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Wargod
Moderator
07-16-2001
| Friday, February 08, 2008 - 4:00 pm
Sea, I'm confused, I thought COPD was the combo of Emphysema and chronic bronchitis? Or is COPD just some broad term for a range of lung issues? My aunt has copd (years of smoking) and back when she was diagnosed 10 years ago the dr sent PT to her house. She went through 4 or 5 therapists before informing her doctor she didn't want strangers in her house, she wasn't going to go to a pt, and she wasn't going to follow their directions even if she did go. She wanted no part of any exercise. Now, she's stuck on oxygen 24/7 and can hardly walk from the house to the car without needing to rest. I strongly believe if she had followed dr and pt orders and followed a light exercise routine, she wouldn't be this bad now. No matter how much begging and pleading we did (and still do) she's flat out stubborn that she can't exercise. I would definitely encourage your mom to exercise.
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Colordeagua
Member
10-25-2003
| Friday, February 08, 2008 - 4:00 pm
A few years ago when I had CT scan (or whatever) done for other reasons, one doc along the way commented that I had a little emphysema. Hmmmm. Didn't ask about it. Don't know anything more. For the first 26 years of my life I was living at home while my father was alive. He smoked (and died of it) so I breathed it. I never smoked. I'm 61 now. Could that possibly be where it came from? ETA: Vacanick, just now reading what you said above.
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Vacanick
Member
07-12-2004
| Friday, February 08, 2008 - 4:06 pm
It's scary isn't it Colordeagua! And back then, when my mom's dad and my dad were smoking we didn't know the dangers of second hand smoke. We do now. It's good that your aware and can keep your eye on it.
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Sunshyne4u
Member
06-17-2003
| Friday, February 08, 2008 - 4:27 pm
chronic obstructive Pulmonary Disease COPD is a different condition. While I prefer the idea of natural medications over the use of Prescription meds, I'd like to throw a word of caution to those considering trying some ofthe stuff on Dahli's list. Some of those are not a good idea to mix with ANYTHING else. Some are not to be taken if you have heart probs OR blood pressure probs for instance. Or are on another prescrip. med for an unrelated condition. By the way, what I DO recall about the nutrition info was that Being thin and nutrition was the link. Something to do with PROTEIN intake and connective Tissue rebuilding. I'm super busy today but will do some research another time. ((i've never made homemade ginger drink! I love ginger root and will definitely try it))
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Dahli
Member
11-27-2000
| Friday, February 08, 2008 - 4:38 pm
Yep it's always good to research what you are taking with what you want to use... my wish is we would carefully consider the dangers of adding meds to what herbs we are using instead of the other way around LOL! Wouldn't that be nice...maybe some day in my dream world. 
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Friday, February 08, 2008 - 6:32 pm
Well basically it is best to take it all into account. When I started with my doctor I took in all prescription meds, vitamins and other supplements I was taking at that time. After reviewing my bloodwork he pulled me off of the extra vitamin E and beta carotene, was fine with the amounts of other stuff. And now when I add something (green tea extract, grapeseed, whatever), I just bring it in and he notes it down. When I wanted to take magnesium instead of the Mirapex that a neurologist prescribed, my doctor was able to give me a dosage and specific brand that is absorbed faster. I guess it depends on the doctor, but mine is open to discussion (he's an osteopath, DO, not an MD). And for sure emphysema and COPD are two entities.. unfortunately my mom had both. I know on my dad's chest xray that showed a lesion in a lung, there was also a degree of emphysema which greatly alarmed him because of mom, but the pulmonary doc laughed and said most people at almost 80 years of age would have some degree and what he had wasn't going to be what got him. War, you are correct. My mom had the lung problems fairly young, but she'd smoked unfiltered Camels, as did my dad, before they switched to filtered Kents, before they realizd that filters themselves are dangerous. Anyway I think the fact that she was pretty active, played golf several days a week.. after dad retired they played together twice a week and she played with the women's group twice a week and she never took carts, even before she stopped playing (she was such a purist). He walked for 5-10 miles a day and she would walk some with him, until wsalking became a problem, but even then (they lived up on a hill so coming back became a problem) he'd drive them down someplace flat like Balboa Island and they'd walk around that. I'm sure that kept her going much longer. Juie, hope you'll come back and let us know what they end up telling your mom and how she is doing. As I said in your folder, mom and dad both came to treasure the information and peer support they got attending Better Breathers meetings and they often had doctors, physical therapists, etc come to speak to the group so they were really up on the latest information and coping strategies.
