks. I have no limitations now except perfumed candles bother me as do heavy diesel fumes.
  3. As for meds, I started with Symbicort, they added Spiriva then Singulair then Daliresp. Now I’m on only Symbicort and am getting ready to stop that as soon as my detox is complete.

KCD December 4, 2013 at 11:08am

  1. I have recently been diagnosed with stage 2 COPD my FEV1 is 51% and in January, I will reach the age of 50. I have three wonderful children who assist with me with laundry, cleaning my house and shopping because activities of daily living are tasks I find very difficult to do by myself. I can no longer work, I can barely walk, and sitting also causes me to be short of breath. I was a nurse on a ventilator unit for 20 years until a back injury caused me to be pretty much bed-fast for the past five years. I knew the dangers of smoking however; I continued to smoke even after watching my father deteriorate with this disease. I have been fighting social security disability for over almost two years with denial after denial. The expenses of the medications are overwhelming; as I have no insurance, I sell items that I have treasured over the years to cover these costs however, these items are dwindling quickly. My greatest fear is that I will be living in a homeless shelter or a nursing home if things do not start to fall in place soon. I feel a lot of anger for individuals who have never worked and can have free medical and someone that has worked since they were sixteen years old and carried health insurance cannot receive any help. I have also been diagnosed with a mitral valve leak, sleep apnea; the sleep study also determined I was having mini strokes, early stage of Parkinson’s disease, low back pain, herniated disc, restless leg syndrome, and diabetes. My blood pressure normally runs around 97/60, I have pain in my right lung that is stabbing and continual, swelling in legs and feet with a bluish color, and the feeling of drowning when I lay done well I guess you call it laying down when you sleep with three pillows, had several nights that I slept upright in a chair, and the wheezing is so loud when I lay down even if I am tired I can’t go straight to sleep because of the noise. I sleep on an average of three to four hours a night; I believe some of this lack of sleep is due to the fear of waking up gasping for air. In the past 18 months, I have been in the process of writing a fiction novel. I will be starting on bi-pap for the sleep apnea as I could not tolerate c-pap; within the next week.
  2. I am presently on a Symbicort, Spiriva, Tudorza inhaler, I also have albuterol inhaler as a rescue inhaler along with 15 other medicines which include aspirin, mucomyst, vitamin, prednisone, Prilosec are just a few, I take orally every day and some of the medications, more than once a day. The exacerbations are coming more frequently I have had three flare-ups in the past eight months and presently believe another one is getting ready to start. I have not been able to enjoy previous activities such as watching my grandson play football or even going to church.I am completely isolated. Well enough complaining I am thankful for each extra day I am given and live life to my fullest ability day to day.

Penny Butler December 6, 2013 at 3:32am

  1. My biggest hurdles are mental/emotional: Feeling “happy”, Thinking about death, Thinking of no future, Worrying about loved ones, finding meaning in life
  2. Medications / therapies: Medications for me = none, more side-effects than help, so I’ve taken myself off the medications and am researching natural alternatives. Biggest wins so far is a change in diet & researching mindset.
  3. Alternative treatments: heaps, I have a huge list of things that I’ll be trying, and I think it’s a combination of a lot of them that will help, mindset, diet, breathing, detox, etc.



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Penny... on Health
Penny... on Health

Truth-seeker, ever-questioning, ever-learning, ever-researching, ever delving further and deeper, ever trying to 'figure it out'. This site is a legacy of sorts, a place to collect thoughts, notes, book summaries, & random points of interests.

DISCLAIMER: The information on this website is not medical science or medical advice. I do not have any medical training aside from my own research and interest in this area. The information I publish is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease, disorder, pain, injury, deformity, or physical or mental condition. I just report my own results, understanding & research.