It greatly annoys me when people - the family, friends, doctors, nurses, anyone really - feel that keeping information or news from me is better for me. How would they know this? Quite the contrary, I find it infuriating, insulting, belittling, disrespectful and that is putting it mildly.
It is as if because I have a tube in my nose delivering oxygen - and not that much more oxygen than they themselves use, mind you - that suddenly my brain doesn't function normally.
How Rude!!!
Of course not ALL people act this way but some of those closest to me do carry on this way and I have to tell you that it offends me so greatly that I have begun to avoid those people. This makes me sad to do so but I also do not have the stress and utter frustration that this sort of behavior brings to my plate.
It isn't as if I haven't spoken with them about this kind of "attitude" toward me and have, in some cases, had my own doctor address this issue with family......to no avail. (Of course, they would know better than my own physician, I say with definite sarcasm :0)
If my 31 year old niece had her way, I would be in a wheelchair with a blanket draped over my lap and wearing a bibb. Now, this niece checked my mail the other day and proceeded to sort through it & toss out what she decided I did not need to see. LOL Can you stand it??? She actually threw it in the trash bin outside before she brought the remainder of the mail into the house. I know because I watched her from the front window. When I told her this was not acceptable, she scolded me. Scolded me!! Telling me in a very condescending tone that "...if I needed anything she would go and get it for me." Huh???
When the truth of the matter is that I own my own home, have my own dog, care for my home and dog, do my own shopping and can stand and walk on my own 2 legs, albeit slower than most, just fine. I drive and take care of my finances. I have a bank account or two and have never once bounced a check in my life and I am 50 years old, having traveled the globe more than once. I know a thing or two.
Thank God for the folks I encounter out in the world that give me respect and do not see "only" the oxygen and think my mind doesn't function. The fact is, I'm still sharp as a tack and I'll take on the likes of anyone who thinks otherwise.
Since the COPD puts more than enough restrictions on me, I have made a choice to avoid those people who behave so badly and I shall thoroughly enjoy my remaining time as happily and wonderfully as I can. For that is how it should be. Eliminate the frustration and stress that I can ~ and bring in the happy!!! So there!
OK. That's my rant....for now.
Enjoy yourselves for that is how it should be!!
Sweet blessings,
Kasey
Monday, July 27, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
The Silent Killer-COPD
This came in my Johns Hopkins news alert this morning and I am sharing it here. The link to the entire article is at the bottom of this one.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lung Disorders Special Report
COPD: Catching the “Silent Killer”
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute about 12 million Americans likely have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but don't know it. Because COPD often produces no symptoms in its early stages, it is often not caught until severe breathing problems develop. That's why COPD is sometimes referred to as "chronic overlooked pulmonary disease." However, by catching the disease early, people with COPD can make lifestyle changes and start on treatments that will slow the loss of lung function, improve their quality of life, and, in some cases, increase survival.
To help identify COPD at its earliest stages before it causes serious lung damage, anyone at risk for COPD should take a simple, painless, noninvasive breathing test called spirometry at the first sign of any breathing difficulties. People at risk for COPD include current and former smokers over age 40, anyone exposed to environmental tobacco smoke or irritants in the workplace, people with a family history of COPD, and anyone with the genetic abnormality alpha1-antitrypsin, or AAT, deficiency.
Anyone of any age, regardless of smoking history, should have a spirometry test if they have these COPD symptoms:
constant coughing, sometimes called smoker's cough
shortness of breath while doing activities you used to be able to do
excess sputum production
feeling like you can't breathe
difficulty taking a deep breath
wheezing
What Is Spirometry?
Spirometry is a lung function test that measures the amount of air you can blow out of your lungs and how fast you can blow it out. The test is performed with a machine called a spirometer. To perform the test, you will be asked to take as deep a breath as you can, and to then blow out as hard and as fast as you can into a disposable mouthpiece that is connected to the spirometer with a flexible tube. The spirometer will then measure how much air you exhaled in the first second, called the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and the total amount of air exhaled, known as the forced vital capacity (FVC). Some portable office spirometers measure FEV1 and the total amount you exhaled in six seconds (FEV6). On these spirometers, FEV6 is used as a substitute for FVC.
Doctors use the ratio of FEV1 to FVC (or FEV6) to help determine whether your lungs are functioning normally. The ratio is obtained by dividing your FEV1 by your FVC (or FEV6).
A value less than 70% suggests that you may have COPD. FEV1 is used to measure the severity of COPD. It is expressed as a percentage of the average result expected (the percent predicted) for a healthy person of your age, height, gender, and race. For example, a person with an FEV1 of 50% exhales about half the amount that a similar healthy person would be expected to exhale in one second. In general, an FEV1 greater than 80% of predicted is considered normal.
Why Early Diagnosis of COPD Matters
If you're in an at-risk group and spirometry indicates your lungs are healthy, experts recommend getting retested in three to five years. If you do have COPD, the sooner you are diagnosed, the sooner you'll be able to start treatment and make lifestyle changes that can help slow disease progression. If you have mild or moderate COPD, your doctor may recommend some or all of the following:
Stop smoking. If you smoke, quitting will prevent further damage to your lungs as well as help preserve remaining lung function.