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Serate
Member
08-21-2001
| Friday, February 08, 2008 - 7:41 pm
Emphysema is a type of COPD. If a person has Emphysema, he/she is considered to have COPD. If a person tells you he/she has COPD he/she might or might not have Emphysema, but more likely than not has it. What Is Emphysema? Emphysema is a lung disease that reduces the ability of the lungs to expel air, a process which depends upon the natural rubber-band-like quality or elastic properties of the lungs. Damage occurs to the tiny airways in the lungs called bronchioles. Bronchioles are joined to alveoli, tiny grape-like clusters of sacs in the lungs where oxygen from the air is exchanged for carbon dioxide from the body. The elastic properties of the lung reside in the tissue around the alveoli. In emphysema: Because the lungs lose elasticity they become less able to contract. This prevents the alveoli from deflating completely, and the person has difficulty exhaling. Hence, the next breath is started with more air in the lungs. The trapped "old" air takes up space, so the alveoli are unable to fill with enough fresh air to supply the body with needed oxygen. A person with emphysema may feel short of breath during exertion and, as the disease progresses, even while at rest Emphysema is one of several irreversible lung diseases that diminish the ability to exhale. This group of diseases is called chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The two major diseases in this category are emphysema and chronic bronchitis, which often develop together.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Friday, February 08, 2008 - 7:48 pm
Hmm, shows what I didn't know! I always worry since I was exposed to second hand smoke for over 30 years (parents and ex husband). My mom's pulmonologist told her that other factors can be playing a wind instrument.. she played the cornet all through school and was in bands and band contests and indivicual contests. He said they also had noted more problems with those who grew up in river vallies, which she did. But her sister grew up in the same valley, and stayed there even longer, played a wind instrument, the trombone, for just as long and to the same extent and smoked even longer than my mom did and she had all sorts of ailments and allergies but not lung problems. Go figure.
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Serate
Member
08-21-2001
| Friday, February 08, 2008 - 8:35 pm
Sea I wasn't trying to say anybody didn't know anything. I'm sorry if it came across that way. We had to do alot of research on our own with Mom. Nobody would give us any answers. We found out later that in alot of cases there are no specific answers. Alot of it is just guess work. Luckily, while she never was able to see a specialist due to location and $$, she had a rural country doctor who would throw away the book when it wasn't working and try anything. He'd do alot of research, give us sites to research, tell us what he found, and would listen to what we found out. The last year and a half of Mom's life we had a different doctor who was afraid of her case. I always wonder what would have happened if they would have listened to us and did what Dr. Blacksmith did, instead of going "by the book". Mom was youngest of 6. She and the oldest, my Uncle Robert, were the only 2 that smoked. ALL of the kids as adults get colds, bronchitis and pneumonia very easily. But only Mom and Uncle Robert [now 85] had Asthma, then Emphysema. When they tested the fluid from Mom's lungs it wasn't a smoker's Emphysema, it was from being around so many chickens as a kid. But the smoking is what advanced it to Asthma then Emphysema so quickly. My Aunt Val, who never smoked and is now 82, has just been diagnosed with Emphysema. Aunt Sara was diagnosed last year at age 76 with Asthma. Uncle Jon at age 74 is pretty darn healthy but in very good shape but still gets colds and bronchitis easy. Aunt Wannie at age 70 is just to wacky for anything to bother her. Mom would have been 69 this year. I've always worried about being exposed to 2nd hand smoke. Even after seeing an allergist 10 years ago. He said after listening to my lungs and seeing the Xrays I was NOT a good candidate for an anti-smoking campaign for 2nd Hand Smoke. Made me feel better but I still worry. Again, I'm sorry.
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Seamonkey
Moderator
09-07-2000
| Saturday, February 09, 2008 - 3:34 pm
Oh, no, not at all, Serate!! Better to be corrected than to keep repeating something inaccurate. My aunt was a medical puzzle.. she'd have allergic reactions to so many substances, meds, foods. She was given last rites several times before she was 40 (she lived to be 86). Sometimes it was really crazy, like the time she applied for an exec secretary position after she and my uncle had moved to a new place (as opposed to the town in Indiana where they were both born and well known. As part of her physical for the new job she came up positive for some STD. This wasn't even remotely possible but luckily her long time doctors were able to attest that it was just a false positive and not uncommon for her. Mom was lucky with her pulmonary doc. He's Indian and the calmest and nicest guy and very attuned to his patients since he also suffers from asthma himself. His patients love that he has often taken some of the same meds himself and follows his own diet and exercise recommendations. He's a big supporter of the Better Breathers group too (one of the docs and other medical people who come in to give lectures..)
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