Life Tethered to a Concentrator — Caroline Gainer

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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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Losing myself, finding myself: How recovery is harder with COPD

There are times in life when illness doesn’t just slow you down— it rearranges you. I didn’t see it happening at first. I thought I was simply tired or behind, in need of a weekend to catch up. But slowly, almost quietly, I began to lose the version of myself…

Caroline Gainer

My experiences with COPD and inflammation aren’t cut-and-dried

Those of us living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have learned to pay close attention to subtle changes in our bodies to avoid or quickly address respiratory infections, which can lead to exacerbations. An exacerbation is a worsening of COPD symptoms that can result in serious complications, such…

Hydration and guaifenesin help keep my airway clear

Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with guaifenesin. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. We always hear that we should “hydrate, hydrate, hydrate,” but I want to talk about why it’s especially crucial for those…

With COPD, I harvest health from my raised garden bed

Those of us with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are encouraged to eat an anti-inflammatory diet. I like to think that I harvest my health from a raised bed. I sit on the timbers of my garden bed with my legs tucked to the side and begin to…

Relief from my arthritis is a breath of fresh air

Arthritis often occurs with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). For me, each moment of pain in my hips is another ding to my oxygen saturation, or at least that’s how it seems. I’ve been in a one-step-forward, two-steps-backward grind since a bout of pneumonia last year. Living with osteoarthritis…

Brewing up ‘magic coffee’ keeps me strong and breathing well

Shortly after I begin to stir in the morning, I stir some nutrients into my morning coffee. I have shared my “magic coffee” recipe with many of my friends with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and I thought I’d share the benefits of the brew with you, too. Magic…

‘Stay busy. Be useful.’ is a great mantra for those living with COPD

I recently read an article on my newsfeed that said Arnold Schwarzenegger, bodybuilder, actor, and onetime California governor, had a four-word mantra: “Stay busy. Be useful.” I thought this was a wonderful guide for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). As I pursue the idea of…

A change in health can sometimes seem like a landslide

While watching coverage of a landslide on my news feed, I was reminded of a time when I had a close brush with one. A carpool I was in just missed it, but the carpool of friends behind us wasn’t so lucky. We were concerned they’d be killed in the…

Are telehealth visits the new doctor home visits?

Growing up in rural central West Virginia, I can remember the doctor coming to the house with his black bag full of medicine and instruments. Now I have two providers that I consult with over Zoom, and I wonder if this is the new “home visit.” For those of us…

Is it getting harder to coordinate our care?

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems that coordinating my healthcare is getting harder. It’s important for those of us with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to coordinate medications and other treatments so that we get optimum results. When I was diagnosed with COPD, all but one of…

Understanding and addressing what causes our fatigue

Now that I have treatment for my depression and inability to sleep, I look a little differently than I used to at the occasions when I feel fatigued. I think it’s important for those of us with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) to understand what type of fatigue we…

Nature adds so much pleasure and calm to my life with COPD

For several years now, a doe has hidden her fawns in the middle flower bed in my front lawn. I gain so much pleasure watching her deposit her children for me to babysit each day as she goes about finding food. There’s also a calming effect in watching the little…


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