Novel ideas to help your breathing
I am posing this question and asking other members to share their opinions or ideas of ways to help you breathe more comfortably and manage your COPD.
Since I started this thread, I should be the first one to pose my question/suggestion.
Maybe I am not the first, but I have discovered that placing a hand warmer at the base of my breastbone set on medium heat,(about 120 degrees), almost instantly improves my breathing. Anyone who has done this have any ideas as to whether it is actually therapeutic or is it just a placebo effect? If you have not tried this, and you do, please post your results here so that we can get an idea as to whether or not this is a good therapy. Thanks for your time. Edmired.Thanks for your input. Even with my COPD I am still a wilderness hiker, I almost always have several USB hand warmers in my pack. Just as an aside, Recently I have been forcing my breathing more into my right lung,(The one that is in the worst condition),, This seems to increase my o2 levels, not much, but every little bit helps as far as I am concerned. In my younger days I was quite the singer, but for years I could not sing any more due to my lack of breath, I can now get through most low keyed songs without getting too out of breath...If only I could get my whistling back, then I think I could step on a stage again LOL. Be well my friend! 
Hi Ian, and thanks for sharing this tip with the community. If this (warm, wet bath cloth on your chest), helps you to breathe more easily and helps reduce the 'panic mode', it's a good thing, clearly. Keep up the good work!
Leon (site moderator COPD.net)
Doing that deep breathing always helps. Inhale with stomach out in 2 counts, and suck in stomach and push air out in 4 - 6 counts. Always brings my oxygen level up.
Hi
! Here is an article that I thought might interest you to help with breathing. I hope it helps! https://copd.net/living/meditation-better-breathing. Best, Jackie (Moderator) I use pursed lip breathing.
When going up stairs or a hill when fishing (usually steep) I breathe in, purse, and SLoooWLY & as deeply as I can blow out while going up. I do the same when walking a distance.
I no longer TRY to breathe like I "used to".
When walking, if I become breathless, I STOP, Brace with my back against a wall or shelving (at work) and breathe in the nose, & out the mouth. With a kissy face... 😀 If I can't brace, I bend over hands on knees & breathe that way.
I carry a tiny nebulizer with me-it's rechargeable & makes it easier to use my albuterol. I don't have to work to breathe it in, I breathe naturally & I use it ahead of activity as well as at work.
I also never fill it-I just keep about 1/3 of a vial in it so as not to waste medicine. You have to clean it often to avoid clogging.
Outside in the wind-I wear a face covering. Wind seems to suck the air out of me-even though it doesn't really.
I keep an inhaler on me all the time just in case. (I make coozy's for them so I can carry it clipped to anything)
Every day is a learning process.
I learned I can still "do things" just by preparing ahead, but things can & will go awry at some point.
I'm working on lowering my anxiety, as I've noticed that it causes me to have panic attacks during breathlessness.
I learned that a person with COPD can function at a lower o2 level & you can also be as high as 98 & out of breath. Relying on o2 as a guide can cause stress. I function at 87-93.
I also learned that by using techniques above-I can raise my o2 when it tanks, function at a slower pace & keep having a fulfilled life.
I'm also open to learning new techniques to help.
Stage 4 COPD/Emphysema age 63Hi Pinky, and thanks so much for joining in the conversation here about 'novel' ideas that assist with one's breathing when managing COPD. You have provided us with such a comprehensive list of how you manage this for yourself. From my perspective, you have a thorough understanding of how the disease affects you individually and how you approach each issue.
I would encourage you to 'keep up the good work' - what you're doing appears to help you quite well in each circumstance!
Warm regards,
Leon L (author/moderator)