Get vaccinated. The flu can be very harmful to people with COPD, often leading to pneumonia and other serious respiratory problems that require hospitalization. To protect yourself from the influenza virus, get a flu shot yearly. A pneumococcal vaccine every five to 10 years also is important.
Take your medications. Proper treatment can help to reduce the frequency of COPD exacerbations. If you occasionally have symptoms, your doctor may prescribe a short-acting bronchodilator, such as ipratropium (Atrovent HFA) or levalbuterol (Xopenex HFA) to be used as needed. When your symptoms become more frequent, a long-acting bronchodilator, such as tiotropium (Spiriva) or salmeterol (Serevent), might be prescribed.
Go to pulmonary rehabilitation classes. This program of education and exercise classes for people with all stages of COPD teaches you about how your lungs function, how to exercise and do activities with less shortness of breath, and how to live better with your lung condition.
http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/lung_disorders/3114-1.html?ET=johnshopkins:e24988:66604a:&st=email&st=email&s=RLH_090716_005
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lung Disorders Special Report
COPD: Catching the “Silent Killer”
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute about 12 million Americans likely have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) but don't know it. Because COPD often produces no symptoms in its early stages, it is often not caught until severe breathing problems develop. That's why COPD is sometimes referred to as "chronic overlooked pulmonary disease." However, by catching the disease early, people with COPD can make lifestyle changes and start on treatments that will slow the loss of lung function, improve their quality of life, and, in some cases, increase survival.
To help identify COPD at its earliest stages before it causes serious lung damage, anyone at risk for COPD should take a simple, painless, noninvasive breathing test called spirometry at the first sign of any breathing difficulties. People at risk for COPD include current and former smokers over age 40, anyone exposed to environmental tobacco smoke or irritants in the workplace, people with a family history of COPD, and anyone with the genetic abnormality alpha1-antitrypsin, or AAT, deficiency.
Anyone of any age, regardless of smoking history, should have a spirometry test if they have these COPD symptoms:
constant coughing, sometimes called smoker's cough
shortness of breath while doing activities you used to be able to do
excess sputum production
feeling like you can't breathe
difficulty taking a deep breath
wheezing
What Is Spirometry?
Spirometry is a lung function test that measures the amount of air you can blow out of your lungs and how fast you can blow it out. The test is performed with a machine called a spirometer. To perform the test, you will be asked to take as deep a breath as you can, and to then blow out as hard and as fast as you can into a disposable mouthpiece that is connected to the spirometer with a flexible tube. The spirometer will then measure how much air you exhaled in the first second, called the forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), and the total amount of air exhaled, known as the forced vital capacity (FVC). Some portable office spirometers measure FEV1 and the total amount you exhaled in six seconds (FEV6). On these spirometers, FEV6 is used as a substitute for FVC.
Doctors use the ratio of FEV1 to FVC (or FEV6) to help determine whether your lungs are functioning normally. The ratio is obtained by dividing your FEV1 by your FVC (or FEV6).
A value less than 70% suggests that you may have COPD. FEV1 is used to measure the severity of COPD. It is expressed as a percentage of the average result expected (the percent predicted) for a healthy person of your age, height, gender, and race. For example, a person with an FEV1 of 50% exhales about half the amount that a similar healthy person would be expected to exhale in one second. In general, an FEV1 greater than 80% of predicted is considered normal.
Why Early Diagnosis of COPD Matters
If you're in an at-risk group and spirometry indicates your lungs are healthy, experts recommend getting retested in three to five years. If you do have COPD, the sooner you are diagnosed, the sooner you'll be able to start treatment and make lifestyle changes that can help slow disease progression. If you have mild or moderate COPD, your doctor may recommend some or all of the following:
Stop smoking. If you smoke, quitting will prevent further damage to your lungs as well as help preserve remaining lung function.
Get vaccinated. The flu can be very harmful to people with COPD, often leading to pneumonia and other serious respiratory problems that require hospitalization. To protect yourself from the influenza virus, get a flu shot yearly. A pneumococcal vaccine every five to 10 years also is important.
Take your medications. Proper treatment can help to reduce the frequency of COPD exacerbations. If you occasionally have symptoms, your doctor may prescribe a short-acting bronchodilator, such as ipratropium (Atrovent HFA) or levalbuterol (Xopenex HFA) to be used as needed. When your symptoms become more frequent, a long-acting bronchodilator, such as tiotropium (Spiriva) or salmeterol (Serevent), might be prescribed.
Go to pulmonary rehabilitation classes. This program of education and exercise classes for people with all stages of COPD teaches you about how your lungs function, how to exercise and do activities with less shortness of breath, and how to live better with your lung condition.
http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/reports/lung_disorders/3114-1.html?ET=johnshopkins:e24988:66604a:&st=email&st=email&s=RLH_090716_005
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