Hope for COPD

Ch... Ch... Changes (RIP to all of the AMAZING artists we have lost recently.) Hey everyone! I hope you are all well and enjoying the nicer weather!  Yes, there are big changes coming up in my life. Some have already started. Some good and some bad. Some just eh. Haha! My father, who also has COPD and I lived with, bought a house in Missouri. He MOVED the day he closed and received the keys. Hasn't been back since.  Left me and my lil one in our family home to clean it and prepare it for sale.  With NOTHING we actually needed.  You know, things like trash bags, toilet paper, paper towels?  And no money to pay for housekeeping help, as he was a hoarder, no money to pay for lawn care, tree trimming. Eh, no matter. A dear friend has sent me money to purchase those items, and I even let an old friend move in temporarily to help clean in exchange for a place to stay. Trust me, I am going to owe HER for the cleaning!  I am...

VACATION As I write this I am holding back tears. Some of you may remember that I went on vacation recently. This vacation was terrible. Do you know what it is like to have an aging parent that also suffers from anger issues? Someone that can be very controlling and manipulative? Abusive? The drive there... The entire drive was constantly, get in that lane... Turn here, turn there, hurry up and get in the other lane... WHILE listening to the GPS tell me what to do as well. He would demand I change lanes,even though there was a car right next to us that I would crash into if I listened to him. I was going too slow, too fast, not using the cruise control...  In Virginia, I got pulled over for speeding, 81 in a 70. The officer said I was doing 84, I didn't argue, and that my license was expired. So obviously I could not legally drive and my father took over. Swerving in and out of traffic and my daughter began to get car sick. So I asked him to stay in one lane and get a ...

How to Improve Indoor Air Quality in 14 Easy Steps Face it, upon the diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) which is an umbrella term that includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, you have to constantly consider if the environment you are in is safe for your respiratory health. With a diagnosis of a chronic lung disease there are numerous lung irritants no matter where you go, but the one place that should be your respiratory safe haven is your home. Today we will be discussing 14 tips on how you can ensure that your home is free of symptom worsening lung irritants so you can relax and actually enjoy the time you spend at home. Enough chatter, it’s time to get into the nitty gritty details of how to effectively improve your home’s indoor air quality starting today. The Three Types of Substances that Reduce Indoor Air Quality: Allergens – This type of substance causes your body’s immune system to have an allergic response. Typically the most common sources of...

FALLING IN LOVE WITH COPD So, this isn't the first time I have fallen in love... But, is the last time I do. Or did. Except for my baby girl Tiny. And no, there is no one new in my life. It all started about 11 years ago when a couple I am friends of mine owned their car sales lot... I used to go in and hang out with my my friend and we would talk about the guy that worked with them, who flirted with me every time I came in. We talked about what an amazing worker he was, handsome... Oh my! Great with kids, great at everything he did. How he would be a great husband and father one day. He kept dropping hints about where he would be on a Friday or Saturday night, but I didn't bite. For months. I was afraid...  Somehow I knew that if I gave in, I would get hurt so bad. One night, he said he would be at the little bar by my house and that I should come in and have a drink with him... I called a friend to see if she would mind going in there with me and she agre...

COPD AT 40 Hi everyone, let me start by introducing myself. My name is Justine Peach. I am a 40 year old woman with a beautiful 16 year old daughter and I live in Melbourne Australia. I used to have a wonderful job that I loved doing. I worked as a nursery hand in a wholesale plant nursery. I moved between two different areas every six months. For the first six months I would be doing all areas of the work place. I would transplant baby plants into trays on a conveyor belt or moving trays of plants to their designated area to grow. Once ready we would be moving the trays from the ground to a trailer attached to a buggy and put them down ready to pick orders. Staking tomato plants, or watering the entire stock. Sweltering on hot days in greenhouses. There were many different areas and depending on staff and stock as to what our job for the day would be. The other six months I would spend at the main nursery department as a dispatch worker. Getting plants ready to load on t...

27 Healthy Changes for COPD When you have COPD or any chronic illness, it is important to make sure that you are taking care of your health. We all fall into bad habits, or just lose track of goals. We need to eat right, but that microwaveable meal is so much easier to make! Right? Our goals vary as well. Some need to lose weight, while others need to gain a few pounds. But, what simple things can be done to boost our health and well being? Here are 27 easy things to do for your health. Simple changes, slowly over time, will be a huge benefit. Try one or two new things each day. Right after waking, drink a 6 ounce glass of water. Have smoothie for breakfast. The fruit and veggies will provide lots of nutrition and fiber. Skip your morning coffee and have your favorite tea instead. Caffeine in coffee  may cause a stress response in your body. Drink at least one, 6 ounce glass of water  for every 10 pounds you weigh each day. This will keep your body we...

