65 years old, stage 4 copd FEV1 30%
Hi there,
I am looking for some advice. My dad was diagnosed a few months back with COPD and emphysema. He smoked a pack or more a day from 15-65. He recently quit after the diagnoses and not being able to do anything without getting severely out of breath. I am happy he was able to quit smoking finally. But, I am wondering what he can do to help himself moving forward. He is now on Oxygen 24hrs a day. I belive his levels on oxygen are around 88 at 2L. He was just put on oxygen yesterday so I'm still trying to make sense of all of this. What could he do to help himself more? I've been reading alot of exercise. As well as pulmonary rehabilitation possibly. Eating right. He has no other medical conditions. He is still in good spirits and wants to keep trying to help himself. Also, is there a chance he can improve his health over time enough to get off the oxygen? Or is that pretty much a part of his life for good?
Thank for any tips and info. This is all new to me so it's much appreciated.
Hi. Thank you for your post and for your inquiry. You have come to the right place for tips on how to help someone newly diagnosed with COPD. And you have some great ideas, as what you mentioned above about exercise and pulmonary rehabilitation are right in line with some of the first things we recommend. And we also have lots of articles offering tips for those newly diagnosed with COPD. To answer your question about oxygen. I would say that it depends on why your dad was prescribed oxygen. I do know that some people who qualify for home oxygen only need it for a while and then they no longer need it. This is true for conditions such as pneumonia, which can improve with treatment and time. So, I do see some people with prescribed home oxygen therapy who only need it for a while. Although, many people with COPD need oxygen on a more permanent basis. If you are interested in learning more about COPD and oxygen, we do have lots of articles on this topic too. What do you think? John. community moderator
