How To Manage COPD Effectively - New Insights From Patients And Caregivers - 14/06/2010

Some of you may not be aware that my family and I lost our dad/husband/grandpa/uncle/mate in May this year to a form of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD). It was a very hard road for my family and in particular my mum who was dad's primary carer, and of course for dad, whom struggled for a long time with breathing difficulties. I would not wish for anyone to go through what we did - watching someone you love detoriate in front of your eyes and not being able to 'breathe' without undue effort.

My dad was diagnosed with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF) in 2006. "Idiopathic" refers to unsure how the person developed this condition. In the end it did not matter how dad came to develop PF, we knew from early on that he only had a 5-6 lifespan. For various other reasons he was not able to have a 'lung transplant' and therefore in the past 2 years my family had to accept the inevitable - he was going to die. The past 2 years were probably the hardest to for our family as it was in this time that dad's health began to detoriate to a point where he could no longer work due to his breathing difficulties.

If you or someone close to you lives with COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), then you are also aware of the daily struggles that may coincide with managing this disease. Patients with COPD report symptoms of breathlessness, coughing, wheezing and tightness in the chest that may affect one's quality of life by limiting physical activity or routine daily tasks.

A recent survey found that patients who have COPD feel more in control when they actively manage their disease. The survey, commissioned by the COPD Foundation and Dey, L.P., asked 400 people living with COPD and 400 people who provide care for someone with COPD about their thoughts on using a nebulizer (a device that turns medications into a fine mist for delivery to the lungs) to treat their COPD and how they best manage the condition.

For more information on how to manage COPD click here.

I hope that this information I have found will be of assistance to anyone who may be currently dealing with a form of COPD.

I feel privileged that I have had the personal experience of helping a family member manage their COPD and working as an Accredited Exercise Physiologist I can certainly provide better support and advice to my clients who have COPD and looking to improve their quality of life.

Regards,

Merendi Leverett-Bowler - Accredited Exercise Physiologist

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