Articles

Pollutants can be both a cause and a trigger of COPD. Polluted air contains irritants - tiny particles that cause damage to the lungs. Breathing irritants for extended periods of...

"Hi, I’m John from respiratory. I have to draw some of your blood.” This is how I usually introduce myself when I come to draw an arterial blood gas (ABG)...

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...

Lately, many of our community members have been talking about pain as it relates COPD. So we asked our experts. Check out what they had to say! Do you have...

It’s often said that cigarette smoking is one of the hardest habits to break. Quitting smoking, for lack of a better way of putting it, is a “Pain in the...

When many people think of clinical trials, they may think of testing a new experimental drug or taking a placebo pill. But, not all clinical trials involve treatment! Even among...

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...

Do you ever get pain that you think could be related to COPD? For example, you may get pain from chest tightness, rib cramps, skin tears, or something else? Do...

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...

“You know, Hobbes, some days even my lucky rocket ship underpants don't help.” Calvin, “Calvin and Hobbes” by Bill Waterson “Ugh,” I rolled over and grabbed my comforter closer. “I...

In "Explaining Emphysema, Part 1", we discussed the risk factors and symptoms associated with this condition. Now, let's look at what can be done about it in terms of treatment...

While COPD isn’t necessarily a painful disease, there is some good evidence linking COPD to pain. Here are 8 things to know about COPD-related pain. If you suffer from chronic...

I have written much over the last decade about COPD, and my personal fight with it, how it is possible to improve our lives despite our illness, and of the...

A couple of years ago on a grieving site, a person wanted to grieve her old life. Some on the site said that this was for grieving because someone died.  This...