If you or somebody you love is living with COPD, you know how it can quickly affect quality of life. Everyday tasks, from taking a walk to cooking a meal, may seem impossible for sufferers. Here at Hancock Health, we believe in treating the whole person, so we are focused on medical treatments, lifestyle changes, and symptom management to help increase quality of life for those with COPD.
What is it like living with COPD?
COPD is a chronic, inflammatory lung condition that can obstruct airflow, causing difficulty breathing as well as coughing and wheezing. Symptoms of COPD don’t occur until lung damage has already been sustained. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis are two of the most common conditions that contribute to someone developing COPD. It has various causes, although the largest one is smoking. Occupational exposures, air pollution and genetics also play a role.
Flare-ups from COPD cause worsening damage to the lungs, making more future flare-ups more likely in a vicious cycle. These can worsen breathing capacity, making it difficult to engage in healthy lifestyle habits such as gentle exercise. Scientists are now discovering that underlying inflammation in the lungs contributes to the illness.
What can we do about it?
Lifestyle changes are vital in every chronic condition, as they can impact the underlying inflammation causing disease. Making healthy choices (see the below list) can help decrease flare-ups, maintain lung function and more.
- Go for short and gentle walks
- Work with your provider to stay up to date on medications, treatments, and protocols
- Stick to a regular sleep schedule to ensure plenty of rest
- Spend quality time with supportive friends or family who can be a source of motivation
- Eat more healthy, whole foods and a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables to help with your body’s inflammation
If you are a smoker with COPD, now is the time to quit. Hancock Health offers plentiful resources to help you stay accountable. Check out the Hancock Health Connection Center for more information on smoking and substance abuse.
Hancock Health also offers a pulmonary function lab as well as pulmonary rehabilitation to help those suffering from COPD through education about the disease and how to live with it, strength and endurance training, breathing retraining education, advice on healthy lifestyle habits and nutrition, smoking cessation strategies and more. You can also find out more about support groups and other programming by speaking to your provider.
For those who are looking for help with symptom management, Hancock Health’s palliative care team is here to ensure a better quality of life. Many people confuse hospice with palliative care, but the latter is simply for those who have chronic conditions who want to seek both treatments and comfort measures. Read more about our palliative care team ここ.
Living with COPD may affect every part of your life, but that doesn’t mean you need to succumb to this illness. By working to make lifestyle changes, taking initiative to stop smoking and more, you can start to regain control over your quality of life.
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