Lung function decline is a defining characteristic of COPD, and it gets worse as the disease progresses. Because of this, most COPD patients eventually have to begin using supplemental oxygen to help their lungs once they become too weak to absorb enough oxygen on their own.

The purpose of supplemental oxygen is to deliver extremely oxygen-rich air to your lungs, usually using a pressurized oxygen tank or an oxygen concentrator. This air, generally about 85-95 percent pure oxygen, allows your lungs absorb more oxygen with every breath.

Supplemental oxygen is a very important part of COPD treatment because it helps your lungs take in enough oxygen to supply your organs and tissues with the oxygen they need. Without it, your blood oxygen saturation can fall to unhealthy levels—a condition called hypoxemia—which can lead to serious, life-threatening complications over time.

Supplemental oxygen is also important for treating acute COPD symptoms, and can help you when you feel breathless from exercising or when your symptoms flare up. Many patients also use supplemental oxygen when they sleep to treat low blood oxygen levels during the night.

Despite how often supplemental oxygen is used and prescribed, it can be dangerous if you don't understand the risks. Oxygen is highly flammable, and you have to take special precautions when you use it to reduce the risk of a fire.

Even though they are rare, oxygen leaks and major fires can happen if you don't practice proper oxygen safety. High oxygen levels can make objects that wouldn't usually be a risk highly flammable, such as grease and oily creams. It also causes fires to burn hotter and spread faster than they normally would.

Even small sparks or flames can can cause combustion when there's excess oxygen in the air, which is why it's so important to understand how to use your oxygen safely and minimize the risks.

In this article we're going to show you how to practice proper oxygen safety so you can avoid accidents, injuries, or fires from using supplemental oxygen. We'll explain the benefits and risks of oxygen therapy, how to minimize fire hazards, and tell you how to follow proper safety protocols when using, storing, and transporting your oxygen.

If you or a loved one uses oxygen therapy to treat COPD or another respiratory condition, then it's important for you to know how to use supplemental oxygen as safely as possible. This guide will teach you the basics and provide you with a variety of valuable tips you can use in your everyday life if you are prescribed supplemental oxygen.

The Potential Dangers of Using Supplemental Oxygen

Before we discuss how to use oxygen safely, it's important to understand the potential risks. If you know what to look out for, you're less likely to make a dangerous mistake.

The main immediate danger that supplemental oxygen poses is its flammability. When oxygen leaks out into the air from your tank, nasal cannula, or mask, it can raise oxygen levels in the room or in your immediate area, which significantly increases the flammability of everything nearby.

A certain amount of leakage from your  nose and nasal cannula is inevitable, meaning there is a constant flammability risk when you use your supplemental oxygen. That's why you have to take a variety of fire-safe precautions any time oxygen is in use, even if your oxygen tank isn't nearby.

It is also important to make sure that all the oxygen from the tank goes straight into your lungs through your mask or nasal cannula instead of leaking into the air. Leaky tanks, faulty valves, and carelessness when opening and closing the valve can make the surrounding air extremely flammable, putting you, your belongings, and others nearby at risk.

Standard oxygen tanks, the most common type of equipment used to provide supplemental oxygen, pose hazards of their own, as well. The oxygen must be highly pressurized when it's stored in the tank, which means oxygen tanks can explode violently or “take off like a rocket” if the container is somehow damaged and ruptured.

You can avoid this danger by using an oxygen concentrator machine, but they tend to be pricier and harder to come by. Many patients don't have access to anything other than pressurized or liquid oxygen tanks because their budget, insurance, or medicare provider won't cover it.

The Benefits of Using Supplemental Oxygen

Despite the risks, supplemental oxygen is generally very safe to use as long as you use it carefully and as directed. It's also a very important part of treatment for people with COPD and other respiratory conditions who can't get enough oxygen to stay healthy on their own.

By raising your blood oxygen levels and taking some of the strain off your lungs, supplemental oxygen therapy can significantly improve COPD symptoms like breathlessness, coughing, wheezing, and fatigue. It can also help you be more active and participate in more of life's activities by making it easier to walk, exercise, and keep your symptoms under control.

Here are some more of the benefits you can gain from supplemental oxygen therapy:

• Improved mood and mental alertness
• Improved exercise ability and exercise endurance
• Improved energy and reduced fatigue
• Improved cardiovascular function
• Reduced hypoxemia and risk of hypoxia
• Improved sleep
• Reduced breathlessness
• Reduced risk of COPD complications including pulmonary hypertension and heart failure
• Overall improved quality of life

It's hard to overstate the importance of supplemental oxygen for COPD. If you doctor prescribes oxygen to you, it's vital that you use it exactly as directed according to your treatment plan.

Many patients don't follow their supplemental oxygen treatment regimen well enough because of inconvenience, aesthetics, or discomfort, but not using your oxygen as directed can worsen your COPD and lead to life-threatening complications, including heart failure. Talk to your doctor if you are having trouble using your oxygen or sticking to your treatment plan.

Tips for Using Oxygen Safely

Now that you better understand the benefits and potential risks of oxygen therapy, we're going to show you how to practice proper oxygen safety. There are many important precautions that everyone who uses supplemental oxygen must take in order to reduce the likelihood of fires and burns.

In the next sections, we'll give you a variety of tips for preventing oxygen leaks and minimizing fire hazards in your home. We'll explain all the different flammable substances and spark risks that you should look out for and how to safely cook while using oxygen at home.

We'll also give you advice on how to store and transport your oxygen tanks so they won't leak or get damaged. To learn all of this and more, continue reading to learn all about how to practice proper oxygen safety in and outside of your home.

Prevent Oxygen Leaks

One of the most important parts of supplemental oxygen safety is to prevent oxygen from leaking out of your tank or mask. If too much oxygen escapes into the air, it poses a serious fire hazard.

Even a small spark or heat from a stove burner can cause oxygen in the air to ignite and set fire to you or objects nearby. That's why it's important to know how to handle your equipment safely when you use supplemental oxygen.

Here are some tips for preventing oxygen leaks:

• Always exercise care when turning the valve on your oxygen tank. Turn the valve slowly so you don't release too much pressurized oxygen at once.
  
  
• Do not forget to close the valve on your oxygen tank when you are not using it. Take the time to double check if you aren't sure that it is closed all the way.
  
  
• Visually inspect any oxygen tanks you have, including the valves, regularly. Check the outside of the tank for noticeable wear, tear, or damage, and check for any noticeable leaks.
  
  
• Always store your tanks in a secure place where they won't tip, fall, or get damaged.
  
  
• Liquid oxygen tanks will leak if laid on their sides, so it's particularly important to store liquid tanks upright with a cart or chains.
  
  
• Always use clean, undamaged tubing during oxygen therapy. Never use damaged equipment or tubing with holes or tears.

No matter how careful you are to prevent leaks from your tank and tubing, a small amount of oxygen will inevitably leak out near your nose and mouth while you use supplemental oxygen.

That's why it's so important to stay away from heat, sparks, and anything else that could cause the oxygen to combust. We'll go into this in more detail in the following sections.

Keep Heat and Flame Away From Your Oxygen

If you remember nothing else about oxygen safety, you should make sure you remember this: never, ever use your oxygen around an open flame. Doing so could quickly and easily cause a fire, which is why it's so important to keep your oxygen away from flames at all costs.

Open flames aren't the only hazard, however; even everyday heat sources like stoves and space heaters can also be dangerous. Anything with a heating element can pose a fire risk when you are using supplemental oxygen.

Here are some tips for avoiding heat and flame hazards when you use oxygen:

• Be very cautious when using supplemental oxygen while you cook. Always move at least five feet away from the stove to use your supplemental oxygen, and never wear your nasal cannula near a gas stove or open flame.
  
  
• Your oxygen tank and other equipment should also be kept at least five feet away from the stove and other heat sources at all times.
  
  
• When you are using oxygen, beware of all sources of open flames: this includes lighters, matches, candles, fireplaces, cigarettes, gas burners, etc. Do not use any of these items or allow anyone near you to start a flame while oxygen is in use.
  
  
• Do not smoke or use an electronic cigarette or vaping device while using oxygen. E-cigarettes contain heating elements that could potentially ignite the oxygen that collects around your nasal cannula, causing severe facial burns.
  
  
• Place “oxygen in use” signs in visible places near all of the entrances to your home (these are usually provided by your oxygen supplier). This will ensure that visitors and emergency personnel know to be cautious of the high flammability risk.
  
  
• Make sure to inform people around you of the risks of heat and open flame when you use oxygen. If needed, place a "no smoking, oxygen in use" sign nearby so others remember to be cautious.
  
  
• Take the same precautions that you would when using supplemental oxygen when you are near where you store your oxygen and extra tanks. Make sure you and everyone in your home knows where you keep your oxygen tanks and equipment and understand how to exercise proper fire safety.

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Keep Your Oxygen Equipment Away from Electronics, Static Electricity, and Flammable Substances

While they don't pose as much of a risk as heated appliances and open flames, faulty electronic devices can also pose a fire hazard when you use supplemental oxygen. Some electronics and mechanical toys can also create tiny sparks that can cause fires in the presences of excess oxygen, which is why you shouldn't use them at the same time as you're using supplemental oxygen.

