Understanding A Social Security Disability DenialAfter the long, confusing process of applying for Social Security disability benefits, it is understandably very frustrating to receive a denial. While the Social Security Administration (SSA) has no official...reactions2comments
Community Feedback: Tips for Showering with COPDCOPD brings with it many challenges, one in particular is the increased difficulty of everyday tasks. When your breathing is labored and you often feel exhausted, so many daily tasks...reactions32comments
10 Things You Might Not Know About COPDCOPD is a complex and intricate group of conditions. Even for those who educate and familiarize themselves with this condition regularly, there are always new things to learn and new...reactionscomments
Well Balanced Affordable Meals for COPDI live on Social Security. I have no other income, I don't get food stamps or low income housing. I am telling you this so you know you can eat...reactionscomments
Overcoming Eating Challenges, Part 4 - Microwave Cooking with COPDEditor's note: This is part 3 of a 4-part series. Be sure to check out part 1, part 2, and part 3. When it comes to cooking, for people with...reactionscomments
Community Feedback: Rib Cramping with COPDOne aspect of managing a chronic illness is the constant deciphering of new symptoms! Every time you experience something new you have to ask “Is this normal?” “Is this because...reactions54comments
The Rewards of Quitting Smoking In a NutshellEveryone today knows it's better to quit smoking, that are some significant rewards to quitting smoking. When my parents started smoking in the first half of the 20th century, the...reactions11comments
Getting Through Difficult Blood DrawsPatients with COPD will have to endure countless blood draws over the course of their lives. For most, this is uncomfortable, but it can be tolerated. For others, it seems...reactionscomments
Overcoming Eating Challenges - Part 2: Overweight and UnderweightEditor's note: This is part 2 of a 4-part series. Be sure to check out part 1, part 3, and part 4. I know it is very hard to maintain...reactionscomments
Building An Indoor GardenI remember one year when my mom planted almost three hundred tulip bulbs in my grandmother’s yard and some in her yard. She loved to be outside, with her hands...reactionscomments
Overcoming Eating Challenges - Part 1Editor's note: This is part 1 of a 4-part series. Be sure to check out part 2, part 3, and part 4. COPD is a challenging condition to live with...reactions2comments
Weight, a Cold, and SpoonsSadly my mother suffers COPD at an advanced age. As a result I am sure sometimes our genes are more responsible for our COPD than we realize. I had sarcoidosis...reactions3comments
Have A Good LaughWe were recently cleaning out our garage, and we came across a board game that had been the Sunday afternoon activity with my mom, just after my husband and I...reactionscomments
Mourning the Death of Your Previous Life: Navigating Deeper Emotions and Finding AcceptanceWhen you are in mourning for the life you've lost to COPD, denial, disbelief and grief are the easiest emotions to deal with, but they can lead to the stronger...reactions17comments
Mourning the Death of Your Previous Life: Understanding the Initial Emotional ImpactThe reaction to being diagnosed with COPD is as varied as the people who get COPD. Being diagnosed with COPD may cause feelings of denial, fear, anger, blame, guilt, confusion...reactions34comments
Bloating and COPD - Part 2In part one I explained how COPD causes many of us to bloat. I also explained how large our lungs become inside our bodies. Bloating can be uncomfortable, and in some...reactions22comments
Tidbits for COPD in Cold Weather at Home & AwayCold weather is definitely here. With it comes a change in our own health. I don’t know about you, but my body feels the changes and reacts to things differently in...reactionscomments
Bloating and COPD - Part 1This week I am writing about the bump many of us wish we did not have: bloated stomachs that no amount of effort on our part seems to deflate. I...reactions13comments
Medical Bills 101As if the symptoms of COPD are not enough to deal with on their own, you also have to deal with medical bills and insurance companies. Just when it seems...reactionscomments
The Conversation No One Wants To HaveThere is a discussion that needs to take place, before it needs to take place. Honestly, I wish that I had pushed this conversation years before we needed the information...reactionscomments
