Life Tethered to a Concentrator — Caroline Gainer

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…

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…

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.

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

I’ve been struggling lately to maintain my normally positive focus on life and living. It’s been perplexing to try to figure out why I’ve been falling further off the gloom-and-doom cliff. I eventually realized…

I recently posted in COPD360social, the COPD Foundation’s online community, that I’ve been requiring more sleep than usual. That represents a change in thinking for me. Normally, I would’ve told myself, “Get up.

You know that Dolly Parton song where she tumbles out of bed, stumbles to the kitchen, and pours herself a cup of ambition? A recent day was one of those days when…