Another risk is static electricity build-up, the kind that happens when you drag your socks across the carpet or rub a balloon on your clothes. The "shock," or spark, that results when the static electricity dissipates can pose a fire risk when you are using supplemental oxygen. While it's impossible to avoid static electricity altogether, especially during the dry, winter months, you   can reduce the risk of static sparks by avoiding certain types of clothing and fabrics.

Here are some tips for reducing the risk of fire from electronics and static electricity:

• Don't use electronic appliances when using oxygen. This includes electric razors, mechanical toys, heating pads, electric blankets, electric toothbrushes, and electronic hair dryers, hair curlers, and hair straighteners.
  
  
• Don't use any electronic device that produces heat when using supplemental oxygen. This includes electronic cigarettes.
  
  
• Avoid static-producing fabrics like wool, nylon, and synthetic fabrics (e.g. polyester). Instead, choose clothing and bedding made of cotton, which is much less likely to produce static electricity.
  
  
• Don't use any flammable products on your skin and hair, including flammable lotions, hair products, and hair sprays that could ignite due to heat or a static spark in the presence of oxygen. Especially watch out for products that contain petroleum and choose water-based ones instead.
  
  
• Avoid using chapstick and oil-based lotions on your body, and especially your face, when using your supplemental oxygen, as they can cause severe burns if they ignite.
  
  
• Avoid other flammable substances when using oxygen, including gasoline, paint thinner, cleaning fluids, aerosols, and sprays that contain alcohol.
  
  
• Never use any aerosol sprays while using supplemental oxygen. This includes air fresheners, spray deodorants, and hairsprays.
  
  
• Don't use alcohol-based hand sanitizers while using supplemental oxygen. If you use hand sanitizer before using oxygen, make sure that it has dried off of your hands completely before starting the oxygen or touching any of your oxygen equipment.
  
  
• Using a humidifier during dry weather can reduce the amount of static build-up that occurs in your home. Keeping your house at an ideal humidity level (usually around 40 percent humidity) may reduce your fire risk when using supplemental oxygen and can also help your COPD symptoms.
  
  
• If you use an oxygen concentrator, always plug it into an empty, grounded outlet (an outlet with three holes instead of two). Never plug it into an extension cord, a faulty outlet, or an outlet that has other electronics plugged into it.

Even if you don't want to switch out your wardrobe for cotton-based clothes, consider at least switching to cotton bed sheets and blankets, especially if you use nighttime oxygen.

Static electricity from other types of fabric poses a much greater risk while you are asleep; this is partially because you are more likely to build up a static charge while shifting under your sheets, and partially because you might not be able to respond as quickly if a fire starts while you are asleep.

Use Your Oxygen in a Well-Ventilated Area

Using oxygen in a well-ventilated space is another important precaution that you can take to reduce your flammability risk and avoid fires. That means using your oxygen in an area with plenty of airflow and open space whenever possible.

Proper ventilation ensures that any extra oxygen in the air can quickly dissipate and leave the room before it builds up to the point of posing a significant fire risk. Beware of small, enclosed spaces; you should always try go outside or seek a more open area before beginning supplemental oxygen treatment.

Here are some tips for making sure you use your oxygen in well-ventilated places:

• Make sure the ventilation system in your home is in good working order.
  
  
• Crack the windows in your car if you are using supplemental oxygen while driving or transporting an oxygen tank.
  
  
• Never place anything on top your oxygen tank. Doing so could cause any oxygen that leaks out to become trapped and build up to extremely flammable levels.
  
  
• Keep your oxygen tanks clean and in an open space where air can freely flow around them. Never store your oxygen tanks in an enclosed space or anywhere that doesn't have ventilation.

Prepare Your Home for Fire Emergencies

Even if you are very careful when using your supplemental oxygen, accidents can still happen. That's why, if you use oxygen in your home, you should be extra prepared in case a fire starts.

Here are some tips for home fire preparedness and precautions you should take if you or someone in your home uses supplemental oxygen:

• Make sure your house has the recommended number of smoke detectors and they are all in good working order. Check the batteries often and replace them promptly when needed.
  
  
• Make sure there is always a smoke detector in or right outside the room whenever you use supplemental oxygen.
  
  
• Always keep a fire extinguisher in your home and within easy reach, especially while you are using oxygen.
  
  
• Make sure your fire extinguisher is in good working order and replace it promptly when it expires.
  
  
• Make sure you and everyone else in your household knows how to operate your fire extinguisher correctly.
  
  
• Have an evacuation plan and escape route planned in case of a fire emergency. Make sure everyone in your household knows what to do, where to go, and where to locate any safety equipment such as window escape ladders.

Keep Oxygen Equipment Away from Children

Now that you understand how dangerous supplemental oxygen can be if not properly handled, it should be clear why you should keep children away from your oxygen equipment. Many children are not old enough to understand the dangers of oxygen or to be trusted to treat the equipment gently.

If you have children in your home, you should keep your oxygen equipment secured and out of reach whenever possible. Large oxygen tanks can be particularly tempting for little children to play with and climb on, so it's important to instruct kids that they are off limits and keep a close watch to ensure that they stay away.

Large, heavy oxygen tanks can also be very dangerous to children and cause injuries if they fall. This is yet another reason to store your tanks properly and securely so they can't be tipped or knocked over.

Always Store and Transport Tanks Securely

It's very important to make sure that you keep your oxygen tanks stored safely in a place where they won't be bumped or disturbed. You should keep any extra tanks in a stand or cart to ensure that they do not fall or get knocked over.

This is especially important when you are traveling with oxygen tanks, as there is a higher risk of the tanks getting jostled and tipped. Always keep your equipment carefully secured and protected any time you transport them from place to place.

Here are some tips for storing and transporting your oxygen:

• Use an oxygen cart, stand, or chains to secure any extra oxygen tanks that you are not using. Never store them loose or unsupported.
  
  
• Make sure all tanks are stored flat on the ground. Do not put them up on shelves or in any elevated place.
  
  
• Transport oxygen tanks in your car by securing them in the main cabin of your car, not in the trunk. Open your car windows slightly to ensure that you have adequate airflow and ventilation.
  
  
• Keep your tanks in a moderately temperature-controlled space, like an air conditioned room. Do not leave your equipment in the sun, in a hot car, or allow them to be exposed to temperature extremes.

Exercise Care When Handling Your Equipment

Overall, it's important to always handle your equipment gently and with care. It's important to protect your tanks from damage to prevent leaks and dangerous explosions.

Here are some tips for handling and using your oxygen equipment with care:

• Be careful not to drop your oxygen tanks. Use a stand, cart, or another safe container to secure your tanks when you move them from place to place.
  
  
• Never handle your tanks roughly or carelessly.
  
  
• Never drag or roll your tanks across the floor, set them down too hard, or let them bang against walls or other objects.
  
  
• Always lift your oxygen tanks by holding the bottom or sides of the tank; do not lift or carry your tanks by holding the cap or valve.
  
  
• Never cover your oxygen equipment, including tanks, tubing, and electrical cords. Do not put them underneath fabric, furniture or bedding.
  
  
• Do not use an oxygen tank that has been dropped or damaged.
  
  

Conclusion

Knowing how to use oxygen safely is extremely important for anyone with COPD. Most patients end up using supplemental oxygen at some point over the course of their life, and knowing what precautions to take can prevent devastating fires and injuries.

Even though most people who use supplemental oxygen don't have any problems, all it takes is one poorly-timed mistake or a stroke of bad luck to cau

Whether you've been recently diagnosed with COPD or have been living with the condition for years, you are bound to have lots of questions. These might include questions about your health, your disease, your medications, your treatment options, and more.

As these questions come up over the course of your COPD treatment, your doctor will be your primary source for answers. But in order to get the right answers and the information you need, you first have to know what questions to ask.

Communication between doctors and patients should never be one-way; it's just as important for you to communicate with your doctor as it is for him to explain information to you. In order to get the best treatment possible, you need to keep track of all your questions, articulate your concerns, and remember to bring them up with your doctor when you have the chance.

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However, it can be easy to get distracted or forget any questions you have once you're actually in the office with your doctor. That's why it's a good idea to think about your questions and concerns ahead of time, before you get to your doctor's appointment.

In this post, we're going to go over a variety of questions that you can ask your doctor about your COPD. The answers to these questions can help you better understand your disease, how to keep yourself healthy, and how to take a more active role in your COPD treatment.

You can use these questions as a guideline when you visit your healthcare providers or as a jumping-off point to open up an ongoing dialogue with your doctor. As you read through the questions in this guide, they may even remind you of other questions and concerns you want discuss.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor About COPD

What Kind of COPD Do I Have?

COPD is an umbrella term that encompasses two distinct, but related lung conditions: emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Some people with COPD have just one of these conditions, while others have a combination of both.

Even people who show signs of both emphysema and chronic bronchitis often have one condition that is dominant. For instance, your lungs could be primarily affected by emphysema but also show signs of mild chronic bronchitis.

