Tilt-a-Whirl of Home, Hospital, and Rehab

There is a revolving door that often starts slow until the frequent hospitalizations become dizzying. It may start with a fall, which leads to increased bed rest and muscle atrophy. However, as with many COPD patients, falls are not always the first in the chain reaction.

Over time, mobility is traded in for oxygen preservation. While this may serve a purpose, it can also cause harm to your ability to move about and maintain the lung capacity, which will diminish over time.

Coping with unexpected health declines

The limited mobility often leads to weakness, poor nutrition, hydration, limited socialization, and devastating hygiene impacts as well. I had noticed that my parents were prone to behaving out of sorts. They would start displaying a heightened sense of irritability, and at times, confusion that was beyond the normal aging process.

When I was focused on medication adherence, oxygen levels, doctor appointments, and keeping the bills paid and the roof over our heads while navigating care. I was often caught by surprise when a sharp decline, flareup, or infection would take my parents down a peg or two.

After several attempts to get my parents to consider going in for a check-up, a urinalysis, or to have blood levels checked and it went nowhere. I learned the hard way to consider that no matter how much I tried to control COPD. It was obvious that COPD had a mind of its own.

Caregiving through COPD crises

COPD disease management is unpredictable, baffling, and all-consuming. And that is on a good day. The bad days are when you see your loved one denying care when all vitals and signs are pointing to call the doctor or 911.

When you have time look back at the trends that were developing on your watch.The guilt and exhaustion cause you to lose your footing. You go through your decline, and denial on your journey as a caregiver.

What your loved one once had as a baseline of COPD is now shattered, and you start clawing and scraping with an unknown source of reserve just to get close to what was once your loved one’s normal.

With each trip to the hospital comes a new medicine protocol and repeat rehab time, followed by new Durable medical equipment that may or may not be covered by insurance.

Finding strength in resilience

Encouraging your loved one to adapt to the new normal after a decline that causes more demands on your time to earn income for yourself for both of you to live, you fall further in debt, you fight the screaming voices of surrender, only to see your loved one in a moment of frailty, and vow to fight again tomorrow. Against a disease that never sleeps, never rests, never relents.

If you can step back long enough while your loved one is resting in the hospital, or at an inpatient rehab facility working with a therapist, take time to learn from the setback and plan the comeback.

When I was a baby, my mom told me she slept when I slept or when I was sick and had to stay home from school. My mom would sometimes stay home and catch up on rest. Empathetic self-care has been forced on us at times when we give care.

Reflecting, learning, and moving forward

It is important to sit back on your caregiving and COPD journeys as a patient to see how far you have come. As of this moment, you have survived ALL of your worst moments thus far.

What can you learn from the trial you are in right now? How can you do better as a caregiver, child, and loved one?

What are the tangibles, the takeaways, that can help you look at the lessons learned instead of getting swallowed up by the point difference between you and the mighty COPD?

You survived the setback. You vow to keep fighting as you return to the comfort of your home.