Ask Mark … My biggest problem with my lung disease is getting up stairs. Do you have advice on how to accomplish this a little easier? Vicky M., Florida Mark explains, Climbing stairs is one of the most challenging forms of exertion for most folks with breathing limitations. I know an exercise that may help…
Ask Mark … Rose Ann B. from EFFORTS asks Mark if it is possible to have her oxygen set too high? Will it make her more short of breath? Mark explains, The short answer is an emphatic No! If you are still short of breath while using a reasonable and adequate flow setting and are…
Ask Mark Fran from Colorado asks Mark to explain how Medicare pays for her oxygen. Mark explains, There are a lot of misconceptions about what Medicare will or will not pay, how much they pay and to whom they pay what and what happens to your equipment at the end of the 5-year…
Ask Mark … Sharon from EFFORTS asks what it means when her physician tells her that her lungs are hyperinflated? Sometimes her lungs feel so full, it feels like they could burst. Mark explains, Hyperinflation simply means there is too much air in your lungs than they normally would hold – it is…
Ask Mark … Ruby from EFFORTS asks, I am on Symbicort® and Spiriva®, is there a substitute for Spiriva that works as well, but isn’t as drying? My mouth gets so dry with Spiriva! Mark explains, Anticholinergics are a class of drugs that block the action of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine in the brain, allowing the…
Ask Mark Deb from Pennsylvania asks if Medicare will pay anything toward the purchase of oxygen equipment or does it only pay for rental? She is nearing the end of her five years with her current supplier and wants to buy her equipment rather than deal with the company that has the contract in her…
Ask Mark … Francine from Texas was concerned when there were blood streaks in her mucus and asks if this something that can be serious. Mark answers, Blood-streaked mucus is rarely a clinically significant problem. Many kinds of irritation of upper airways can cause the shedding of small amounts of blood. Unless you have been…
Ask Mark … Kay from Florida asks Mark if taking extra calcium helps with preventing osteoporosis. Mark replies, Calcium is the mineral that is essential for building and maintaining strong bones. It helps muscles work and nerves carry messages between the brain and other parts of the body. It can be found in yogurt, milk,…
Ask Mark Sally is concerned for her husband and writes, my husband has COPD and has been taking Symbicort and Spiriva for some time. He was placed on hospice/palliative care a couple of months ago and has been given ipratropium bromide and albuterol sulfate in lieu of Symbicort and Spiriva. What is the…
The National Parks Quiz 1. Great Smoky Mountains is the most visited national park in the United States sprawling between North Carolina and Tennessee. As many as 10 million people experienced the wild life and wild- flowers of Great Smoky Mountains in one year – more than twice the number who visited the Grand Canyon,…