10 Tips For Managing COPD

COPD is a chronic disease. This means it’s always there. However, the progression of the disease can be slowed, and symptoms can be minimized. You can live well and live long despite a COPD diagnosis. The path to getting there begins with these 10 tips for managing COPD.

Find a good COPD doctor

You and your doctor must become a COPD management team. You must work together as a team to manage your disease. Your job is to report accurately how you are doing. Your doctor’s job is to help you find the best treatment options for managing your disease. If you think your doctor is having trouble managing your COPD, it’s okay to ask for a referral to a COPD specialist, such as a pulmonologist. If you are otherwise unhappy with your doctor, it’s okay to shop around in an attempt to find a GREAT COPD doctor.

Be compliant with your treatment regimen

Most COPD doctors will recommend certain treatments to help you feel better and live better. Many of these medicines are controller medicines. These medicines must be taken every day to keep your airways open long term. Your doctor may recommend that you wear oxygen. Your doctor may recommend you wear a BiPAP while you’re sleeping. Sure, it’s no fun making changes and adding these things into your life. However, doing so can set you on a path to feeling better long-term.

Use proper inhaler technique

Doctors will often prescribe inhalers to help you manage your disease. Modern inhalers are nice in that they only need to be taken once or twice daily. This makes it relatively easy to remember to take your daily puffs. Still, the medicine works best when you use the proper inhaler technique. Proper technique can assure that more medicine will get to your airways where it’s needed. This is opposed to impacting in your upper airways where it’s not needed. You can learn proper techniques by checking out these links. Even better, most COPD experts recommend you take your inhalers to your doctor’s appointments. You can then demonstrate your technique in the office. A doctor or nurse can make sure your technique is good. As a matter of fact, the GOLD COPD guidelines now recommend that doctors and nurses check inhaler technique prior to stepping up treatment. So, using proper inhaler technique alone may help you achieve better COPD control.

Make your home COPD trigger-free

This may be the most difficult one for many people to accomplish. But it can also be one of the most important. If you can avoid your triggers, you may be able to avoid COPD flare-ups. A trigger free home begins by making sure no one smokes in or around your home. It involves making sure there is no mold in your home. It may involve making expensive renovations. It may involve moving to a new home. A good place to begin is by talking to your doctor about how to make your home COPD trigger free.

Avoid sick people

Easier said than done, right? But respiratory viruses are one of the most common COPD triggers. They can cause colds that can irritate your airways. These may hit people with COPD harder than people without COPD. They may also make you more susceptible to developing respiratory infections caused by bacteria, such as pneumonia. So, it may be a good idea to make sure people avoid visiting you if they show signs of sickness. This is especially true for children, especially small children. They are cute and fun to spend time with. But, they are also good germ spreaders.

Get plenty of rest and eat healthily

Both of these topics are very important when you have a chronic disease like COPD. We cover the importance of getting a good sleep in another post. So, we won’t spend time here talking about that. A dietician told me there is no special COPD diet. However, it is important to eat healthy in order to meet your daily energy needs. This is important as it’s also important to stay active. A dietician can help you find a diet that is ideal for you.

Stay as active as you can

In fact, many COPD experts now consider staying active as a key part of any COPD management plan. Muscles that remain inactive for too long become weak and less effective. So, it’s important to stay active in some way. For some, this may involve something as simple as standing up and going for a walk. Another good exercise is riding on a stationary bike. Many doctors are now prescribing pulmonary rehabilitation. Here, experts will teach you how best to manage your COPD. They will also teach you exercises that work great for people living with COPD along with how best to do them.

Educate yourself

We can never overemphasize the importance of knowing your disease inside out and upside down. You can learn about COPD by talking to your doctor. Another good idea is by reading some of the articles on sites like ours. Ask questions. If there’s something you don’t understand, feel free to ask questions. Doctors are very knowledgeable about you and your disease. You are also free to ask questions right here in this community.

Join a COPD community

COPD communities are very helpful for people living with chronic diseases. For one thing, you get to meet people just like you who are living with it. Most communities also have experts who specialize in COPD wisdom, such as doctors, nurses, and respiratory therapists like me.