Addressing the comorbidities of COPD is crucial, but it can be tricky

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is often accompanied by several comorbidities, including heart disease, osteoporosis, anxiety, and depression. Two of my prominent comorbidities are gastroesophageal reflux disease and osteoarthritis. When one or more of these conditions become pervasive, it can really take the joy out of life.

A couple years ago, to address my osteoarthritis, I discussed with my primary care physician the consequences of missing a week or more of exercise each month. My doctor suggested I do some stretching to ease the tension in my hip joints, and after performing some tests, he also decided I might benefit from meloxicam, an anti-inflammatory medication. I also evaluated and modified my diet to steer clear of inflammatory ingredients. Adhering to this regimen for over a month brought me great benefits.

After that, my osteoarthritis pain became a thing of the past. But then I started having severe pain in my abdomen. These episodes didn’t last long, but they began to increase in frequency. So I again consulted my doctor, who suspected that meloxicam was the culprit.

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Getting back on track

Meloxicam is considered a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, or NSAID, which is a group of drugs known to cause digestive issues. My doctor decided to take me off meloxicam for my arthritis pain and suggested I use Tylenol, which isn’t an NSAID, instead.

Then I was sent for an ultrasound, which discovered an enlarged bile duct, indicating that I’d passed gallstones. After about two months of consultations with a gastroenterologist and subsequent treatment, I managed to get my stomach issues under control.

But I noticed some setbacks with my COPD, including huge dips in my oxygen saturation levels. I’d been prescribed two to four liters per minute of supplemental oxygen, and I found myself constantly turning up the oxygen concentrator to four liters per minute, yet it had little to no effect.

My Fitbit activity tracker offered some important insight that I found hard to believe: I’d been exercising fewer than 15 days a month for two months. Still, I feared that something else was going on. And it was: My primary care physician found that I had pneumonia, so I had to start taking an antibiotic and the cold medication Mucinex (guaifenesin).

I told my doctor that the Tylenol hadn’t been working, so he switched me to tramadol for pain and recommended I schedule an appointment with an orthopedist.

I hope that I’m finally back on the right track regarding my health. Now that the pain doesn’t force me to stop and recover every few steps, I realize I’d been slacking on my exercise routines and daily self-care regimen. (It’s difficult to think clearly when you’re in constant pain.)

COPD is challenging and requires the patient’s effort to live a good life. Comorbidities can disrupt those routines and lead to a worsening of COPD symptoms.

My plan now is to start over with my COPD workouts and slowly get back to where I need to be. This time around, I hope it’ll be a little easier.

Note: COPD News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website. The opinions expressed in this column are not those of COPD News Today or its parent company, Bionews, and are intended to spark discussion about issues pertaining to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.