Your situation sounds so desperate! Please give your local Hospice a call for assistance or advice. I swear, they do God's work.
Take care of yourself. Sending bunches of hugs and prayers.
Leonie xx

Hi.....I have no idea about the US or VA, so im stabbing in the dark here...

http://easyaccess.virginia.gov/transportation.shtml

maybe your local area on aging would help
http://vda.virginia.gov/aaalist.asp

I fully understand your statement about getting dressed and climbing stair just to get ready to visit the doctor. I procrastinate about dressing, bathing etc...practically everything do nothing but play on this computer. There have been times when I bathed, dressed, carried my O2 to the car and then sat in the car long enough to rest, catch my breath and then return back to the house....Mission Impossible for that day....Mission Impossible.............Try again some other day

Yes, it is easier to stay at home, however, that scares me because I know we need exercise to maintain any resemblance of good health and we also require socializing for our mental health.

You didn't mention if your are on oxygen along w/SOB; but you did mention that it is time for a doctor visit. Would it be possible to contact doc's office and ask about transportation to/from the doc's office. Not that they provide it, but they could refer you to the right people that provide such service. Many communities have a local van/small bus for seniors who need transportation.

Also, while you are at this appointment ask about Pallative Care. It is not hospice but assistance with at-home daily living chores. I am fortunate that my married daughter and her husband live at my home otherwise I would certainly need Palliative Care to cope with routine household activities.

Make sure that somehow you get to that doctor's appointment.

Also, I should have mentioned that whenever you have to do something extra (bathing, dressing, going out to the car, etc) try to do a nebulizer treatment just before then and make sure you have your rescue inhaler available for the stairs ( use it, before you go up/down the steps / don't wait until you get in trouble w/SOB).

Hope this message helps in some way....Pls keep us posted.

Good Luck..................Theresa

Correction to prev post.........

"Mission Impossible.for that day.....

Should read:

Mission Possible...try another day

gracenme gave you a great link.
Most places have "senior centers" that provided meals on wheels & transportation services.
i understand how hard it is to do it. It seems like by the time i get a bath and dressed I'm out of energy to go anywhere.
so i always take my bath then night before & have everything laid out to make it as easy as possible.
winter is the hardest on me & can take me down fast.
are you on 02?
if your dr prescribes a wheelchair, medicare will help pay for it....i don't know your financial situation, but most places have financial help that will cover the cost that medicare doesn't.
also, meals on wheels & transportation for seniors is based on a "suggested donation"---if you can't afford it they will provide it for free.
my thoughts & prayers are with you.
please update us as i am worried, it does sound like you could benefit from hospice or pallative care where they would come to you & assist you with hygeine etc.

I don't know where your doctor's office is located, but one of my physicians was in a medical plaza with lots of other doctors' offices located in a rural area of the midwest. There were times during some physician visits that my COPD made it almost impossible for me to get from the car into the hospital- not sure how I even made it into the car to begin with, but would sit there floundering like a fish for about 10 minutes before I could even begin to drive.

In any case, once I would reach my doctor's office destination, when things were bad all I had to do was call them and they would literally come to my car with a wheelchair to take me inside and then bring me back out. I know that doesn't help you getting up and down the two flights of stairs, but it might help with the doctor's appointment.

At the risk of sounding like a Debbie Downer, if you're just renting, it might be time to look for a place that will have you all on one level or with an elevator. This is a progressive disease, and you need to make things as easy on yourself as possible. I don't know how long it's been since you saw a doctor, though, but I was in a similar boat as far as limitations, even with 24/7 oxygen, but a visit to a pulmonologist and revamping of all my medications has made all the difference and may be just what you need, too.

Thanks for all the input - I really appreciate it.