Hope for COPD

A huge part of having COPD is the horrible exacerbations we have. If you are newly diagnosed you may wonder, what exactly is an exacerbation? Well, we cough... More than we should. COPD exhibits differently in each of us. An exacerbation, is when we cough excessively and produce phlegm. Coughing up phlegm is actually a good thing for us to do, as some of us over produce it. This can be an embarrassing event. While working as a retail manager, and speaking with customers, this happened often. VERY OFTEN. Coughing up more than a Kleenex could hold, a handful of phlegm. Gross. Now, I said that is is healthy for us to do this, but you must look at it. Yes, look at the phlegm you coughed up. Keep track of the color. The color is telling you what is going on in your body. Is it clear? Then you are fine. White, okay no problem. Gray? That is okay too. Also, keep in mind that if you just drank something with color, like a glass of red wine or soda... It may be scary to see blo...

When you are diagnosed with COPD, your Doctor will ask if you have any questions. If you are anything like me, I might have one or two. But, without a complete understanding of the illness, it is hard to know exactly what questions to ask. Of course, your doctor cannot spend the time to explain EVERYTHING to you. So there are many things you can do on your own to learn about this.  No, I don't expect you to understand everything you read. BUT, you will gain a much better understanding if you do some reading, and watch some videos. We are living in an amazing time, where information is out there and free for use to learn.  Plus, I am a strong believer that you have to be your own health advocate. Of course, I do not want you to barge into your physicians office acting like you know more than they do. Some general practitioners admit that they don't feel confident about their knowledge of COPD. I think it is best to learn all you can, so that if they are not admitting this,...

  Do you know what this image is?  THIS is  a cell nuclei that has been stained to reveal IL-33. It is a type of signaling molecule found in very high levels of COPD patients! It signifies the presence of a viral infection, past or present. I am really excited about this news! Since being diagnosed with COPD I have researched everything I could, to learn as much as I can about this disease.  My first Dr. Told me that I was getting sick because I smoke.  I thought, how does a cigarette put bacteria in my lungs? It is made of tobacco, not bacteria!  New research has shown that there is the viral infection.  This viral infection causes and overproduction of mucus. Which causes inflammation of the lung tissue. That process can cause what we know as an exacerbation. This news could mean new research into therapies that will help COPD patients manage their disease much better. Some of you may already know that I will be researching an...