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How to breathe when there is an Elephant sitting on your chest?

My wife said I should try to learn the way she was taught in yoga classes.
Take a deep breath, hold it for a count of five, then let it out slowly.
Well, I was woken up by a violent thunderstorm at 1:30 this morning.
I could not breathe; that elephant was on my chest. I took two breaths from my emergency inhaler, and it still took an hour or more for me to accept that I was not dying. Are there any tips on how to breathe when caught in this situation? I was only diagnosed two weeks ago and told I am at stage 1 of COPD. Today was pretty normal; I was able to rebuild and repair four computers and move around the house and garage, but I have been told that this morning's episode is just the first of many. Seems like a pretty poor way to live out one's life. Especially considering that I was planning on living to the age of 101. LOL.
Keep breathing.
Regards,
Richard

  1. Welcome to the community, ! I'm glad you found us, especially since you are new to COPD. A new diagnosis can be overwhelming. Here is an article from one of our health leaders with some great advice for people who are new to this disease: https://copd.net/living/just-diagnosed-tips. I thought you might find it helpful. While you wait for others to respond to your question about morning breathing, I thought I wanted to share this article with you as well: https://copd.net/living/dont-breathe-in-breathe-out. The author offers some good tips for handling the morning breathing troubles. Don't give up on making it to 101 just yet. Treatments are improving every day. It might happen. Wishing you the best. - Lori (Team Member)

    1. Hi Lori, Thank you so much for your reply to my post. It helps me to understand what is to come. I am just a beginner at this, but the knowledge I am getting from this site is a great help. Regards, Richard

  2. I've read about this type of breathing but never tried it... until I read your post. I can feel a slight difference after I do this. Hopefully with practice, it'll make a bigger difference.

    1. That's wonderful that you were able to get some relief! It always warms our hearts here (and our lungs!) to hear that our site has helped a person. Just know that you are not alone in your journey and you can always come here to be around others who understand COPD and its co-morbidities! Keep on keepin' on, DPM

    2. Hi Richard! I wanted to add one more resource -- this is a video if you want to see what pursed lip breathing looks like in action. It's best to work on this a few times a day, whether you're feeling bad or not, to strengthen your lungs.

      https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/copd/resource-library/pursed-lip-breathing-video

      It's good that you were diagnosed at stage 1. This way, you can be monitored and get any medication changes addressed quickly, so that you feel better in the day-to-day. Keep taking good care of yourself! The best thing you can do is exercise within your limits -- and if you stick with it, you may be pleasantly surprised and feel more capable with time. We're here for you. -Melissa, team member

  3. Thank you, Melisa. I will keep practicing.

    1. Thank you both. This is a journey I knew I'd be taking someday. Someday is now here.

      1. Just wanted to make sure to reiterate that you are not alone in this journey! I know it can be overwhelming and daunting at first but eventually many of those with COPD are able to find a routine that lets them enjoy some quality of life. If there's anything we can do to help just let us know and in the meantime, keep on keepin' on, DPM

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