Living

I have now been a respiratory therapist for 21 years. During these years I have taken care of many people with COPD. Some I have even gotten to know quite...

If you have COPD, like me, you probably have medications to take. As your COPD progresses, so does the amount of medications that are prescribed. Before being diagnosed, I didn’t...

When we live with chronic illnesses, like COPD, sometimes we feel like we're broken. We feel like our vibrancy, our beauty, our vitality is gone. Our limitations, pain, fatigue, all...

I wrote a post a while back, "5 Tips when to seek help for asthma." I wrote this post based on my own personal experience as an asthmatic. I have...

COPD, much like asthma, is an invisible illness. It involves inhaling invisible substances that cause invisible changes to occur inside the lungs, and sometimes cause invisible symptoms. This invisible nature...

As we come to the close of October, schools on, we’re able to enjoy the harvest from our gardens and we’re moving into fall. In the small towns, we may...

I used to wonder why anyone wouldn't follow their doctor's orders, but since being diagnosed with COPD I’ve done it myself. In part 1 of this article, I laid out...

When I was younger, I would tell my dad that I wanted to be happy, in life, at work, in everything. My dad would tell me that I wasn’t being...

It can be so hard to hear that we have COPD, whether it’s Stage 1 or Stage 4. Too often when we get the diagnosis, no one explains to us...

Dust is a big trigger for my allergies, COPD and asthma. My doctors were thinking that my allergies were triggering my COPD exacerbations and SOB (shortness of breath). Those were...

“I don't wanna, I don't hafta, and you can't make me...” Remember those words from childhood? Or maybe you weren't as...contrary...as me. I think about that phrase whenever I hear...

Does bill paying time of the month throw your body system off? It sure does mine. I would call this my stressor time of the month. It can get my...

Has anyone ever said to you, "You look fine. It's hard to believe you're sick!" or something similar? Many people in our community have expressed their frustration with COPD being...

A restful night's sleep can be elusive when you have COPD. Do you have to sleep somewhat upright, find yourself getting your oxygen tubing tangled up in your covers or...

The last thing that I want to tell a group of people is that I’m overweight. I’m not just overweight, I’m obese. I’ve been dieting for years. Looking back, I...

Fire season is almost upon us. The end of summer and the start of fall mean the trees are changing colors, the weather is changing, fields are almost ready to...

As I mentioned in Part 1, no, I’m not being silly regarding the title. Many would say having COPD means that they are sick. Others think of COPD as having...

Have you ever had muscle spasms or cramping around the ribcage, also known as rib cramps? Even though many of our COPD community members experience rib cramping, doctors and researchers...

Have you ever seen an old Sherlock Holmes movie? All the old films ends with Holmes and Watson chasing the nefarious villain through a maze of London alleyways covered in...

Many with COPD suffer physical pain, other than the breathlessness that almost all of us with a respiratory condition suffer. I am lucky as a part from cramps I have...