Caroline Gainer,  —

Tools that make life easier for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are prized possessions. One of them is the recently updated version of the COPD Pocket Consultant Guide from the COPD Foundation. I was fortunate to be asked to help beta test the updated guide,…

For years, I got up in the morning and coughed and gagged, feeling like my throat was closing. Then I’d get a prickly feeling in my arms and back, like when your circulation gets cut off and a body part goes to sleep. The medical term for this tingly feeling…

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with corticosteroids. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. At some point, most people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have had to take a corticosteroid, a type…

I recently received a call from my oxygen provider asking if I’d be home the next day. They wanted to bring me a new stationary oxygen concentrator, also known as a home oxygen concentrator. Durable medical equipment providers (DMEs) rent those of us with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease…

Having chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) makes us patients more susceptible to lung infections. These infections can creep up on us quickly and progress to a severe condition in just a few days. This was the case for me two summers ago. During my hospital stay, I…

Those of us with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) often complain of fatigue, which is much different from simply being tired. Tiredness can be addressed by a good night’s sleep. Fatigue is a different story. The short and sweet of it for me is that tired = good,…

Oxygen therapy is required for many of us with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). My column’s name, in fact, comes from my need to be connected to an oxygen concentrator. I have an Inogen G4 Hip Bag to carry my portable version; it’s pricey, but worth…

Pulmonary rehabilitation can help to significantly increase exercise tolerance in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Many hospitals have pulmonary rehabilitation programs, but some patients have difficulty getting to them because they don’t drive, can’t secure a ride, or don’t have easy access to public transportation. One…

It’s not uncommon for those of us with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to suffer from cachexia, or wasting disease. A 2019 study found that people with cachexia or pre-cachexia had a higher death rate than those who didn’t suffer this uncontrolled weight loss. The reason I’m…

Those of us with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease need to be prepared for unexpected challenges like inclement weather or power outages. A few days ago, I was happy that I had an emergency preparedness plan for when the power goes out. We were experiencing high winds, which caused…