Before your doctor diagnoses your COPD, he will likely use a variety of tests, including spirometry (a basic lung function test), a chest X-ray, and pulse oximetry (a way to measure blood oxygen saturation). He will then consider the results of these tests along with your symptoms and medical history to come up with a diagnosis.

When you get diagnosed with COPD, ask your doctor to take the time to thoroughly explain your condition, including the difference between emphysema and chronic bronchitis and what kind of COPD you have. If there is anything you don't quite understand, don't hesitate to ask your doctor for more examples and details.

How Serious is My COPD?

COPD is a chronic disease that slowly gets worse over time. How severe your COPD is depends on how badly your lungs are damaged and how serious your symptoms are.

When you first get diagnosed, your doctor will likely place your disease within one of four distinct stages. Stage 1 COPD is the most mild, while stage 4 COPD is the last, most serious stage of the disease.

However, every person is different, and COPD affects different people in different ways. For instance, two people who are diagnosed with the same stage of COPD could have different symptoms and complications, and their diseases could progress at different speeds.

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That's why it's important to ask your doctor to give you a thorough explanation of your health, your disease stage, and your prognosis. Ask him to explain your test results, how exactly he made his diagnosis, and where you fit on the spectrum of COPD severity.

Continue to ask questions and get as much information as you can as your symptoms change and your disease progresses. Even if your doctor has explained something already, don't be afraid to ask him to go over it again or provide you with some helpful context.

How Did I Get COPD?

Although smoking is by far the most common cause of COPD, many other things can cause the disease. In general, just about anything that repeatedly irritates and damages your lungs over time can cause COPD.

This includes things like air pollution, chemical fumes, and occupational exposure to dangerous respiratory toxins. Other health conditions that affect the lungs, like asthma, cystic fibrosis, and AAT deficiency, can also cause COPD later in life.

If you and your doctor can figure out what caused your COPD, it can help you avoid exposing your lungs to the same hazard in the future. Unfortunately, in some cases, the exact culprit is difficult to find.

It is not always possible to pinpoint a single cause of COPD; you could be exposed to many different things over the years—such as air pollution, wood smoke, and cooking fumes—that damage your lungs. Still, discussing your medical history, occupational history, and any other possible causes with your doctor may help you better understand your disease.

Here are some things your doctor might want to know when discussing the cause of your COPD:

• When did your breathing symptoms first start?
• Have you ever smoked tobacco? (And do you still smoke tobacco?)
• Have you ever been diagnosed with asthma?
• Have you ever been frequently exposed to second-hand smoke (in childhood or adulthood)?
• Have you ever worked in an occupation where you might have been exposed to exhaust fumes, chemical fumes, wood smoke, dust, or fine particles?
• Have you ever lived in an area with heavy pollution?
• Do you use a wood-burning stove in your home?
• Has anyone in your family ever been diagnosed with a lung disease?

What Do My Test Results Mean?

If you have COPD, you will go through many different types of tests both before and after your diagnosis to help your doctor monitor and treat your disease. In fact, your doctor will likely do lung function tests (spirometry) and a blood oxygen saturation test (pulse oximetry) at every regular visit.

These tests reveal some very important things about your lungs, your heart, and your overall health. Your doctor will use the results of these tests to better understand your disease and find the best ways to treat it.

Your doctor will do some tests, like spirometry, at every check-up appointment to help him monitor changes in your lung function over time. As you go through treatment, it is important for you to understand what these tests are and what their results mean for your health.

Whenever your doctor does a test, he should show you the data and take the time to explain your results in terms you can understand. However, not all doctors take the time they should to explain things to their patients, and some doctors are simply not very skilled at explaining tough concepts in layman's terms.

That's why you should never be afraid to ask your doctor for more details and information about any of your medical test results. You shouldn't feel nervous to ask questions or feel embarrassed to admit when there is something you don't understand.

If you don't quite get it the first time around, ask your doctor to re-explain. Tell him which things you don't understand and don't hesitate to ask for more details, examples, and clarification if you need to.

Make it your goal to never leave the doctor's office with unanswered questions or concerns. Also, remember that if anything comes up later, you can call up your doctor on the phone to ask any additional questions you have.

Here are some examples of questions you can ask your doctor to better understand test results:

• What exactly does this test measure?
• How reliable are the test results?
• What do the test results say about my COPD?
• Do the test results indicate there is anything I should or should not be doing for my health?

How Do I Use My Medications?

Once you've been diagnosed with COPD, your doctor will prescribe you a variety of medications that will help you keep your symptoms under control. These may include quick-relief inhalers, maintenance inhalers, anti-inflammatory medications, corticosteroids, antibiotics, and more.

The combination of medications your doctor prescribes is your most powerful tool for managing your symptoms and keeping your COPD from getting worse. That's why you should take the time to make sure you know exactly how to use them correctly.

First, you will need to ask your doctor to explain what each of your medications are and what they are supposed to do. Then, you need to know when to take each medication and how to get the correct dose.

Your doctor should provide you with a COPD action plan that explains, in brief, your daily medications along with which medications to take when your symptoms get worse. However, in order for you to be able to use this resource effectively, your doctor needs to thoroughly explain how it works and how to use it to manage your symptoms every day.

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You should also ask your doctor to demonstrate for you the proper way to use your inhaler. Even if you've used an inhaler before, it's important to review the correct technique and make sure you know how to use your particular type of inhaled medication.

An alarming number of COPD patients don't use their inhalers correctly, which is why it's so important to double-check your technique. You can ask either your doctor or pharmacist to demonstrate it for you, and you can ask them to evaluate your technique as well.

You should also ask your doctor to give you a printed and signed list of all the medications you take, both prescription and over-the-counter. You should keep this list handy for a variety of reasons.

You may need to present this doctor's note when you travel with prescription medications, especially if you board a plane or train. Your medication list can also come in handy as a reference for yourself, your pharmacist, or other medical professionals you see.

What are the Potential Side-Effects of My Medications?

All of the medications prescribed for COPD have the potential to cause side effects. As you go through treatment, it's important to understand the potential side effects of every medicine you take.

For example, doctors often prescribe oral corticosteroid medications to help COPD patients recover from exacerbations. But even though corticosteroids are very effective at managing COPD symptoms, they can have serious side effects; because of this, most doctors only prescribe them when absolutely necessary and only for short-term use.

That's why it's important to ask your doctor to explain the side effects of every medication he prescribes or recommends. That way, you can fully evaluate the medication's benefits and risks and more easily recognize any side effects that occur.

It's also important to keep in touch with your doctor whenever you start a new medication. Let your doctor know how well the medication is working and alert him to any side effects right away.

Some side effects are merely uncomfortable, while others are more difficult to manage or can cause serious damage to your health. Depending on the type and severity of side effects you experience, your doctor may advise you to stop the medication, reduce your dosage, or switch to a different type of medicine.

Keep in mind that side effects are much more likely when you don't follow the correct dosage. That's just one of many reasons why it's so important to use your medications exactly as directed. This includes your as-needed inhalers, which you should take care not to use more often than your doctor recommends.

Here are a few examples of common COPD medications along with their potential side effects:

• Bronchodilator Medications:
• Increased heart rate
• Shakiness
• Camping in hands, legs, and feet
• Dry mouth

• Inhaled Corticosteroid Medications:
• High blood pressure
• Thrush
• Hoarse voice
• Dry or sore mouth
• Mouth and throat infections

• Oral Corticosteroid Medications:
• Weight gain
• Weakened bones
• Weakened skin
• Elevated blood sugar
• Muscle weakness
• Increased risk for Pneumonia
• Cataracts
• Changes in mood

What COPD Triggers Should I Watch Out For?

And important part of learning to manage your COPD symptoms is knowing about COPD triggers. A COPD trigger is anything that irritates your lungs and makes your respiratory symptoms worse.

A wide variety of different things can be COPD triggers, including fragrances, air pollution, allergens, and certain weather conditions. Depending on your lifestyle and the climate you live in, you may need to take special precautions to protect yourself from these and other things that irritate your lungs.

That's why you should ask your doctor to tell you all about COPD triggers. He should give you a thorough briefing on the many respiratory irritants and environmental triggers you may encounter, as well as tips for how to avoid them.

Your doctor can also alert you to common triggers that are specific to your geographical area, such as air pollution, high humidity, or seasonal allergens. He can also give you advice for reducing indoor air pollution so you can breath fresher air and manage your symptoms better at home.

You should also tell your doctor all about your lifestyle and home environment so he can help you identify any activities or conditions in your life that might trigger your symptoms. Every person is different, and which triggers your lungs are sensitive to depends on your unique biology and lifestyle as well as the severity of your disease.

What Changes Should I Make to My Diet?

In order to work at their optimum level, your lungs need lots of nutrients for fuel. Unfortunately, many COPD patients don't get enough nutrients—or don't get enough of the right kinds of nutrients—to keep their lungs and bodies strong.

The truth is that what and how much you eat can have a noticeable effect on your COPD. Too few calories and nutrients can reduce your lung function, while eating too much of the wrong things can also make breathlessness and other COPD symptoms worse.

That's why it's important to talk to your doctor about your diet and ask him what you can do to improve. That way, he can help you identify unhealthy eating habits and set better nutritional goals.

