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Bww - COPD rehabilitation, Fresno, TX (2026)

04/19/2023

COPD and Comorbid Conditions

When someone has more than one health condition, they are said to have comorbid conditions or comorbidities.
Most people living with COPD have comorbid conditions. In fact, one study found that more than 78 percent have at least one comorbidity,
and more than 47 percent have 3 or more comorbid conditions.

This article provides information on a few of the most common COPD comorbidities and invites you to let us know what you experience.
As always, feel free to share more with us in the comments below.

Cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease is often cited as the most frequent comorbidity faced by people living with COPD.
Cardiovascular disease refers to a number of conditions affecting the functioning of the heart, including heart failure,
heart arrhythmias, coronary artery disease, and more.

Type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a condition that is caused by high blood sugar. Around 15 percent of people with COPD have type 2 diabetes as well.
Managing both conditions can be a challenge, but many people have found success by practicing good self-care.

Sleep apnea
Many people with COPD also experience sleep apnea. Sleep apnea is a condition where breathing is interrupted during sleep,
which can contribute to low blood oxygen levels and poor sleep quality. If left untreated,
the combination of COPD and sleep apnea can greatly diminish a person's quality of life.

04/16/2023

Spinning in Circles With COPD?

The danger of falls
While the feeling of vertigo (that things are moving around you when they are stationary)
is unsettling and the need to treat low oxygen levels is vital, there is an additional concern.
When you become dizzy, you are more likely to fall and then you could get hurt.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 36 million older adults fall each year
and one in five falls causes an injury, such as a broken bone or a head injury.
It is important to speak with your doctor openly if you have fallen or were afraid you were about to fall,
so together you can make a plan to address the prevention of future falls.

Reducing the risk of falls
When looking to reduce your fall risk, your healthcare provider will want to review your medications to discuss any side effects
that may be contributing to your dizziness. Be sure to mention over-the-counter medicines or herbal supplements as well.
Other things you can do include removing trip hazards in your home, such as rugs or floor clutter.
Adding grab bars in the bathroom and handrails on all staircases also helps.
Falls are not a normal part of aging and preventing them should be part of any wellness plan if warranted.

Additional tips
Here are some additional tips for reducing shortness of breath:

Keep up to date on immunizations for pneumonia, influenza, or COVID-19 to protect against infections that could make your COPD worse.
Stay active. You may consider pulmonary rehabilitation as a strategy for rebuilding strength and enjoying a fuller, more active life.
Pulmonary rehabilitation programs typically combine education, exercise training, nutrition advice,
and counseling, and require a prescription from your healthcare provider to participate.
If you currently use to***co products, including e-cigarettes, discuss with your healthcare provider options to help you quit for good.
Sometimes with COPD, you require extra or supplemental oxygen (also called oxygen therapy) to maintain an adequate oxygen level.
If your healthcare provider feels this is necessary, they will discuss options with you.

If you feel alone and isolated, reaching out can help. It feels good to talk with others who understand,
which has a positive impact on your health. Explore American Lung Association online groups such as the Better Breathers Network for additional resources.

04/12/2023

A recent study links COPD with a certain kind of cell death and researchers think this may lead to a new potential treatment for COPD.
Needless to say, these study results have garnered lots of interest among COPD researchers.
This new study linked COPD with necroptosis, a type of cell death.
The thinking is that inhaled irritants (like cigarette smoke) may speed up this type of cell death inside your lungs.
This may be one of the potential causes or consequences of COPD.

A potential new treatment
A recent study of interest was published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.
It was done by Austrian and Belgian researchers who concluded that COPD patients had high levels of necroptosis.
COPD is caused by long-term exposure to harmful inhaled substances, the most common of which is cigarette smoke.
Researchers think that these substances may be responsible for necroptosis inside the lungs.
So, inhaling cigarette smoke may cause necroptosis and the subsequent immune response and inflammation.
This response in turn is what often leads to both chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
On the contrary, inhibition of necroptosis may prevent inflammation.
So, researchers think if they can inhibit necroptosis, this may prevent or treat COPD.

Goals and hope
Of course, more studies on needed on this topic. If ongoing evidence supports this finding,
it may lead to even further research. The goal is that this will result in a discovery of something to block necroptosis.
The hope is that this potential new medicine may prevent and treat COPD.

04/08/2023

How can you make living with COPD better?

Exercise
Exercising is part of most peoples day to day routine, but for people who suffer from COPD,
it's an essential part of their day-to-day life. Make a conscious effort to keep your mind and body strong. Exercise in any form helps do that.

Nutrition
We are constantly being told about healthy eating habits. It's not always easy to do for many people suffering from COPD.
This especially applies to people living on their own. Making healthy choices can be difficult when you're not feeling 100% well.
Asking for help from family members or friends can help with this problem.
Most of us have people in our lives who want to help if only we ask them.

