Newspaper Page Text
Health
Pat Sanderson of Batavia, 111.
(pop. 23,866), smoked as much as three packs a day
for 40 years before she quit last year. The benefits of
quitting, she says, have been amazing.
“I have the air to sing,” says Sanderson, 60, whose
diagnosis of advanced emphysema motivated her to stop
smoking. "I can whistle again. 1 used to have a couple of
sinus infections every year, and I haven't had one since I
quit smoking. My sense of taste has improved. My sense
of smell has improved. I can smell everything now!”
Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are the two
primary' forms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
(COPD), which causes increasing shortness of breath and
is the fourth leading cause of death in America, killing
more than 120,000 each year.
The disease occurs when airways that carry the
breath into and out of the lungs become partly blocked,
making it difficult to exhale. Sometimes first appearing
as a smoker’s cough or as an inability to catch your
breath, COPD can progress into a significant disability.
Everyday activities such as bathing or preparing food
may become difficult.
Although the disease isn't curable, early detection
can slow its progression, and careful management
can help sufferers breathe easier. "You can live
actively with COPD,” says Pam DeNardo, programs
manager at the COPD Foundation in Miami, Fla.
"You just have to learn how.”
Here are 10 ways to manage COPD.
1. Stop smoking. Because smoking causes 90per
cent of COPD-related deaths, not smoking is die most
important thing you can do to help your lungs. It also is
important to avoid secondhand smoke, dust and strong
fumes. Stay inside when the air quality is poor.
2. Attend a pulmonary rehabilitation
program. Supervised exercise training can improve
the ease of daily activities. Strength training for the
upper body increases the strength of respiratory
muscles, and aerobic exercise, such as walking and
water aerobics, can lower your heart rate and blood
pressure, boost energy and improve breathing.
“Rehab helps you maximize the ability of the
lungs to function properly,”-says Dr. James Kiley,
director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood
Institute's lung division. "It's a first line of defense
for patients.”
Trained muscles use less oxygen than muscles
that aren’t fit. After just two weeks of pulmonary
rehabilitation, emphysema sufferer Joe Meeks noticed
great improvements in his breathing and energy levels.
“I’ve seen my oxygen lev-el go up during exercise,” says
* Steps to Manage
b >' AMY
ESKIND
Meeks. 60, of Muncie, Ind. “After exercise I feel so much
better—for hairs. It used to take me an hour to an hour
and a half to carry in groceries and put them away. Now
I don’t need to sit down and take breaks.”
Ask your doctor about local rehabilitation programs
and whether you qualify, or call your local chapter of
the American Lung Association. Medicare and health
insurance sometimes cover the cost.
If pulmonary rehabilitation is not available in your
area, or for additional support, call the COPD helpline
at (866) 316-2673, staffed by COPD patient volunteers
nationwide, or visit wuv.'.COPD-inteniatmal.com.
“From the website and their chat room, I learned
how to make the bed by doing everything on one side
first so I only had to make one trip around the bed,”
says Meeks, a former smoker who is on oxygen 24
hours a day because of emphysema. “I have to make
sure to breathe out when exerting, and breathe in when
not exerting. So if I open a heavy door, I have to breathe
out. That made things easier.”
3. Take medications as prescribed. Your
doctor may prescribe medicatioas to help open airways,
clear mucus and decrease shortness of breath. Oxygen
may be prescribed for chronic respiratory- failure. When
traveling, plan ahead to make sure you have enough
medication, take along written prescriptions in case
medications are lost, and ask yair doctor for names of
local doctors where you are traveling.
4. Practice breathing exercises. If your
doctor approves, use “pursed-lip breathing" during
activities such as housework or gardening. Inhale
slowly through your nose for two seconds while
keeping your mouth closed. Exhale gently for four
seconds through pursed lips. This restores oxygen to
your body more rapidly. Be sure to let all of the air out
of your lungs before lifting or pushing heavy objects.
Another breathing exercise is the lower rib expansion
exercise. Ask your doctor if practicing this exercise will
help improve vour diaphragm function. If you get the
go-ahead, sit in a chair with your feet on the floor, and
your hands on the sides of your lower ribs. Inhale slowly
through your nose, and push your hands out with your
lower chest. Exhale through pursed lips, and allow your
hands to move back in. Repeat 10 times.
5. Go slowly and use caution when
exercising. If you can't talk or if you become short
of breath, slow down or rest. Check with your da tor
or rehabilitation specialist before jogging, swimming,
using free weights or weight machines, or doing sit-ups
and push-ups. Exercise indoors if the weather outside is
extremely hot, cold or humid.
'^■np
' i
< %_,-*■
Media Bakery
Go slowly in daily activity too. “You can’t rush,”
says Tom Flurd, 69, of Algonquin, 111. (pop. 23,276),
who suffers from COPD. “Shortness of breath affects
you every minute of every day. You have to learn to
pace yourself If I rush, my blood pressure goes up, my
heart rate goes up, and that affects my breathing. You
have to plan everything around your lessened ability
to breathe." This includes always allotting extra time,
since delays cant be recovered by running in to an
appointment.
6. Maintain a healthy body weight. Ask
a registered dietitian for your ideal weight, and find out
how many calories you should consume each day to
achieve or maintain that weight. Being overweight is
taxing on the lungs, and overeating may make breathing
uncomfortable. Being underweight may weaken the
diaphragm and other respiratory muscles, and make you
vulnerable to life-threatening infection.
7. Drink six to eight 8-ounce glasses of
fluids daily. This helps keep mucus thin. If you are
short of breath during or after eating a meal, try drinking
only at the end of a meal. Avoid caffeine and carbonated
beverages. Ask your dator or dietician if you should
limit alcohol, as excess alcohol may slow breathing and
make it difficult to cough up mucus. If you have heart
problems, find out if you should limit fluids.
Page 4
•www.americanprofile.com