Your doctor is a great resource for learning what a proper diet looks like and how to maintain a healthy weight. He can also tell you what kinds of foods support healthy lungs and warn you against foods that may make it even more difficult to breathe.

Like all adults, it's important for people with COPD to eat a well-balanced diet full of whole foods, lean meats, and lots of fruits and veggies. However, there are some unique dietary requirements and sensitivities that many COPD patients have.

If you, like many other COPD patients, suffer from any diet-related complications, your doctor can help you resolve those issues as well. If you experience heartburn, acid reflux, weight gain, weight loss, or worsened shortness of breath after meals, you should bring these issues up with your doctor right away.

If you need more guidance, your doctor can also refer you to a nutritionist or dietitian to help you get on track. These specialists can help you develop a more detailed and personalized diet plan that takes your personal lifestyle and unique health needs into consideration.

What Kind of Exercise Should I Get?

Exercise is not only safe, but extremely beneficial, for the vast majority of people with COPD. While it may be difficult at first, getting enough physical activity improves your overall health and may even improve your ability to breathe over time.

Even if you suffer from symptoms that make exercise difficult, it's important to do what you can to keep yourself active. You just have to take it slow, start with light activities you can manage, and gradually do more as your physical abilities improve.

Getting started is often the most difficult part, especially if you aren't used to exercising on a regular basis. That's why you should ask your doctor to help you put together an exercise plan that is feasible and suitable for you.

Your doctor can tell you what kinds of exercises are safe and help you find activities that are appropriate for your level of fitness. He can also give you tips for reducing shortness of breath and managing your symptoms during physical activity.

If you have very severe symptoms, limited mobility, or just need some extra help getting started, your doctor can also refer you to another specialist that can help. Many patients are able to overcome obstacles and get on the track to better physical fitness by working with a personal trainer, physical therapist, or joining a pulmonary rehabilitation class.

Will I Need to Use Supplemental Oxygen?

As your disease progresses and your lung function gets worse, you may need to use supplemental oxygen to help your lungs meet your body's oxygen needs. Many, but not all, COPD patients end up needing oxygen therapy eventually.

Oxygen therapy isn't usually needed unless your lungs get to the point that they are no longer able to keep your blood saturated with oxygen on their own—a condition known as chronic hypoxemia. If your blood oxygen concentration begins to frequently drop below about ninety percent, your doctor may decide it's time for you to start using supplemental oxygen.

Once you start oxygen therapy, it is likely that you will need to continue using it for the rest of your life. However, some patients end up only needing oxygen for a short period time while recovering from a serious COPD exacerbation.

It's a good idea to discuss the possibility of oxygen therapy with your doctor early on in case you need it at some point during treatment. That way, he can explain how oxygen therapy works and how he will determine if and when you need to use supplemental oxygen.

Talking to your doctor ahead of time can help you feel more prepared if the time to begin oxygen therapy eventually comes. He can also clear up any questions or worries you have about using supplemental oxygen.

Your doctor can also help you take a more active role in your treatment by teaching you to recognize symptoms that indicate your blood oxygen levels are low. That way, you can alert your doctor if you notice the signs of worsening hypoxemia.

If you do use oxygen therapy, make sure your doctor takes the time to explain how to use it, when to use it, and how to get the dosage right. He should also go over basic safety precautions for handling your oxygen equipment to prevent dangerous fires and other accidents.

Before using your oxygen equipment, ask your doctor as many questions as you can think of to make sure you thoroughly understand how to use oxygen therapy safely and correctly. Oxygen is a medicine, and, like other medicines, it can be dangerous if you don't use it as directed.

How Can I Slow Down the Progression of My COPD?

Unfortunately, there is no actual cure for COPD. However, research shows that there are certain things you can do that may be able to extend your life and slow down the progression of the disease.

For example, if you smoke, quitting can reduce how quickly your lung function declines and allow you to live longer. Making other lifestyle changes, such as being more active and improving your diet, may also slow the rate at which your COPD worsens.

However, every case of COPD is different, and how quickly your symptoms progress dep

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive lung disease that affects around 16 million people in the United States alone. While there is no “cure” for COPD, the rate that it progresses can be slowed significantly with healthy lifestyle choices and therapy options such as pulmonary rehabilitation, oxygen therapy, and nebulizer therapy. COPD is a debilitating condition meaning it can affect your ability to get around. But despite this, many people with COPD have been able to live active lives.

One activity in particular that many COPD patients may have trouble doing is grocery shopping. Many people enjoy going to the store because it can be therapeutic and it allows them to plan their own meals. However, on the other hand, grocery shopping requires a lot of walking and lifting which can be made more challenging by increased breathlessness, chest pain, and chronic fatigue.

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In this post, we’ll take a look at some actionable tips for making grocery shopping a little bit easier and accommodating of your lung condition. And if you are unable to make it to the grocery store, we’ll provide you with some interesting alternatives that you can try. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to leave them in the comment section below.

Speak With Your Doctor

Before you start planning your trip to the grocery store, it’s very important that you speak with your doctor. While it would be nice if there was one simple dietary plan that every COPD patient could follow, the truth is, no two people have the same nutritional needs. Your doctor will work closely with you to determine what foods you should be eating based on the severity of your COPD, your age, and whether or not you have any comorbidities like diabetes, sleep apnea, or cardiovascular disease.

Diet and respiratory health are inextricably linked. Whenever you eat, the food consumed is used as raw materials in a process called cellular respiration. This is when the oxygen that you take into your lungs is used to break down food and turn it into usable energy for your entire body. If you eat unhealthy foods or you don’t have the proper balance of nutrients, your lungs will not have the energy and strength they need to function properly.

You not only need to know what to eat but how much to eat as well. If you don’t eat enough food and you’re malnourished, you likely won’t have the energy to go about your daily life and do things like grocery shopping or cooking. Many COPD patients are underweight because eating can lead to bloating, chest pain, and fatigue. If this is the case, your doctor may closely manage your diet to ensure you’re getting enough protein and healthy fats in your diet. He/she may also prescribe you medication that helps you cope with bloating and fatigue after eating.

On the other hand, being overweight can also cause a lot of problems in COPD patients. While overweight is far less common in COPD patients, the added weight can lead to obstructed breathing. If you are overweight, your doctor will likely make adjustments to your fitness routine to ensure you’re getting the right amount of exercise. Spreading meals throughout the day and implementing portion control can also help alleviate weight problems. Atrophy (muscle wasting) is a common cause of weight loss in COPD patients, so it’s important to lose weight in a healthy way that burns fat rather than muscle.

Last but certainly not least, you should not hesitate to address any questions or concerns you have about grocery shopping, cooking, and diet with your doctor. If you think you have a “weird” question, chances are, there are many other people out there who have the same question, so it’s best to just speak your mind. One good way to do this is to keep a notepad handy as you go about your day and write down any questions you have as you think of them. Once it comes time to visit your doctor, simply hand him/her the notepad.  

Take Time to Plan Ahead

Going to the grocery store with COPD is all about planning. The more prepared you are, the better you will be able to deal with complications as they arise. Before heading out the door, you might want to create a list of emergency contacts that you can call if you experience a flare-up in your symptoms and need someone to come get you. According to Healthline, the average COPD patient experiences between 0.85 and 1.3 exacerbations a year so it’s best to be prepared no matter where you’re going or what you’re doing.

COPD is an invisible disease in many ways meaning nobody is going to know that you have COPD just by looking at you. This is why it’s important to have a plan rather than relying on strangers in the grocery store if you experience a flare-up. If you’re able to, you might consider reaching out to a friend and schedule days to go to the grocery store together. This could be another person with COPD or a healthy individual, but what matters is that they understand your disease and how to deal with a flare-up or exacerbation.   

Research Nutritional Information and Brands

One thing you should get in the habit of doing is being more careful about the brands you buy and the nutritional labels on the back of each product. Unfortunately, there is a lot of deceptive advertising out there to make you think that you’re eating healthy food when you’re really not. According to Truth in Advertising, 70 percent of consumers make buying decisions while they are in the store making them more susceptible to false advertising.

Remember that stores are specifically designed to get shoppers like you to spend more money. But “spending more money” doesn’t always mean getting healthy and nutritional food. If you’re in the store looking at a wall of different products, don’t just take the first one you see. Take some time to read the nutritional label on each of them and determine which one is best suited for your dietary needs. Also, be sure to write down which ones you choose so that you know for next time.

Find the Right Portable Oxygen Concentrator

Medical oxygen is a core aspect of most COPD treatment plans. Using supplemental oxygen throughout the day as prescribed allows COPD patients to keep their blood oxygen levels stable while preventing breathlessness, chest pain, and coughing. The problem, however, is that oxygen tanks are very bulky and the longer you want to stay out of the house, the heavier your tank will be.

Fortunately, there is a better alternative to oxygen tanks called portable oxygen concentrators. Unlike oxygen tanks which store compressed oxygen, oxygen concentrators are electronic devices that take in ambient air, remove nitrogen, argon, and other gases, then put out medical-grade oxygen. The benefit of this is that you don’t need to buy a large, heavy oxygen tank just to get out of the house, you just need enough batteries to last the duration of your trip.

