Sharing the Health!
Cheryl K. of Florida tells us for about $20 on amazon.com, you can purchase an oxygen liter meter that will verify that the flow from your home concentrator is accurate. It does not measure the percentage of oxygen, just the flow rate. You can get different brands that read low flow rates up to 15 liters per minute. You attach your oxygen tubing to the bottom of the meter and hold it upright and locate the center of the ball for the reading.
Common errors when using inhalers:
- Not shaking it with every
- Orientation – The inhalers should be held
- Coordination – Start inhaling slowly before
- Breathing in too quickly.
- Not holding your breath before
- Not waiting 15-30 seconds before your second
The new dry powder inhaler Utibron® Neo- haler®, a maintenance medication for COPD, is now available from Sunovion. Ask your physician if this might be right for you, along with their savings program for discounts! A study from the University of Michigan suggests 76 percent of Americans over 65 years old take two or more prescription medications but less than 28 percent have talked to their physicians about drug costs. Only 36 percent of physicians have offered a lower cost medication to their patients and only 21 percent of pharmacists have suggested less expensive drugs. Don’t be afraid to ask!
Lynn Taylor of Ormond Beach recently came across this list that contains a simple formula for living. Reading over the items, they really do make a lot of sense!
Live beneath your means.
Return everything you borrow.
Stop blaming other people.
Admit it when you made a mistake.
Give clothes not worn to charity.
Do something nice and try not to get caught.
Listen more and talk less.
Take a walk every day.
Strive for excellence, not perfection.
Be on time. Don’t make excuses.
Get organized.
Be kind to unkind people.
Let someone cut ahead of you in line.
Take time to be alone.
Cultivate good manners.
Be humble.
Realize and accept that life isn’t fair.
Know when to keep your mouth shut.
Go an entire day without criticizing anyone.
Learn from the past and plan for the future.
Live in the present.
Don’t sweat the small stuff.
It is all small stuff!
While we appreciate the CDC’s stop smoking ads airing on television, we respectfully disagree with the statement made by Becky saying, “I am chained to an oxygen tank and if you keep smoking, your freedom will only go as far as your oxygen tube.”
Please stop smoking if you are but using oxygen allows you to be active. Oxygen users have been traveling the world!
Since we read in the paper recently that a local woman on oxygen suffered severe burns to her face and hands when she tried to light a cigarette, we are thinking there are some oxygen users out there who are not getting the message!
Becky Herner, 55, is one of the five people spotlighted in this year’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ad campaign. She speaks of how painful and difficult the experience is to quit smoking.
I ordered the most comfortable cannulas from the Soft Hose company in California. They also make a flow control valve that allows you to adjust the oxygen flow rate of your home concentrator from a valve placed in line with your cannula and tubing. You don’t have to walk back to the concentrator to increase or decrease the flow! Visit www.softhose.com or call 1-858-748-5677. Paul T., Portland, ME
In the summer, the extra energy and oxygen your body uses to stay cool, can make breathing more difficult. Wear loose light-colored clothing. Sunlight can cause chemical reac- tions with pollutants in the air that cause an increase in ozone resulting in difficulty breathing, irritation to your nose and throat, coughing, and wheezing.
Warm air holds more moisture than cold air, reducing the amount of oxygen present. As humidity in- creases, the denser air is much more difficult to breathe. You can purchase an inexpensive hygrometer at a hard- ware store or online to monitor indoor humidity levels, which should be around 40 percent. Keep your home cooler simply by keeping the curtains and blinds closed and using fans and air conditioning. Be careful not to point a fan directly at yourself since it could be blowing dust. Hand held fans can help too.
Drink lots of water to stay hydrated but avoid alcohol. Lower your salt intake and eat smaller meals.
Our friend Edna Fiore of Colorado recently shared these exercise tips.
If COPD leaves you feeling tired and breathless, exercising may be the last thing you want to do. But the latest research shows exercise can be very beneficial. Ask your physician for a referral to a pulmonary rehabilitation program if there is one in your area.
Start out slowly. Begin walking slowly at a comfortable pace for a short period (start with 5 to 10 minutes daily), three to five days a week. Do not increase walking time until you can do it the entire time without stopping to rest. Then increase walking time by 1 to 2 minutes each week.
Choose what you enjoy. There are many daily physical activities that provide your body with exercise, including gardening, golfing or even shopping. If you like ball- room dancing, swimming, yoga or Pilates, ask your doctor if they’re good options for you. Exercising with a friend can help you to motivate each other!
Watch the weather. Don’t exercise out- side on high-ozone days or on days that are too cold, too hot or too humid. But don’t let the bad weather stop you – you can always walk around your local mall if you can’t exercise outdoors.
Keep it going. If you stop exercising regularly, all the gains you made will be lost. If you’re exercising as part of a pulmonary rehab program, you’ll need to incorporate your exercise routine into your daily life. If you’re a home-based exerciser, try some new workouts so you don’t get bored.
What else to know? While exercise does not directly improve lung function in those with COPD, it helps build your endurance, which improves how well your body uses oxygen. That means you won’t have to use as much energy to breathe, and you’ll be able to do more before you start feeling tired.
Boehringer Ingelheim wants you to get rewarded for taking your medicine! If you have COPD and you’re
currently taking Spiriva® HandiHal- er®, Spiriva® Respimat® or Stiolto® Respimat®, it’s time to be reward- ed for things you’re already doing by joining the RespiPoints™ Rewards Program!
Sign up at www.respipoints.com to: Earn points daily for taking your treatment, learning more about COPD, cnogmipnlteetriactive quizzes and surveys;
Track your daily medication use and be informed when it’s time to refill your prescription;
Redeem your earned points for e-gift cards in the Rewards Mall, (e.g., Amazon.com, Best Buy®, Starbucks®