Medication
Take your prescribed medication daily. It is quite easy to ignore taking our medication when we seem to be feeling good.
I personally don't like taking tablets, but I know that the only way my body will cope is by giving it the support it needs.

Positive thoughts
Feed your mind with positive thoughts. Having a chronic illness can take its toll on your mental well-being.
Finding ways to help keep our minds active and positive is a very important way of ensuring that we remain motivated.

Empower yourself
Not everything in our lives is within our control. We just have to make sure we understand the implications of not taking care of ourselves.
Be the architect that builds a strong foundation for our lives to make sense.

04/04/2023

6 Tips for Staying on Top of Treatment

1. Keep a calendar. If you are on an infusion schedule, keep a calendar of your infusion dates.
If your infusion center does not schedule your infusions for you, a calendar can help you remember your next infusion date.

2. Talk with your doctor and healthcare team. Do you have questions about medications or the side effects of treatment?
With your doctor, come up with a plan on how to address side effects or about switching medications (if it is an option).

3. Use a pill container. Some types have sections for multiple doses at different times throughout the day, such as in the morning or at night.

4. Talk with your pharmacist. If you are having trouble remembering medications, opening pill bottles, or viewing small prints,
talk with your local pharmacist. They have reminder tops – caps with reminder alarms – for your medications.
They may also be able to fit your pill bottles with caps that are easier to open.

5. Have reminders or leave yourself notes. For some, having reminders can be a helpful way to stay on track with our treatment.
Put sticky notes in areas of the home that you frequent, like the bathroom, kitchen,
or nightstand next to your bed. Keep your medication bottle in plain sight as a visual reminder.
Set an alarm on your phone, tablet, or watch.

6. Store medication properly. Know the proper ways to store your medicines. Certain medications,
like injectables or topical creams, may need to be stored in your refrigerator or kept out of direct sunlight.
If you are not sure, check with your doctor or local pharmacist.

What other tips can you share in remembering medicines or staying on top of treatment?
Share in the comments below!

04/01/2023

Why is high blood pressure a concern?

Hypertension can be concerning for a number of factors. There are often no symptoms associated with it,
and hence it can go on for a long period of time before being identified.
Uncontrolled hypertension for long periods of time can eventually increase the risk of:
Heart attack
Stroke
Heart failure
Vision loss
Angina (chest pain)
Kidney disease
Erectile dysfunction

Taking an accurate blood pressure reading

The way you take your BP can have drastic effects on the reading and therefore affect the accuracy.
When taking your blood pressure, it is important to:
Sit upright with your back against a chair, feet flat on the floor.
Use the right cuff size and ensure it is positioned on your bare arms,
with the bottom of the cuff 3 cm above the elbow.
Do not speak or move as your blood pressure is being taken.
Take at least 3 readings, and use the average of the 3 as your final recording.

What do the blood pressure readings mean?

There are 2 numbers that appear on your blood pressure monitor when you take a reading.
For example, if your reading comes to 125/90 mmHg:
125 is the first number, also known as systolic blood pressure.
It signifies how much pressure is on your artery walls when your heart takes a beat.
90 is the diastolic blood pressure. It measures the pressure when your heart is at rest.
Mmhg, or millimeters of mercury, is the measurement of blood pressure.
Usually, systolic blood pressure is more important, but both are taken into consideration.

What is the ideal blood pressure reading?

In general, there are 2 different targets. For most people, a good blood pressure target is less than 140/90 mmHg.
For people with diabetes, the target is set lower at 130/80.5Do you measure your BP at home?
What target has your doctor set out for you? Share your experiences below!

03/28/2023

DIY Cleaners for COPD

I was in my 20s when my mom started having breathing problems. As a first-time homeowner,
I prided myself on keeping my kitchen and bathroom sparkling clean.
One day she came over, and I was showing off my house. She told me that the ammonia smell hurt her lungs,
and she didn’t stay very long.
She called me later and was on a tangent about the smell of ammonia. Of course, her kitchen was clean,
and she wanted to show me what she had begun using.
Under mom’s sink were all the ingredients to make her homemade cleaners. She had two spray bottles.
One was for appliances like the stove and fridge. The same ingredients doubled as a bathroom cleaner with a minor change for tough jobs.

Homemade kitchen and bathroom cleaner:
2 C water
1/2 C vinegar
1/4 C borax
1/4 C Dawn liquid dish soap
Mix the first three ingredients into a spray bottle using a funnel. Swirl together, and then once they are mixed well,
slowly pour the Dawn in and swirl again.

You can spray down your bathtub and let it sit without it hurting your lungs. If the scent of Dawn bothers you,
simply reduce the amount or substitute it for 1/4 cup of baking soda.

Glass and stainless steel cleaner
2 C of water
1/2 C vinegar
Pour into a spray bottle using a funnel. The trick here is what you use to wipe the glass or stainless steel down.