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One of the most popular portable oxygen concentrators on the market in 2021 is the Caire FreeStyle Comfort. This unit weighs in at only 5 pounds making it one of the lightest portable oxygen concentrators ever produced. But that’s not all that it has going for itself. The FreeStyle Comfort has a maximum oxygen output of 1,050 milliliters per minute (ml/min) of medical grade oxygen (5 pulse flow settings) and offers up to 16 hours of battery life on one charge while using the 16-cell battery.

Another great affordable portable oxygen concentrator is the Inogen One G5. Much like the FreeStyle Comfort, the G5 is lightweight, weighing in at only 4.7 pounds. It also has the highest oxygen output of any pulse dose portable oxygen concentrator with 1,260 ml/min of medical-grade oxygen. Last but not least, it offers up to 13 hours of battery life on one charge using a 16-cell battery.

Needless to say, there are plenty of options available to you in terms of portable oxygen concentrators. Rather than going with the first one you find, you should take the time to speak with a respiratory specialist who will be able to align you with the POC that best meets your wants and needs. Remember that you will need a prescription from your doctor or pulmonologist in order to purchase or rent a medical-oxygen device. 

Bring Your Rescue Inhaler

A rescue inhaler is a small portable device used to administer inhaled medications. Most respiratory patients including people with asthma and COPD are prescribed an inhaler because it provides quick relief during respiratory exacerbations. Fast-acting bronchodilators act quickly to open up the airways, clear mucus, and alleviate breathlessness so it’s important to carry yours with you and keep it handy whenever you go to the grocery store.

Unfortunately, inhalers are notoriously difficult to use. Unlike nebulizers which deliver medication in a constant stream, allowing you to breathe at your own pace, inhalers require you to inhale sharply in order for the medication to reach your lower respiratory system. This can be really challenging for some COPD patients, especially people with more severe lung impairment. One great way to combat this is to use an inhaler spacer. A spacer is a plastic piece that attaches to your inhaler mouthpiece and holds the medication for longer, giving you more time to inhale it. If you’d like more information on using an inhaler more effectively, please read this article. 

Use Mobility Aids

A mobility aid is a device that helps you get around more easily. Devices like walking canes, walkers, manual wheelchairs, and electric scooters can be invaluable tools for anyone with COPD. Many grocery stores have electric scooters at the door to make it more accessible for people with disabilities. These scooters usually have a basket on the front or back so that you can store your groceries, so be sure to take full advantage of these if you see them in your store. 

Choose the Right Time and Day

Choosing the right day and the right time to go to the store can make a world of difference. Going during peak hours will mean spending more time in lines and you might be forced to rush through your grocery shopping. For someone with COPD, this is not ideal because you need to be careful about the products that you’re buying. Additionally, there’s usually added stress and anxiety when you go during the busiest hours.

According to Thrillist, the busiest times at grocery stores are Saturday afternoons between 1 pm and 3 pm and weekdays after 4 pm or 5 pm. The least busy time is Monday mornings and any weekday before noon. Planning your grocery store trip during these times will make your shopping experience much more pleasant and you won’t feel the need to rush through what you’re doing just to get out of someone’s way. 

Learn the Store’s Layout

As you go through the store for the first time, you should take note of where everything is located. You don’t need to write down everything, but you should keep track of what isle number your favorite products are located in. This will make it much easier to plan your shopping list next time you go to the store.

Consider Grocery Delivery Services

Last but certainly not least, you may want to consider either doing grocery pickup or have your groceries delivered to your home. Grocery pickup is where you order your groceries online and then you simply have to drive to the store to pick them up. This will save you a lot of time and you won’t need to worry about walking around the store to find the groceries you need. Simply pull up, load the groceries into your car, and you’re all set.

Another option is grocery delivery. Grocery delivery is usually done by third-party companies like Instacart or Shipt and will provide you with even more convenience than in-store pickup. However, the one downside to having your groceries delivered is that you will have to pay a delivery fee, so this is not a great option if you just need a few things.

Conclusion

Grocery shopping and cooking are two activities that many people love to do. However, if you’re living with COPD or any other type of chronic lung disease, you may find it difficult to find the energy to do these things. What’s more, you might worry about not having enough medical oxygen to last the duration of your trip to the store. Follow the tips above to get you started with grocery shopping in a way that’s safe and accommodating for your respiratory illness.

Here at LPT Medical, we strive to provide as many oxygen patients as possible with high-quality, lightweight, and easy-to-use portable oxygen concentrators. Unlike old outdated oxygen tanks, portable oxygen concentrators enable you to go wherever you please without restriction. With long-lasting lithium-ion batteries, you’ll never have to worry about running out of oxygen while you’re out of the house. And taking a trip to the grocery store will be a breeze with POCs like the Inogen One G5 or Caire FreeStyle Comfort. 

Whether you simply have a question about portable oxygen concentrators or you’re looking for a great deal on a new or used portable oxygen concentrator, don’t wait to reach out to our respiratory specialists here in Denver, Colorado. You can reach us by phone at 1-888-416-3855 or by email at info@lptmedical.com. Alternatively, you can leave a comment below expressing your interest in an oxygen concentrator and we will reach out to you with more information.  

C

hronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease in your lungs that damages both your airways and the lung tissue, all of this damage makes it very difficult to breathe and causes other significant side effects that will impact your wellbeing. If you have COPD, you may have obstructive bronchiolitis, emphysema, or a combination of the two conditions.

After being diagnosed with COPD, you will likely be exposed to several different kinds of medicines to help control your symptoms. These medications can help improve your quality of life, but it will not cure COPD. In fact, there is no cure for COPD, therefore, in this article will explain the different types of medicines used for COPD and how you can get the most out of these medications. For more information on COPD, see our LPT medical resource center 

All of the COPD medications and treatments can end up being very confusing to a COPD patient, so we took the time to break it down. In this article you will find: 

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• Managing your COPD medication 
• COPD Medication
• Inhalers
• Tablets 
• Steroids
• Antibiotics 
• Side effects of COPD medications
• Reducing side effects of COPD medication 
• COPD treatments 
• Pulmonary rehabilitation 
• Oxygen therapy 
• Side effects of COPD treatments 
• Reducing side effects from COPD treatments

 Managing all of your COPD medication

Before we get into specific COPD mediation, we thought it would be helpful to give you some tips on how to manage your COPD medication to the best of your ability. Simply dealing with a chronic illness is hard enough, so we compiled some ways you can take control of your medication.

The first and most important step in managing your COPD medication, is to develop a good system and then to make that system into your daily routine. Because your life and your condition is unique to you, your system should be individualized to meet your needs, but we have created an outline you can follow when developing your system, so make changes as you see fit.

1. You can start by taking your medications in conjunction with your other daily routines or habits. For example, keep your morning and evening medications near your toothbrush. Then, when you brush your teeth in the morning and evening, you also take your medications.
   
2. If you take pills several times throughout the day you can avoid forgetting to take your medication by using a watch or a phone with an alarm. Set the alarm for each of your scheduled medication times.
   
3. If you do not already have a pillbox with different days of the week you can get one of those. There are also pillboxes with each day of the week and and even different times during the day. With this method, you can plan out a week's worth of medication at the beginning of every week as a part of your Sunday or Monday routine. You will also know when or if you miss any doses.
   
4. Sometimes it can be challenging to organize your pillbox so ask for help - from a family member, caregiver or friend, even someone in your doctor's office.
   
5. You can also keep track of your medication everyday by writing in a journal. This can help you decipher which medications you are taking are giving you bad side effects. Having a journal also help you to remember when you took your medication so you don't miss any doses.
   
6. Always have a backup medication on trips away from home and other adventures. This way you have a full day's worth of medication should something come up.
   
7. If you continue to experience unpleasant side effects from your medication, write it down and try to decipher which medication is effecting you adversely. Your doctor may try to change the dose, and if that doesn't relieve your side effects they may change your medication.
   
8. If you are unsure how to take your inhaled medication, you can have your health care provider watch you take your inhaled medication to make sure you are doing it correctly. Ask for any pointers that might improve your technique so your medication can actually help you.
   
9. Bring you medications with you on your carry-on bag when you are traveling. Be sure to keep a copy of the prescriptions for your medications also.
   
10. If you are traveling with oxygen click here, to learn more about oxygen therapy and travel. 

If you're still having a hard time managing your medications, ask your doctor for more suggestions, and involve the people in your life who love and care for you.

Inhalers

If COPD is affecting your breathing, you'll usually be given an inhaler. Inside of your inhalers are Bronchodilators, this is the medication that you breathe in making it easier to breathe by relaxing and widening your airways.

There are different kinds of bronchodilators, and they will all affect you differently. The different types of bronchodilators depend on three things:

1. Chemical make-up
2. How fast it works
3. How long it lasts

There are short-acting, long-acting, also known as beta agonists and anticholinergics medications, and then there are steroid inhalers. All of which are used for different purposes.

