Since receiving his COPD diagnosis in 2006, Cleveland resident Edward Ruth, now 59, has been managing his condition by taking things “one day at a time. It’s been up and down,” he says, and he’s unfortunately had to deal with several exacerbations, a worsening of the disease that results in a change in treatment that could include a hospital stay. He only learned of his COPD diagnosis when a nasty case of walking pneumonia landed him in the hospital.
Like the more than 11 million people in the United States who’ve been diagnosed with chronic obstructive cardiopulmonary disease and the millions more who don’t even know they have it, Ruth has found that he’s had to make adjustments to his lifestyle. Some of those changes have been harder than others, but with a good attitude and faithful observance of doctors’ orders, Ruth’s prognosis is quite good, and he’s able to lead a relatively normal life.
[See: 16 Ways Your Body Adjusts to a New Climate.]
Living with COPD
The American Lung Association reports that COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States, but as a chronic, progressive disease, most patients will live with the disease for many years. The disease is not curable, yet it is possible to achieve some level of normalcy despite its challenges.
Dr. Frederick Wamboldt, co-director of the center for health promotion and professor of medicine at National Jewish Health in Denver, says one of the challenges of living with COPD is learning to slow down and go at your own pace. “Most people have spent their whole life trying to move fast and rush through chores and various things to get on with life. So it’s very hard for people to slow down and pace themselves,” he says. But that’s exactly what you need to do when dealing with COPD.
Because COPD can leave you breathless, it’s important to pay attention to your breathing. Wamboldt recommends using it as guide to tell you how much you can do, explaining that if you’re aerobically exercising, you expect to be winded and it’s not an upsetting experience. But if you find yourself “huffing and puffing” when you’re doing “sub-aerobic tasks,” such as ” walking up a few stairs, carrying out the trash or doing the laundry, it means you’re doing those sub-aerobic activities to the point that you’re having to breathe harder than you get benefit from doing.” This can lead to panic, which can cause additional problems, so it’s time to listen to your body and dial back the effort.
“We instruct people to really use their breathing as a pacer,” Wamboldt says. He advises taking some slow, gentle, deep breaths and moving only as quickly as you can to keep your breathing under control. But he acknowledges that this can be difficult for many people. Aesop’s fable of the tortoise and the hare may offer some sage advice in these situations. “You need to become the tortoise that wins the race when the hare loses the race. Most people kind of get that because they’ve had the experience of pushing on and then having to stop [because they were] going too fast,” Wamboldt says.
Ruth says this has happened to him before, too, and generally taking things slower helps. “There’s a lot of things that I used to do that I can’t do now. I’ve had to rearrange my life and go a little slower than I’m used to, but at least I’m still alive.”
[See: 7 Lifestyle Tips to Manage Your Asthma.]
In addition to using your breath as a guide to pacing, Wamboldt says that pulmonary rehab, described by the COPD Foundation as “a program of exercise, education and support to help you learn to breathe — and function — at the highest level possible,” can help. Pulmonary rehabilitation can help you learn more about your current limitations while gently pushing them so that in time, you can do more. “Some of my favorite cases at National Jewish are the people who get wheeled in by a loved one in a wheelchair and after a week or so of rehab, they wind up walking out under their own power,” Wamboldt says.
Ruth has also found that exercise is critical to managing his COPD. “They say I’m doing good because they know I exercise. I try to do something every day. I walk every day. That’s the only way I’m going to keep my lungs,” he says. Many patients say exercise helps, but be sure to speak with your doctor before undertaking any new activities.
However, Wamboldt says that even if you feel great, you should be careful how hard you push at any one time. “Many people on a good day will try to overdo it and then they crash later that day or the next day. When you’re trying to exercise and push yourself, it’s important you stop before ” you get to that point.
And, of course staying on top of your doctor’s visits and dosing schedule for any prescribed medications is important, too. Ruth, who had asthma as a kid, was a smoker for most of his adult life and had been a cook at IHOP for some 30 years working around the heat and fumes of the kitchen every day, now sees his pulmonologist every 10 weeks and manages his condition with an inhaler and 10 milligrams of prednisone daily.
Although like Ruth, who is now retired, you’ll likely have to slow down some after your COPD diagnosis, Wamboldt says “you also want to keep a little fight in your belly.” Successfully fighting back means gently pushing yourself and being smart about what and how much you should be doing. “You’re going to keep moving, but you’re going to be respectful to stay within what you can keep doing,” and he says many patients surprise themselves when the discover just how normally they can live with COPD. “It’s really a great relief when people find out that there are things they can do if they’re careful with it,” he says.
And having a helping hand when doing those things is also helpful. Ruth says he gets help from his family on tasks like grocery shopping. Where he once easily walked to and from the grocery store, now he needs a ride to the store and will accept help in doing the shopping.
That kind of support is key to allowing “the person to get out and do stuff, but to be mindful and tolerant for their current limitations while still pushing so they stay active and don’t become deconditioned,” Wamboldt says.
[See: 8 Surprising Facts About Asthma and Seasonal Allergies.]
Ruth’s prognosis is good, and his health is relatively stable because he’s made the right changes to his lifestyle. He quit smoking, he eats right and he exercises as much as he can. “I try to keep myself, my mind and my body together. That’s the only way to survive,” he says. “I see the doctor, and I take my medicine.” What’s more, he keeps a positive attitude and is grateful for what he still has. “I can’t sit around and feel sorry for myself — that’s not going to do me no good. I pray to God — give me another 20 years, and I’d be happy.” By carefully managing his COPD, he just might get his wish.
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What’s It Like to Live With COPD? originally appeared on usnews.com
