188feelinghopeless
I'm afraid I don't have a goal except to get be able to do as many things as I want to do given what seems to be my worsening problems. I'm a 68 year old female with emphysema, who is having great difficulty dealing with things I've always done and can't seem to do any more. I'm really bummed out after the last few days when my pulmonary doctor informed me that my lungs were getting worse and that I should now wear my oxygen at any time when I am physically active. Some days that's not possible - I'm just so tired of feeling like a nothing. Went out to work in the lawn today and expended every available drop of energy and muscle strength just getting all the equipment oiled, gased and outside the shed door, not to mention going through my entire oxygen bottle by the time I got that much done. Now I have no more energy to do what I wanted to do. I just want to lie down and that's not me.
Recently blood oxygen levels have begun dropping, sometimes dractically, with physical activity so upon doctor's advice, I got a pulse oxymeter to keep with me when active. Even with my oxygen on today I was hitting 82 that seems to effect my muscle strenght so I can't jerk on these equipment cords hard enough to get them started.
I live on 5 1/2 acres and want to do my thing especially at this time of year when it's a beautiful day - cool and sunny. I am very educated about my condition so I know what is happening but depression and anxiety are starting to set in. I cannot stand to be housebound.
Do others of you out there have these same problems?
Recently blood oxygen levels have begun dropping, sometimes dractically, with physical activity so upon doctor's advice, I got a pulse oxymeter to keep with me when active. Even with my oxygen on today I was hitting 82 that seems to effect my muscle strenght so I can't jerk on these equipment cords hard enough to get them started.
I live on 5 1/2 acres and want to do my thing especially at this time of year when it's a beautiful day - cool and sunny. I am very educated about my condition so I know what is happening but depression and anxiety are starting to set in. I cannot stand to be housebound.
Do others of you out there have these same problems?
Replies
Dear dollaraudit, just happend to notice your journal entry today from the main COPD page. I hope you don\'t mind me commenting, but I just felt to do so.
I am so sorry you are having such a bad time of it at the moment. Have you ever completed a pulmonary rehabilitation course? Its a good thing to do if you can access one. It doesn\'t matter if you have accessed one before you can attend another course if you have de-conditioned through the winter months.
http://www.dailystrength.org/c/COPD_Emphysema/forum/13701904-introduction-pulmonary-rehabilitation
I used to experience the difficulties you describe, before and after being newly diagnosed. Its worrying and its not easy to get back some of the quality of life we once experienced.
Please please check with your doc about any new, regular exercise routine, to be sure its safe for you and please always use your oxygen when you do some especially if your 02 sats are dropping. And do stop and rest if your sats drop below 90. If you know pursed lip breathing this can help bring your 02 saturation back up to normal around 94-98. Check with your doc again about this. procedure.
Its crucial for COPD patients to keep the exercise going even after pulmonary rehabilitation, if we stop we deteriorate really quickly, but reintroducing just a little each day can make all the difference. even if its just a walk around the lounge, for 2 mins , 6 times a day, say every 1-2 hours. Gradually increasing to 5 mins 4 x daily, then again to 10 mins 3 x daily then keep working from there. You will notice an improvement if you do this each day.
Here is another link on the main COPD board that you may want to take a look at:
http://www.dailystrength.org/c/COPD_Emphysema/forum/13872639-exercise-videos
I am not on oxygen but it must be very worry for you when your levels hit 82. This is something your doc should know about. Certainly don\'t do any exercise without your o2. If its any consolation I attend an exercise class where 2 people use 02 throughout the class. They can manage it, with guidance from your GP I\'m sure you could manage a little something too.
It is always best to check with your GP about any new exercise program you wish to try, especially if you have de-conditioned some, its a good thing as your doc may even be able to put you in touch with a local group.
I hope some of this information has been helpful and encouraging. I feel that helping ourselves stay as active as we can does lead to a better quality of life, it enables us to get out and about. In achieving this we can leave depression and anxiety behind, leaving more room for us to enjoy as much as we can.
Sending you lots of feeling better thought, wishing you easier breathing and better able to do things.
Good wishes in all your efforts and just rest when you need to and especially when your blood 02 levels drop.
Peta x
Thank you so much for your thoughtful reply to my very first journal entry. I just found this site and have been using it almost daily. I\'m still not quite sure I\'m doing it right. I\'ve never been into things like blogging, tweeting, facebook etc so I have no experience.
I truly appreciated your comments about exercise. Up until 6 weeks ago when these sudden drops in oxygen levels began, I had been planning on getting back to my exercise program. We have a fantastic brand new YMCA very close to me. I was a regular until just before this past Christmas when I got sick and seemed to have a hard time getting over whatever the bug was. At any rate, I want to get back to it because I have lost muscle mass severely o ver the winter and it\'s going to take time to get some back. As for my o2 levels, I\'ll never hit 94 no matter how much pursed lip breathing I do and yes, I learned that exercise during my pulmonary rehab sessions. I moved from those to a local gym because the distance was so great (75 miles one way).
Sending you also lots of good feelings and hugs