Short-acting bronchodilators

Short-acting Bronchodilators open up your airways fast; they are also known as "quick-acting," "reliever," or "rescue" medications. These medications will relax the muscles that surround your airways, allowing the tubes in your lungs to open up quickly, making it easier to breathe in the case of a COPD exacerbation, or if you are exercising and need to open your airways fast for a short amount of time. 

Overall, short-acting inhalers work quickly and are used for the short term management of exacerbated COPD symptoms or episodes so you can get relief from breathlessness fast. 

You should only use short-acting bronchodilators up to a maximum of 4 times a day, but this is different for everyone. You and your doctor should discuss in detail when and why you should choose your short-acting inhaler over another medication in different scenarios. 

Here some examples of short-acting bronchodilators:

• Albuterol
• Metaproterenol
• Levalbuterol 
• Pirbuterol 

You may have some side effects depending on the type of short-acting bronchodilator that you use, and how it affects you.

Side Effects of Short-Acting Inhalers

There can be some side effects after taking a short-acting inhaler. 

Albuterol is one type of short-acting bronchodilator. It provides relief from an asthma attack or COPD exacerbation and it is usually taken in one of four ways: Albuterol can be taken as:

1.) An inhaler

2.) A nebulizer

3.) A pill

4). A liquid.

Side effects of albuterol include the following:

• Nervousness
• Shakiness
• Headache
• throat or nasal irritation
• Muscle aches.

 More-serious — though less common — side effects include:

•  A rapid heart rate 
•  Feelings of fluttering or a pounding heart (palpitations)

Some people may find that dealing with these side effects of albuterol to be intolerable, in which case you can talk to your doctor about the following options:

1. Changing delivery method
2. Side effects are less likely if you use an inhaler instead of taking a pill or liquid
3. If you use a nebulizer to inhale the drug, you may lessen symptoms if you can switch to a metered dose inhaler
4. If you already use a metered dose inhaler, symptoms may be reduced if you use a spacer or chamber device, which is attached to the inhaler.
5. Taking one puff of albuterol, rather than two puffs, will provide good relief of symptoms with fewer side effects.
6. Switching to a different prescription drug that may have fewer side effects for you

Over-all, the severity of side effects depends on how much of the drug you take. Short-acting bronchodilators are intended to treat exacerbated symptoms, therefore  it is not intended for long-term disease management. This means that if you are taking frequent doses you will likely experience more severe side-effects, and you and your doctor should discuss your overall treatment plan to reduce exacerbation symptoms.

Long-acting Bronchodilator 

If you experience symptoms consistently throughout the day, you will likely be prescribed a long-acting bronchodilator inhaler. These medications will provide you with extended control over your symptoms. 

This is a similar medication to short-acting bronchodilators, but the difference is that each dose lasts for at least 12 hours, and will only need to be used once or twice a day and it will take longer to initiate. The purpose of long-acting bronchodilators is to keep your airways open for long periods of time.

There are 2 types of long-acting bronchodilator inhaler:

1. beta-2 agonist inhalers – Example: salmeterol, formoterol and indacaterol
2. antimuscarinic inhalers – Example:  tiotropium, glycopyronium and aclidinium

If you start to experience harsh side effects from your medication, you should speak with your doctor about your prescription because you might be getting too much medication with every dose or you might need a different bronchodilator to help with your symptom management. 

Long-acting Bronchodilators side effects 

Bronchodilators can have side effects such as:

• Nervous or shaky feeling
• Higher heart rate or palpitations
• Upset stomach
• Trouble sleeping
• Muscle aches or cramps

More serious side effects include:

• blurry vision
• rapid or irregular heart rate
• an allergic reaction with rash or swelling

Steroid inhalers

After some time with a long-acting inhaler, if you start to notice that you are still becoming breathless or if you are having frequent COPD flare-ups (exacerbations), your doctor may suggest including a steroid inhaler as part of your treatment.

You can use an inhaler or a nebulizer to deliver steroids directly into your lungs. Oral steroids are less effective for people whose symptoms are stable. A nebulizer turns the medicine into a fine aerosol mist pumps the mist through a flexible tube and into a mask that you wear across your nose and mouth

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Inhaled steroids tend to be used as maintenance medications to keep symptoms under control for the long term. They also are normally prescribed as part of a combination inhaler that also includes a long-acting medicine.

Some inhaled steroids are more concentrated and powerful so that they can help control more advanced COPD symptoms. Milder forms of COPD may be controlled by weaker doses.

Inhaled steroids aren’t meant for fast relief from a COPD flare-up. In these instances, an inhaled drug called a bronchodilator can help relieve coughing and help you catch your breath.

Side effects of Inhaled Steroids

The possible side effects of inhaled steroids include:

• Sore throat
• Cough
• Infections in your mouth.

You could also experience an increased risk of pneumonia with the long-term use of inhaled steroids. To reduce this risk of oral infection, rinse your mouth and gargle with water after you use the inhaler.

Tablets

It is possible that your symptoms cannot be controlled with your inhalers alone, so your doctor may recommend taking tablets or capsules as well.

Theophylline tablets

Theophylline is another form of a bronchodilator, it works by reducing the swelling in your airways and relaxing the muscles.

These Theophylline tablets or capsules are usually taken twice daily. To reduce your chances of experiencing side effects from tablets, you may also need to have regular blood tests during treatment to check the level of medicine in your blood.

Possible side effects of COPD tablets 

Side effects you may experience from this COPD medication are as follows: 

• Feeling and being sick
• Headaches
• Difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
• Pounding, fluttering or irregular heartbeats (palpitations)
• Sometimes a similar medicine called aminophylline is also used.

Mucolytics

If you experience a bad chesty cough and lots of thick phlegm, your doctor may recommend taking a mucolytic medicine called carbocisteine.

Mucolytic medicine will thin out the phlegm in your throat making it easier to cough up and remove from your airways, subsequently making it easier to breathe.

Steroid Tablets

If you have particularly bad flare-ups often, you may be prescribed a short course of steroid tablets to reduce the inflammation in your airways and help bring your symptoms back down to manageable levels. Your doctor may give you a supply of steroid tablets to keep at home to take as soon as you experience a bad flare-up.

After this, you will be monitored closely for side effects of the medication and if you need a stronger set of steroids to manage your bad flare-ups, you can be tested for that. 

Long-term use of steroid tablets can cause troublesome side effects, so you want to be sure you only take these tablets when necessary for no longer than they are prescribed to you. 

Side effects of steroid tablets 

If you do take these steroid tablets for a extended amount of time you may start to experience side effects such as: 

• weight gain
• mood swings
• weakened bones (osteoporosis)

Antibiotics

There are times when your doctor may prescribe a short course of antibiotics if you start to experience symptoms of chest infection, such as:

• Becoming more breathless
• Coughing more
• Changes in the color (such as becoming brown, green or yellow) and/or consistency of your phlegm (such as becoming thicker)

If you are prone to chest infections, you may need to have antibiotics on hand for when you do. 

Once you are capable of recognizing an infection in your respiratory system, you may be given a course of antibiotics to keep at home and take as soon as you experience symptoms of an infection.

Overview 

Depending on your health and your COPD, different variations of the medications listed in this article may be a part of you COPD treatment regimen. If you have another disease such as heart disease along with COPD there are other medications not mentioned that you will likely start taking daily.

Dealing with COPD is challenging on its own, and when you also have to be weary of medications and its side effects, there are even more challenges to face. 

We recommend keeping a health journal so that you can keep track of how the medications you take makes you feel, this will also help you stay on track of your medication so you can be sure that you are doing it all correctly. 

If you do not like journaling, try to find another organizational method that will help you stay on track with taking your correct medications at the correct times. 

If something is making you feel unwell and the side effects are very noticeable, let your doctor know so they can either adjust the amount of medication you are taking, or switch you to a new medication that might give you less side effects. 

Sometimes COPD medication can be a trial and error type of process, so be patient and stay optimistic that your medication will eventually help you to live a healthier lifestyle. 

That being said, medication alone cannot treat your COPD, there are other very important lifestyle changes you should make in order to best treat your COPD. This includes eating a healthy diet, exercise regularly, taking pulmonary rehab, and utilizing oxygen therapy if you need it. 

Chronic respiratory diseases (CRDs) are diseases within your airways and other parts of your lungs. Some of the most common CRDs are chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, pulmonary fibrosis, occupational lung diseases, and pulmonary hypertension. In this particular article we are focusing on COPD, but a lot of the information can be related to other CRDs.

There are a lot of basics your doctor will tell you about COPD once you are diagnosed, but as with anything in life, there are some things that cannot be explained, and instead you learn from experience.

Once you are diagnosis with COPD, there is no straight path you take, there are left turns and right turns obstacles big and small, all of which you will learn to go through. You will learn how to find ways to live with this disease, and we are here to not only help you live with COPD, but live a high quality life with COPD.

You will learn along the way, what COPD triggers are the most harmful to you and how to avoid them, you will learn what foods cause bloating in your body, and how to fit exercise into your daily routine.

While your doctor may suggest healthier habits and give you tips for living a healthier lifestyle, you are the one who has to go home and live with COPD, so you will have to determine how to follow your doctor’s advice in the most effective way possible, and this isn’t always black and white.

