Living with COPD
Living with COPD is challenging as I have been learning since my husband’s diagnosis.
The first challenge is getting the diagnosis. Many people have mild forms of COPD. Because they are mild, they are often misdiagnosed as something else with similar symptoms.
In my husband’s case, it took a trip to the Emergency room and four-day hospitalization followed by multiple trips to different specialists until he received his diagnosis. For years, every fall after raking leaves, he had difficulty breathing and long coughing spells in the morning. We attributed it to allergies. I took over the yard work and he did better. After allergy testing showed no allergic reactions, we learned the problem was caused by exertion and breathing in particles which acerbated his COPD. A slight difference, but enough of one that he was able to go back to doing yardwork. He just needed to not overdo it.
What We Have Learned
We learned that a mild respiratory tract infection or the common cold, could send someone living with COPD to the emergency room.
A CPAP machine and asthma medicine, including an inhaler, help with sleep and help him function better. Thanks to a recommendation by a friend, we discovered Mullein tea works wonders to help clear out his congestion.
Recently on a road trip through the mountains, we discovered that mountains and COPD do not mix well. Go figure. High altitude and difficulty breathing? It hadn’t occurred to us that we would encounter problems while visiting Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone. We hadn’t been warned. Most of the information we had seen on COPD neglected to mention this. And so we learned the hard way.
Now we are rethinking possible trips by plane. COPD and airplanes don’t always mix well either we have found through research.
Just Breathe
What I have learned throughout all of this is the importance of breathing. A shallow breather for most of my life, I have learned about breathing through yoga, meditation, and most recently tai-chi. Still, my default continues to be shallow breathing and so I have to keep reminding myself, just breathe.
Breath is God’s gift to the soul. Air brings essential oxygen to the cells of the body. Without it, we die. You can’t get more essential than that. We can live for three days without water, but only three minutes without air.
And so, just breathe. Whether you are living with COPD or not, we all benefit from deep breaths, bringing in God’s good air. We are breathing in God’s spirit. Can’t get much better than that!
What have the challenges in your life taught you?
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