Community Thoughts: What You Wish More People Knew About COPD

As part of COPD awareness month, we asked our Facebook community:"What do you wish more people knew about COPD?" Check out their responses below - and feel free to add yours in the comments! Also, we welcome you to spread awareness this month by changing your avatar, or simply by sharing articles like this and helping to educate others about COPD!

I wish they knew more about COPD symptoms:

• I wish more people could understand the struggle to do something as simple as breathing. Simple things like showering, cooking, walking, even speaking can become a challenge for us to continue and take breaths to sustain ourselves.
• I wish there was a better understanding of how we struggle.
• I wish everyone could understand how it effects our mobility.
• That when you can't breathe it's almost like dying.
• Don't make fun of our difficulty with speech. Be patient and let us catch our breath.
• That you can be feeling good one day and terrible the next, especially during bad weather.

I wish they would work on educating themselves more:

• Wish people would try to understand. Read up on it and ask us questions, then believe it!!!!
• I wish folks who isn't going through this would realize, that we have good days, and suddenly we have bad days. It's frustrating to keep hearing, "What happened? You seemed to be fine yesterday". They just don't realize how quickly a flare up can happen.
• Learn to be patient - understand COPD.
• Everything to help us.

I wish they knew that things are not always what they appear to be:

• People need to realize even though you look fine, you are not. I tend not to show it. So people think and say, "You look fine to me." But I'm not.
• We might look well on the outside but really sick inside.
• It is hurtful when people (even relatives) say "you don't look sick".

I wish they knew more about the causes!

• I wish that people would quit assuming that it all came from smoking. Not true for all.

I wish my health care team knew more:

• I wish that nurses and doctors would have more patience in dealing with you.
• That the doctors would learn about other treatments not always push the prescriptions.

I wish they knew more about the emotional impact:

• The abject fear and terror that comes with it that can sometimes just totally overwhelm you.
• It is a constant struggle physically, emotionally and psychologically.

How about you? What do you wish more people knew about COPD? Please share in the comments!