We designed this resource guide to help you navigate the reality of living with COPD, if something applies to you take it, if not leave it behind. Everyone is different and COPD affects every individual differently so it is important to listen to your body and mind to get the best possible treatment for your COPD.

COPD is commonly Misdiagnosed

One of the most important things to discuss about COPD, is the diagnosis. First of all, in many cases, people who have COPD are not to be diagnosed until the disease has progressed into a more severe state. More than 16.4 million people have been diagnosed with COPD, but millions more may have the disease without even knowing it.

It is increasingly common to miss the warning signs of COPD early on, as the beginning stages can often be chalked up to “getting older”. Therefore, COPD is often not found until the disease is very advanced, when there is something clearly wrong. This is alarming, and serious action should be taken to prevent it because COPD is a progressive disease, meaning it gets worse over time. If you catch COPD warning signs early, the sooner you can start to treat COPD and slow down the deterioration in your lungs.

Some of the symptoms of COPD are similar to the side effects of “getting older.” If you think you have even mild symptoms of COPD, tell your doctor as soon as possible so they can test you.

Here are some early warning signs to look out for:

• Shortness of breath, especially during physical activities
• Wheezing
• Chest tightness
• A chronic cough that may produce mucus in a clear, white, yellow or greenish color
• Frequent respiratory infections
• Lack of energy
• Unintended weight loss (in later stages)
• Swelling in ankles, feet or legs

You should be considered for diagnosis of COPD if you experience symptoms of a chronic cough, sputum production, dyspnea and a history of exposure to risk factors for the disease.

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To diagnose your condition, your doctor will look into you medical and family history before they look at your signs and symptoms. You should also bring up any exposure you've had to lung irritants — especially if you smoke cigarettes or are exposed to cigarette smoke a lot smoke. 

Be Careful to Avoid COPD Flare Ups

If you have COPD, you are also likely to experience COPD exacerbations, during which your symptoms become worse than the usual day-to-day symptoms. These episodes can be long-lasting and persist for at least several days, and in some cases you may need to seek medical attention.

There are many triggers of COPD exacerbations, and your trigger may be different than someone else's, but here is a list of some common triggers that you can work to avoid:

• Smoking
• Second-hand smoke
• Air pollutants
• Dust
• Dust mites
• Clean products such as bleach
• Indoor allergens like animal dander
• Outdoor allergens like hay and pollen
• Cold dry outdoor air during winter
• Hot moist steam from showers

If you have COPD it is best for you to avoid these triggers listed above. We wrote a resource guide for people who want to create a COPD safe living space inside their home, you can read it by clicking here.

There is No Cure for Chronic Lung Diseases

CRDs including COPD are not curable, however, various forms of treatment are available. Certain treatments such as supplemental oxygen therapy, can improve shortness of breath and help control symptoms and increase the quality of life for people with the disease. 

COPD gets worse over-time, and without the proper treatment, COPD will cause major health issues, and even lead death. 

COPD is Commonly Cause by Smoking and Air Pollutants

In addition to tobacco smoke, you can also develop COPD by inhaling other risk factors including air pollution, occupational chemicals and dusts, and frequent respiratory infections during childhood.

COPD is Diagnosed by Your Doctor with a Series of Tests

Common COPD tests are as follows:

Lung (pulmonary) function tests

These tests measure the amount of air you can inhale and exhale, and whether your lungs deliver enough oxygen to your blood.

Chest X-ray. A chest X-ray

X-rays can show emphysema, one of the causes of COPD. An X-ray can also exposure or rule out other lung problems or heart failure.

CT scan. A CT scan of your lungs can help detect emphysema and help determine if you might benefit from surgery for COPD. CT scans can also be used to screen for lung cancer.

Arterial blood gas analysis

This is a blood test which measures how efficient your lungs are transferring gases. So this test specifically looks at the oxygen in your blood and the removal of carbon dioxide.

Laboratory tests

Lab tests will not be used to diagnose COPD, however they can be used to find the cause of your symptoms, and rule out other respiratory conditions.

Spirometry

This is a test designed to diagnose chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), so it measures how deeply you can breathe and how fast air can move into and out of your lungs. Low results from a spirometry test can be consistent with COPD, but also may not be specific to COPD because it can be caused by other lung diseases and poor performance during testing.

Because COPD develops slowly, it can be hard to diagnose COPD accurately, which is why it is frequently diagnosed later in life, mostly in people 40 years or older.

You Can Treat COPD

While there is no cure from COPD, or other CRDs, you can treat your disease and ease the symptoms. With the correct treatment, medications, and healthy habits you can even slow down the progression of your COPD.

Oxygen therapy is one of the COPD treatments that can extend your life expectancy.

Eating healthy foods that do not cause bloating will help you feel less short of breath.

Exercising or walking regularly strengthens your airways and lung muscles, which helps you manage COPD symptoms more effectively.

Medications, like short-acting bronchodilator help open your airways to make breathing easier in emergency situations, and during a COPD exacerbation. Medications can make the recovery process easier.

If you Need Supplemental Oxygen your Doctor will Prescribe it to You

Supplemental oxygen therapy is a life saving treatment for respiratory patients with low blood oxygen levels. You can be administered oxygen through a liquid oxygen tank, compressed oxygen gas canisters, or a portable oxygen concentrator (POC). All of these methods feed oxygen to the user through an oxygen nasal tub or face mask.

The biggest difference between each of these methods is the tanks and canisters have a finite amount of oxygen that must be refilled, whereas a POC takes ambient air from its surrounding and purifies it into medical-grade oxygen. POCs also runs off of batteries so it will have to be re-charged.

Oxygen therapy will be prescribed to you by your doctor after undergoing tests that will measure your current oxygen intake and transfer of gases in your lungs. If you have Hypoxemia, meaning you have low blood oxygen levels, your doctor will prescribe you a flow rate and give you recommendations for an oxygen device.

You will then want to get in contact with an oxygen device distributing company, possibly in your local area. For example you can google search something like, Denver, Colorado oxygen supplies, and LPT Medical will pop up, same goes for Boca Raton, Florida oxygen equipment. This is one way to find portable oxygen concentrators for sale near you, but you can also order POCs from around the nation and they can be shipped to you.

If you are going to be using an oxygen tank, it is essential there is an oxygen delivery company near your home, because they will have to come and replace empty tanks with filled tanks weekly.

LPT Medical is a family owned and operated business, and while we do a lot of local oxygen sales in Denver and Boca Raton, we also work with customers nationwide. If you are in the market for a portable oxygen concentrator, call us at 1-800-946-1201 so we can help find you an oxygen device that fits your needs.

Too Much Oxygen Can be Dangerous

The reason it is crucial to go through a licensed oxygen distributor like LPT Medical, is because we make sure to look at your doctor’s prescription before we recommend an oxygen device to you.

We would recommend devices like the Caire Freestyle Comfort to an oxygen user with a pulse flow rate of 630 - 840 LPM. On the other hand, if you need a continuous flow of oxygen of about 0.5 - 1.0 LPM you would need a device like the Respironics SimplyGo.

If you started to take oxygen more often than your doctor recommended or upped the dosage, you would start to experience something called oxygen toxicity or oxygen poisoning, and this is very dangerous. The first sign of oxygen toxicity, manifests in your Central Nervous System, and you may start to experience things like:

• Visual changes
• Tunnel vision
• Ringing in the ears
• Nausea
• Twitching (especially of the face)
• Behavioral changes (irritability, anxiety, confusion)
• Dizziness

If you continue to use excessive amounts of oxygen, pulmonary toxicity will begin to occur as a result of too much oxygen in your system. After a certain amount of time with too much oxygen saturation tracheobronchitis or inflammation of the upper airways will start to negatively impact your respiratory system.

There will be a decline in your lung function, alveolar damage, and soon acute respiratory distress syndrome will onset. This could all eventually lead to collapse of your alveoli, also known as atelectasis.

The bottomline is that it is very important to follow your oxygen prescription as an oxygen patient. Other folks at risk of oxygen toxicity are deep sea divers. Be sure to ask your pulmonary doctor and respiratory specialist any questions you have, and clearly communicate your confusion.

Your Oxygen Prescription Will Vary Depending on the Severity of you Your Disease

It is possible that you will have to adjust your oxygen levels while you exercise, compared to while you rest. Some people will need to use oxygen 24/7 and others may only need it while they are exerting themselves physically.

All of this will depend on your condition, so you can’t always ask for advice from others who also have COPD or another oxygen user. Their oxygen dosage may be completely different than yours. The best way to get the most out of your oxygen therapy is to understand you and your condition, your oxygen prescription, and how to use your portable oxygen concentrator or oxygen tanks.

Portable Oxygen Concentrator Costs

Our portable oxygen concentrators costs range anywhere from $999 - $3,000 depending on the unit you are interested in. We also offer refurbished units so if you are on a tight budget we are still happy to work with you to get a reliable oxygen device. Be sure to call us to find out of our current specials that we update throughout the year on select devices!

COPD is Also Common in Women

At one time, tobacco was predominantly used by men and so COPD was subsequently much more common in men than women. Nowadays, there are more deaths resulting from COPD in women than in men. There are four reasons why this shift happened.