Before her diagnosis with COPD, mom was aware of how harmful those chemicals could be. Like the smart cookie she was,
she found a workaround that let her keep a clean house and didn’t hurt her lungs. She even used this to clean her oxygen mask later in life.

Have you tried making cleaners?

03/25/2023

What is augmentation therapy?
Augmentation therapy uses alpha-1 antitrypsin protein (AAT) from the blood plasma of healthy human donors to augment (increase)
the Alpha-1 levels circulating in the blood and lungs of those diagnosed with emphysema. The therapy is administered by a weekly
intravenous infusion and is considered ongoing until other therapies become available.

The primary goal of augmentation therapy is to increase the level of alpha-1 protein in the lungs. Alpha-1 antitrypsin protects the
lungs from the destructive effects of neutrophil elastase, an enzyme released by our body’s white blood cells as they respond to inflammation or infection.

Who should receive augmentation therapy?
Augmentation therapy should be given to individuals with documented emphysema and severe Alpha-1,
defined as individuals with two abnormal alpha-1 genes. However, there has been some controversy about
giving augmentation therapy to anyone with mild or severe lung disease.

Just like blood donation, plasma donation has slowed since covid. It takes an average of 900 donors to
infuse 1 Alpha patient for one year. They need donors, so if you know anyone who likes to donate,
share this info with them.

03/21/2023

My Experience With Being Intubated
About two months after my COPD diagnosis, I had a sudden cardiac arrest and died at my kitchen table.
Not once, but twice. The stars aligned, and paramedics got to me quickly, thanks to my kids.
My lungs were so compromised that it caused my heart to malfunction.

I was intubated for five days. That was the first time, but it would only be the first of many more times.

In denial about my health
COPD is a progressive disease, this stage won’t last forever. After that attack, my symptoms began in earnest.
This was my life-changing moment. I had reached a new stage, and not a good one.
Stage 4 meant no going back, and I needed to learn to live a different life than I had in the past.
No more excuses. I had to put the effort in to turn my life around.
I needed to dedicate the rest of my life to caring for myself.

My health scared me
I was devastated and overwhelmed, thinking that this was going to keep happening over and over again.
I was getting little to no information from doctors because they had no idea how to treat me.
Their best guess was to keep me in the hospital. After another month in the hospital, I insisted they release me and let me go home.
January seems to be hard on my COPD. I would be intubated several times for the next three years, mainly in January.

Learning to control my breathing was the most critical thing I could do. How many times can you be intubated with COPD?
I have been a total of six times. How about you?

03/18/2023

Trying to Stay Healthy This Winter. These are some things that we can do to keep healthy all year long:

Wash our hands
This may seem like a no-brainer, but I think it is important to address the proper handwashing techniques.
A good example of why is from when I was younger and taking CNA (certified nurses assistant) classes,
one of the first things they taught us was handwashing.

Get your hands wet
Put soap on your hands
Scrub thoroughly
This includes a little past your wrists, both palms, and the back of your hands
Under fingernails, this is done easily by rubbing your fingernails and thumbnails into the palm of your hand
Rinse thoroughly, including wrists, with fingers pointing down toward the sink
To dry your hands, turn off the sink with your paper towel and also use it to open the bathroom door

Wipe off surfaces often
Keep high-traffic areas clean by wiping down light switches and door handles, cupboard doors, cell phones,
etc., with a disinfected cleaner. I like to use something all-natural that won't leave a chemical smell, etc., hanging around.

Use vitamins
Some other thighs that I have learned to help me stay healthy are taking vitamins and supplements.
Some are good to take all year long, while others are just for the season.

In conclusion, if we eat right, keep hydrated, get some exercise, have good handwashing hygiene,
try to get a good night's sleep, and listen to our bodies and give them what it needs, this will give us a great start to staying healthy.

Please share with me in the comments below some things you do to stay healthy.

03/14/2023

It is common knowledge for those with COPD that it comes with a full dose of anxiety and stress.
Often these issues are confusing, unwelcome, and foreign to us. As we try to deal with these constant anxiety episodes,
we develop stress reactions, which can prove very unhealthy. We often think we are doing everything we can to help ourselves,
but the outcome can end up being the exact opposite of what we intended to do.

Recognizing our feelings of anxiety
The first thing that we have to do is recognize it. We must understand that this feeling is not a symptom of COPD.
Rather it is a part of the anxiety that can come with COPD.

If we can learn to acknowledge it as anxiety and we can somehow learn to accept that it can be changed.
You just have to want it enough and believe that you can have control.

Listening to others
Sometimes we must learn to listen to how other people see us. People who are surrounding us can
and do make judgments about how they see your problem.

You don’t always have to listen, but sometimes we should. My girlfriend once commented that
my problem was not from COPD, but more likely it was a case of anxiety.

Bww - COPD rehabilitation

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