Once upon a time, before chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) took my breath away, I had a pet robin…
Caroline Gainer
Caroline Gainer is from West Virginia, the state with the highest rate of COPD in the United States. She was diagnosed with moderate-to-severe COPD in 2013 after a pneumothorax (lung collapse). After two more lung collapses she was diagnosed as severe. She has been very active with the American Lung Association and the COPD Foundation as an advocate for people with lung disease. She hopes that her column, “Life Tethered to a Concentrator,” will inspire others to live their best life with COPD.
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Articles by Caroline Gainer
When I was young, I envisioned myself as memorialized in history for my outstanding accomplishments, but recovery from depression…
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with trazodone. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment.
Note: This column discusses depression, including thoughts of hopelessness and suicidal ideation. Resources for help are listed at the end…
Trying something new doesn’t always yield good results, which is why those of us with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease…
March is a difficult month for me. I can relate to Bill Withers’ song “Ain’t No Sunshine.” The bleak winter…
A friend asked me if there is still time to get this season’s flu shot. That got me thinking about…
The moment I reached the top of the stairs with an oxygen saturation of 92%, I was filled with…
I remember how hard it was to keep cars, or any other outdoor metal object, clean and looking good when…
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) makes it hard to breathe, and many of us with the disease know that…