1. In the late 1960s, a large influx of women started smoking as a result of tobacco and advertising companies heavily targeting women.

2. Also, women are more vulnerable than men to lung damage from cigarette smoke and other pollutants because their lungs are smaller.

3. Estrogen has been noted to also play a role in worsening lung disease.

4. Lastly, because COPD has always been thought of as a “man’s disease” Women are often misdiagnosed. Many doctors do not think to check for COPD in women and miss the proper signs and therefore women go undiagnosed and untreated much more often..

Learn more about all things COPD in women

COPD is a Leading Cause of Death

COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States, about 140,000 American die from COPD each year.

The total deaths from COPD are projected to increase unless urgent action is taken to reduce the underlying risk factors, especially tobacco use. 

Underlying risk factors of COPD that need to be mitigated to reduce COPD deaths include:

• Exposure to tobacco smoke
• Occupational exposure to dusts and chemicals
• Exposure to fumes from burning fuel
• In some cases genetics

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Overview

If you think you could possibly have COPD, or if you have recently been diagnosed with COPD we hope that you found this guide into the basics and secrets of COPD useful in some way.

If you learned anything about yourself and your condition, please leave a comment below or share with someone that might learn something too!

There is so much more information about COPD that you will learn through the process of living with COPD, and you can find more resources about oxygen therapy and COPD related article by clicking here. 

The holidays can be a stressful time for everyone and people with COPD should take extra precautions to avoid over-exerting themselves mentally and physically, over-eating, and stressing. If you are one of the 16 million Americans with COPD, avoiding these COPD triggers over holidays will make everything more enjoyable and you will run a lower risk of getting sick or experiencing a COPD exacerbation.

However, this holiday season, 2020 and going into 2021, the global COIVD-19 pandemic is making this holiday season even more difficult, especially for our family and friends that have COPD.

With COVID-19 cases increasing as we are getting more into the holiday season, public health experts are encouraging people to be even more stringent about social distancing, and limiting travel.

These unprecedented circumstances have changed almost everything, including the ways we interact with people. Connecting virtually with loved ones and family members is one of the only ways to safely spend this lovely time of year together, even in the weeds of a pandemic.

If you have never tried FaceTime, Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts or any other form of face to face virtual communication, there is no better time to do so! Also, stay on the look out for a new LPT Medical blog about connecting with family and friends digitally!

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The Importance of Holidays and Social Connection

Holidays give us a sense of belonging, and they bring our most loved people together into one place. This tradition should continue into this year in some way shape or form. So, start spreading the idea that creating new traditions amongst your family members can be very joyful and fun.

That being said, holidays can be exciting and fun, but for people who suffer from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) holidays can also initiate stress and other COPD triggers.

In this article we are going to discuss how you can avoid COPD exacerbations throughout the holidays, and minimize your chances of getting sick.

COPD and the Holidays

If you have COPD, be prepared this holiday season. It is unfortunate, but living carefree and enjoying the holidays can be difficult for those that suffer from ongoing medical conditions, such as COPD. The extra effort it takes to just to breathe can cause any holiday to be just that much more stressful, not to mention the added stress of a global pandemic. However, there is relief, and we have compiled some helpful COPD tips for the holiday!

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Helpful COPD Tips for the Holidays

The holiday season is famously the time of year we get to relax and spend quality time with loved ones, but it does pose real risk for additional anxiety and increased stress, which can be triggering for patients with COPD. So here some helpful tips for you!

Traveling

Of course it is recommended not to travel for the holidays this year, but if you are traveling, be prepared, be prepared more than you have ever been before.

You don't only need to remember all of your medications and be sure you have your portable oxygen concentrator (POC) or oxygen tank, you also have to make sure that you have an extra POC battery, and your POC AC and DC charger cables. Should your POC start to run low, you want to avoid having to stop into a location to charge your oxygen device in order to avoid contact with strangers and surfaces. If you do not have an extra battery or other oxygen accessories, all of those items can be found on our website.

Watch What you Eat

If you have COPD it is important to avoid overeating. This is much easier said than done especially during the holidays, but portion control can be the difference between enjoying your holiday versus spending it in the hospital

Medically, a full stomach can press on the diaphragm. This will increase the regular symptoms of COPD that include breathlessness, and can often induce a COPD exacerbation.

Eating healthy foods that help with COPD symptoms is a must during the holidays, especially if cold weather is a factor in your area. Minimizing the chances of triggering a COPD exacerbation is key to enjoying the holidays, and if you can’t control the cold weather, you can control what you eat, so eat healthy.

Everything may look delicious, but go with the fresh veggies, greek yogurt dip, whole grain items, potatoes and smoked turkey (in small portions) because these are all great options to choose from. You can even suggest these dishes in advance, some people love to have ideas before they decide on what food they will bring to the potluck.

Save money

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Limit shopping to what’s absolutely necessary. This year is more financially taxing for most people than any year in the past, so there is no absolutely no shame in expressing your gratitude in other ways rather than in material gifts.

As a person with COPD, it is never advisable to be out shopping among large groups of people, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic and flu season. Luckily, you can do much of your shopping from the comfort and safety of your home!

Even small local businesses have developed their online platform as a result of COVID-19 restrictions in many areas. So you will still have the option of buying thoughtful gifts that only your favorite local stores supply rather than buying from bulk operations like Amazon.

Our small family owned business, LPT Medical, invites you to shop with us online or over the phone at 1-800-946-1201 for any of your oxygen therapy necessities or accessories. From portable oxygen concentrators like the Caire FreeStyle Comfort, The Inogen One G5, or the Respironics SimplyGo, to any and all of the accessories you need to make the most of them we have some great holiday deals that our respiratory specialists would be happy to discuss with you. If you would like to know how much portable oxygen concentrator costs please call us at 1-800-946-1201, for all of your oxygen inquires and questions.

Watch What you Carry

If you do decide to venture out to go shopping, don’t be afraid to use a cart! And make sure you clean the handles of the cart with an antibacterial cleaner before you use it. If you don't already have a portable oxygen concentrator backpack, you might find it useful for carrying your oxygen device along with your other essentials everywhere you go this holiday season, to ensure you do not forget anything.

The Inogen One G4 backpack has also been reviewed as one of the easiest ways to transport your oxygen with you wherever you go, and it is also user friendly, so if you need to adjust your oxygen flow or mess with the settings, the POC is conveniently located so you can get to it without rummaging through your bag! There are also custom backpacks for the One G3 and One G5.

Stay Warm

If you haven't already read our LPT Medical blogs about avoiding COPD exacerbations, cold weather and COPD are not the perfect combination, so dressing warm for both the expected outdoor temperatures and the indoor ones is essential for maintaining your health over the holidays.

Here is a tip if you use supplemental oxygen keep your oxygen tubing under a layer of clothing so that the air you breathe will be warmer. Also, consider wearing a scarf or a CT face mask to make breathing colder air easier while you are outside!

A CT mask is the perfect holiday gift for a loved one with COPD it converts the cold dry air into moist warm air, and help respiratory patients breathe in cold air, just take note these masks do not protect against COVID-19

Be Prepared

Have all of the tools you need for everyday activities, including medications, daily inhalers and fast-acting inhalers for emergencies. If you use supplemental oxygen, make sure that you have an adequate oxygen supply by either ensuring that you have enough oxygen left in your tanks or an extra portable oxygen concentrator battery to keep your POC charged all day and night.

Trust Yourself

This holiday season is not the same as many others, where gatherings and events could go on for a long period of time, and someone with COPD might have to step out for the night due to feeling overwhelmed and tired. This is normally when we would recommend trusting this instinct and leaving when you know you have had enough rather than over-extending yourself, and weakening your immune system to the point where you are more susceptible to illness.

But this season, you might be feeling lonely, anxious, or even frightened, and it is important to recognize these emotions as valid, and understand that millions and millions of people are feeling similarly. Click here for a guide about encouraging mental health for people with COPD.

This is why it is so important for mental health to stay connected with your family and loved ones during this holiday season even if you cannot be together in person.

Overview

These suggestions for staying safe and sane during the holidays may seem like common sense, but oftentimes a reminder to trust your instincts, eat healthy, stay warm are positive health checkups we do not do enough!

Also, we wrote this article mainly as a reminder, that even if you do struggle with breathing problems, due to a chronic illness or other ailment, that does not mean that you should not experience the joy that comes with sharing the holidays with those we love.

If you are struggling with staying connected, subscribe to our daily newsletter to be updated every time we post a new blog, Or you can join our facebook group, by searching LPT Medical COPD & Respiratory support group on the Facebook App. Our emails and our Facebook group connect you with the best resources and information for anyone that suffers from a respiratory disease, or chronic illness like COPD. Our readers utilize this information to make valuable life changing decisions.

We like to write about changing your habits, your medical oxygen supply needs, tips and tricks to get through just about any obstacle life throws at you. So if you need the gift of connection, please comment below this article with any inquiries, questions, or happy holiday wishes. From LPT Medical’s family to you and yours, we are wishing you a safe and joyful holiday season.