Articles

There are so many things to remember when you have a chronic illness.  Some things are within your control and other things, not so much. Having a power outage in...

I’m a planner. I like to be as prepared as I can for just about any situation I can think of. It is no different when it comes to a...

ND - “Oh boy….” CS - “What?” ND - “Wait. Who are you?” CS - “I am you, 8 years down the road.” ND - “How is that possible?” CS...

Once you are diagnosed with COPD, emphysema or chronic bronchitis, it is only a matter of time before your first exacerbation strikes. Chances are, it will hit you quite unaware...

Every few years, the GOLD COPD Guidelines are updated. The 2011 update added what is called an ABCD Assessment Tool. This tool was updated in 2017. So, what is this...

My colleague, John Bottrell, recently wrote a terrific article about lung transplants here at COPD.net. It’s an excellent article and really lays out the whole story about the history of...

There are some neat treatment options for severe COPD. One such option is a bullectomy. So, what is this? Who qualifies for it? Here’s what to know. A basic description...

I wanted this video to help all of us through some of the issues of dealing with a continual chronic illness like COPD. By taming the stories that invade our...

Editors note: This post was written by the author the day prior to their birthday. The post was not published on this date. Tomorrow is my birthday – my 65th...

When I was a kid having an asthma attack, I’d often open the window. Sometimes I poke my nose to the screen and take a breath of fresh outdoor air...

My COPD and I go walking together… almost every day. I always tell him I’d like to walk a little bit further and it’s because of him that I can’t...

Researchers now understand that about 11% of asthmatics also have COPD, and 10-50% of COPDers over the age of 50 also have asthma. When this happens it is generally diagnosed...

From time to time, most everyone who has COPD will experience what is called an exacerbation, or flare-up. An exacerbation is a medical term for when your usual COPD symptoms...

Recently, someone in our COPD community here on this site asked, "How do you know when the end is near with COPD?" it's a valid question and one that may...

Earlier I explained "How Asthma Becomes COPD." In this post, I would like to explain what the risk factors are for asthma becoming COPD. Here's what to know. A 2004...

There is a rare form of genetic COPD. It’s the only subtype of COPD known to be hereditary. It’s caused because you have a mutated gene. The gene that is...

Mental and physical health are intrinsically linked. Managing the stresses of a physical condition can be mentally and emotionally exhausting. Here we share 10 strategies for coping when you’re feeling...

We recently asked our COPD community on Facebook if there were any symptoms that took them by surprise. Many respondents answered that they were surprised about how COPD has affected...

Dealing with one chronic illness, such as COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is enough. Yeah, well, that didn’t go as planned. I can sit here and shake my head chuckling...

After a brief examination the other day, my pulmonologist, Lisa, was looking over her notes and asked me, “When was the last time you saw your cardiologist?” “My cardiologist? I...