Addressing Mental Health Before Stage 4 (#B4Stage4)  When we think about cancer, heart disease, or diabetes, we don’t wait years to treat them. We start before Stage 4—we begin with prevention. When people are in the first stage of those diseases, and are beginning to show signs of symptoms like a persistent cough, high blood pressure, or high blood sugar, we try immediately to reverse these symptoms. We don’t ignore them. In fact, we develop a plan of action to reverse and sometimes stop the progression of the disease.  So why aren’t we doing the same for individuals who are dealing with potentially serious mental illness?  When you or someone close to you starts to experience the early warning signs of mental illness, knowing what the risk factors and symptoms are will help to catch them early. Often times, family and friends are the first to step in to support a person through these early stages. Experiencing symptoms such as loss of sleep, feeling tired for n...

May is Better Sleep Month Getting a restful nights sleep is essential to your health. For those with chronic illness, it may be a real struggle. Many, have trouble falling asleep, and staying asleep for a variety of reasons. I would venture to say most, but don't quote me.  What ever the reason, Americans are not getting enough sleep in general. If you have a chronic illness, it is just icing on the sleep thief's  cake. Some are "tied up" to an oxygen machine, cpap or bi-pap machine, making sleep less comfortable. Others suffer from chronic pain and that pain flares and awakens them frequently.  And, for some, medications may cause a disruption in your ability to get to sleep and stay asleep. Many have minds with no off button. When your mind is constantly on, you can't relax and get some sleep. Many of your thoughts are about bills, tasks that need completed at work or home.  The vast majority of retail workers never have t...

COPD Unaware A guest post by Duke Reeves  Despite the advances in medicine and technology, COPD rates and the financial burden of COPD continue to rise. While part of the rising rates can be attributed to a growing population, the bottom line is that the majority of COPD cases are preventable through awareness and education.  The most common symptoms and signs of COPD are shortness of breath, chest tightness, coughing up mucus, and a chronic cough. Looking at these symptoms, it’s easy to see how we can brush them off and assume they are from a common cold or old age. However, by brushing these symptoms off we are setting ourselves up for a potentially rude awakening. COPD is a progressive disease which means the longer it goes untreated the more damage it’s going to cause. The best way to ensure you live a full life with COPD is by catching the disease as early as possible. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) predicted COPD would become the 3 rd leading cause of...

Stress Awareness Month #4 8 Items to relieve stress!  While I love movies, music, and games to help relieve stress... Sometimes, I am just not in the mood for them. Exercise, breathing, and humor, are things that work well too. But, what are some other things you can do? Well, here are MORE ideas on how you can reduce that terrible stress! Here are some of my favorite items! I am only suggesting one supplement, one I have used for many years. This B Complex can help provide energy, restful sleep, and is a immune system booster. Great for times of great stress, or as a general everyday supplement.  Nature Made Stress Complex Tablets My eldest daughter suffers from terrible anxiety and has found this first item to be something that really helps her. It is a great stress reliever too! And, I have to play with it when I visit her. LOVE this stuff! Kinetic Sand Because we have COPD, we must be careful of the air quality we are breathing into our fragile ...

#3 in the Stress Awareness Month Series Breathing and Exercise Breathing can pull you out of a rage, or stressful moment... It can help quell your pain, calm you when upset... Breathing is a very basic function, yet one we take for granted until the day we have trouble doing it.  Yoga and Qi Gong can be very gentle, very effective forms of exercise. Do as much as you can... Time yourself, and every week, add another minute or two. Try your best to get in at least a full 30 minutes. Break it up as you please, 1 30 minutes session, 2 15 minutes sessions, 3 10 minutes sessions. Build up more time each week, but don't over do it! Try to not go over 60 minutes a day.  Here are some videos that focus on breathing:   4 - 7 - 8 Breathing Technique This one works very well! You are getting sleepy, sleeeepeeee. Because we have COPD please exhale for as long as it takes to clear your lungs. Repeat steps 4 times... Don't do this one more than ...