Managing Your COPD

Summary

This video helps patients recognize that by making the management of COPD a lifelong commitment, they can reduce symptoms and improve their quality of life. It explains the anatomy and physiology of breathing, and how chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma affect it. The video covers the major components of treating COPD: quitting smoking, breathing retraining, medications, diet and eating habits, and managing excess mucus. Participating in a pulmonary rehabilitation program is discussed. Demonstrations of metered-dose inhalers are included. The video lets patients know that it's never too late to begin treating COPD.

Details

• The lungs are passages to the bloodstream:
  • They pass oxygen from the air we breathe into the bloodstream
  • They remove carbon dioxide, a waste product, from our blood
• The path of air:
  1. When we breathe, air containing oxygen enters our trachea
  2. The trachea branches into two bronchial tubes which, in turn, branch many times into smaller and smaller tubes, called bronchioles
  3. Bronchioles end in microscopic air sacs called alveoli, where oxygen and carbon dioxide is exchanged

• COPD refers to three diseases
  1. Chronic Bronchitis
     • Occurs in the bronchial tubes
     • They become inflamed, which leads to swelling and increased mucus production
  2. Emphysema
     • Damages the alveoli
     • Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide cannot be effectively exchanged
  3. Asthma
     • Sensitive bronchial tubes swell, the muscles around them tighten and contract, and mucus production increases
     • Airways narrow, limiting the air that can be breathed in
• COPD cannot be cured, but it can be managed:
  • Without treatment, it can quickly worsen
  • Managing your condition can reduce symptoms, decrease time spent in the hospital, and help you maintain your quality of life

• Quit Smoking:
  • Smoking is the biggest cause of COPD, and quickly makes it worse
  • Quitting slows its progression
  • Options:
    • Cold Turkey
    • Stop Smoking groups
    • Nicotine patches and gum
• Breathing Retraining:
  • Helps your respiratory muscles work more efficiently
  • Techniques:
    • Diaphragmatic Breathing
    • Pursed Lip Breathing
  • It will take time to learn to do them correctly:
    • Getting instruction from a healthcare professional can help
    • Practice regularly
• Medications:
  • Types:
    • Bronchodilators
    • Anti-Inflammatories
    • Cough Suppressants
    • Medications to help clear lungs of excess mucus
  • Forms:
    • Pill
    • Liquid
    • Inhaler
  • Instructions for Using an Inhaler:
    • Closed Mouth with Spacer (described step by step)
    • Closed Mouth without a Spacer (described step by step)
    • Open Mouth (described step by step)
  • Other medication issues:
    • Cleaning your inhaler
    • Using a nebulizer
    • Supplemental Oxygen
• Protecting yourself from lung infections:
  • COPD places you at a greater risk for developing a lung infection
  • Steps to protect yourself:
    • Receiving pneumonia and flu vaccinations
    • Avoid crowds in small, enclosed places, especially during the winter months
    • Stay away from anyone with a cold, flu, or other respiratory infection
    • Keep your hand away from your face after shaking hands
    • Avoid drafty places
    • Contact your healthcare team immediately if you think you are developing an infection
  • Warning Signs:
    • Fever
    • Increased fatigue
    • Increased cough or shortness of breath
    • Change in the color of your mucus from clear to green to yellow
  • Antibiotics:
    • Kill the bacteria that cause your lung infection and, in some cases, even prevent it from occurring
    • Antibiotics should be taken until they are gone
• Staying Active:
  • Helps make day-to-day activities easier to carry out
  • Muscles that are in shape use less oxygen, reducing the body's overall demand for it
    • Decreases shortness of breath
    • Allow you to do more
• Eating Habits:
  • A well balanced diet provides your body with the energy it needs
  • It's important to maintain a healthy weight:
    • If you're underweight, your body may not be getting all the energy it needs
    • If you're overweight, it can increase shortness of breath
  • Relieving shortness of breath at meal times:
    • If large meals tire you out, try eating smaller ones throughout the day
    • Select foods easy to prepare
    • Rest between cooking and eating them
  • Work with a dietitian to develop an appropriate meal plan for yourself
• Managing Excess Mucus:
  • Drinking plenty of water can thin mucus and make it easier to cough up
  • Postural Drainage can help you drain your lungs of excess secretions
  • Controlled coughing can help you effectively cough up what has been drained from the lungs
• Pulmonary Rehabilitation:
  • A place to learn and reinforce information about living with COPD
  • Emotional support