What Is It Actually Like Living With COPD?: Nearly 37 million people live with a chronic respiratory disease in the United States. Some examples include asthma, pulmonary hypertension, and cystic fibrosis.
COPD is fairly common as well; it affects more than 24 million adults, according to the American Lung Association.
Were you recently diagnosed? Want to know what it’s like living with COPD? If so, you’re at the right place.
We’ll be going over everything that you need to know about the condition below—so be sure to read the rest of the post!
What Is COPD?
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic inflammatory lung disease that makes it difficult to breathe. An umbrella term, it’s used to describe two different lung conditions—chronic bronchitis and emphysema.
The former destroys the air sacs in the lungs while the latter causes narrowing of the bronchial tubes. As it is, they usually occur together (ie. most people with COPD have both of these conditions).
Left untreated, it can lead to various complications such as pneumonia, heart problems, and respiratory failure.
Not only that, but it can also increase your risk of primary lung cancer (those with blockages in their airways are five times more likely to develop the condition).
Symptoms of COPD
Most people will experience mild symptoms at the beginning. In fact, many may mistake these signs of COPD for a cold. For example, it can cause occasional shortness of breath or coughing.
As the disease progresses, however, it’ll become increasingly hard to breathe. Not only will it cause shortness of breath (after mild exercise), but it can also lead to wheezing, chronic cough, chest tightness, and lack of energy. You’ll also have a constant need to clear mucus from your lungs every day.
In the later stages of COPD, it can also cause swelling of the feet and legs. Generally speaking, symptoms will be worse if you’re a smoker or are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke.
What Causes COPD?
Tobacco smoking is responsible for up to 90% of all COPD cases. When a cigarette burns, it creates thousands of chemicals, many of which will weaken your lungs’ defenses.
For one thing, it can cause swelling of the air tubes and narrowing of the air passages. Not only that, but it can also destroy the air sacs in the lungs and that’s a major contributor to the disease.
With that said, nonsmokers can develop the disease as well. This usually happens if they’re exposed to dust, secondhand smoke, fumes, chemicals, or air pollution over a long period of time.
There’s also a rare form of COPD that’s caused by an alpha-1 deficiency. A genetic condition, it affects the body’s ability to produce Alpha-1, a protein that normally protects the lungs from damage caused by inflammation.
Treatment for COPD – Medications
Unfortunately, there’s no cure for COPD. However, there are treatments that can slow disease progression. For example, your doctor may prescribe inhaled bronchodilators; they’ll help loosen the muscles in your airways, which will make it easier to breathe.
Inhaled corticosteroids are another option; they’ll help reduce inflammation in the air passages and reduce mucus production. Depending on the severity of the disease, you may need to take them in combination with a bronchodilator.
There are also phosphodiesterase-4 inhibitors, which you can take in pill form that’ll help relax the airways. With that said, they’re usually reserved for those with severe COPD.
Treatment for COPD – Other Options
Oxygen therapy is recommended for those with low blood oxygen levels; it’ll increase the amount of oxygen that flows into the lungs and bloodstream. For example, some people may receive supplemental oxygen through a mask. There are also portable units that you can take with you on the go.
Furthermore, you can buy an oxygen concentrator as it eliminates the hassle of visiting the hospital each time and getting the cylinders repeatedly refiled. Since it is not a short-term disease, the patients can not neglect their day-to-day activities. Oxygen concentrators help to maintain an active lifestyle- can be used while exercising, traveling, etc by buying any portable oxygen concentrator.
Also, if flow rate requirements are high, you can choose a 10 liter stationary Oxygen concentrator as it is specially designed to cater to the need for oxygen therapy at home. The device is best for COPD patients as it can deliver oxygen in a continuous high flow.
If none of the other treatments work, surgery may be necessary. For instance, they may perform a bullectomy—a procedure in which a surgeon removes abnormal air spaces from the lungs.
Some people may also benefit from lung volume reduction surgery. Also known as a bilateral pneumectomy, it involves removing damaged tissue from the upper lung.
For end-stage COPD patients, palliative care is an option. For more information, read this article by Maple Leaf Meds.
Coping with COPD
COPD is a lifelong disease. However, there are things that you can do to protect your lungs. For one thing, you’ll want to avoid smoking. If you’re having trouble quitting, talk to your healthcare provider—there are smoking cessation programs that can help.
Regular exercise is also beneficial. Not only will it improve your circulation, but it’ll also allow your body to use oxygen more efficiently, which in return, will give you more energy. It’ll also keep you at a healthy weight so that your lungs and heart won’t have to work as hard.
Finally, you want to make sure that you’re drinking enough fluids. Ideally, you want to have at least six 8-ounce glasses of water per day. That’ll keep the mucus thinner so that it’ll be easier to cough out.
Living With COPD
Living with COPD has its challenges. With that said, there are medications that you can take that’ll reduce symptoms and prevent flare-ups. When in doubt, talk to your doctor—they’ll be able to help you come up with a treatment plan.
Was the information in this post helpful? Looking for more content like this? Then be sure to check out some of the other posts in our health and fitness section!
