Life Tethered to a Concentrator — Caroline Gainer

Many of us with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have received medical devices to help with our breathing. At first, it seemed to me that some of these devices worked better than others. But after gaining experience with them, I think that impression was based on the fact that…

I’m dealing with a new symptom of my chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD): excess mucus. It has to be expelled, since I have trouble coughing it up on my own. That’s why my doctor wanted me to take the expectorant Mucinex (guaifenesin) twice a day. Mucinex, like…

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…

Someone asked me recently what I miss about my life before I had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Without hesitation, I answered that I missed being spontaneous. I can’t just decide, for example, that I want to go to the mailbox. I have to prepare for it, which requires…

Carrying a portable oxygen concentrator (POC) or tank in a backpack is undeniably inconvenient. However, it’s important to remember that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients are in a much better position today than we were in the past, thanks to numerous advances in oxygen delivery technology. The…

My inner voice went bananas last week. I couldn’t make a simple decision, such as when was the best day to go to the drugstore to get my prescriptions. I am sure that age and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) played a role in my confusion. I felt like…

I feel like crap, but I’m not badly sick. I decide I might as well get busy so I can feel accomplished at the end of the day. I make this decision often, but it’s a little more challenging with my chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Sometimes my decision…

Last week, I noticed that it took very little for me to find an excuse to put off exercise. This isn’t normal for me, so I decided it was time for a change. I recalled an article I’d recently read about the benefits of changing up your workout routine.

As a gardener, I sometimes imagine my mind as a garden full of various plants. Advocating for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients while living with the disease myself sometimes causes a few weeds to grow in my mind. I’ve written about how advocacy helps me stay motivated.

Incontinence ranks right up there with religion and politics as topics we don’t usually mention in polite company, partly because it’s embarrassing. But let’s discuss it anyway, because it affects many patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). I’m fortunate to have never had an incident with incontinence in…

For two weeks, I’ve gone to at least two doctor appointments a week to learn what’s causing me stomach problems atop my chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but I still don’t have a definitive answer. I’ve been having pain in the area of my hiatal hernia (in the…

If, 58 years ago, I had hated cigarettes as much as I hate them now, I probably wouldn’t have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, that isn’t guaranteed, as two other risk factors likely increased my chances of developing the condition. The first is that I was born weighing…