Days with COPD: The Good, The Bad, and The Recovery

For people with COPD, every day is different- Some days are better than others, and some days are spent recovering from sickness or fatigue. We asked the COPD community, “How are you feeling today?”, and our you all shared many different emotions and experiences. So whether it’s a good day, a bad day, or a recovery day, know that your fellow COPDers are right there with you!

Check out these ideas for managing any day with COPD.

What a good day looks like with COPD

“I had wonderful, blessed day.”

“Good!!!!”

“Happy”

“No SOB today :)”

“Not too bad today”

Living with COPD can be challenging, especially when you’re feeling fatigued or breathless, and for individuals affected by a chronic condition, it's easy to focus on the tough days. Fortunately, for many with COPD, good days happen too! Enjoying the good days can improve your COPD journey, and by taking advantage of the good days, you'll experience so much more.

For some COPDers, good days are spent enjoying a hobby or spending time with family or friends. For others, you just want to spend your good days going through your normal routine. However you choose to take advantage of the good days, celebrate, and share your happiness with your friends and family too.

The bad days with COPD

“Had a really good couple of days and woke up this morning completely wiped out”

“Not too good”

“Very achy and having a tougher time breathing”

“Almost every bone in my body has taken its turn at hurting over the past few days.”

“Not a good breathing day, cold front moving in”

While everyone has bad days, if you have COPD, you know that a bad day can mean so much more. In addition to physical symptoms, bad days can also affect your emotional health, so if you’re experiencing a not-so-good day, consider spending some extra time on self-care.

Whether you want to binge on your favorite show, talk to someone you love, or even just stay in bed, self-care may be your best defense against feeling crappy. On your worst days, if you need help staying positive, we encourage you to connect with the COPD community, and rely on your treatment plan to combat your challenging symptoms.

Recovery days

“Better now that air has changed!”

“Had stomach acid get into my lungs...recovering happily though”

“Had a hard day breathing yesterday so sleeping a lot today”

“Still not feeling so hot from leaving hospital after pneumonia”

Recovery days: days where you felt bad yesterday, you feel alright today, and you think you will probably feel better tomorrow. Because people affected by COPD are more susceptible to respiratory infections, flu, and colds, you’ve probably needed a few recovery days before. From time to time, you may find yourself needing some extra time to get back to “normal”, especially after a flare-up, or during a seasonal weather change.

On these days, you might need to live life in the slow lane, and that’s okay! If you know you need to slow down and recover, focus on resting up for tomorrow. If it’s not quite a bad day, but not a good day either, promise yourself to take it easy, enjoy the moments you can, and know better days are coming.

‘Thanks For Asking!'

“Good! Thanks for asking.”

“I feel like I found a friend, and that I am not alone.”

“Not too bad! Thanks.”

“Thank you for copd.net”

For people affected by COPD, a simple “How are you doing?” can make a big difference. When we posed this question online, many of you were just happy to be asked! As many of you know, COPD can feel isolating; There’s a big difference between looking fine and feeling fine, and every patient cycles through different symptoms and emotions. 

However, unlike non-COPDers, your fellow community members understand what you’re feeling, and they have experienced the good and the not-so-good days, just like you. In the COPD community, you are never alone, and we want to hear about every day, including the good, the bad, and the recovery.