This month the COPD Foundation is focusing on perhaps one of the most critical aspects of living with COPD—identifying, avoiding, and managing exacerbations. Some members of this community, COPD360social, have learned how to avoid most exacerbations; and if not avoid them, at least keep them from becoming serious.
Some of you, though, are still learning how to manage COPD from day to day, and how to avoid exacerbations. Although this blog post is about the basics of exacerbations, we still want to hear from you, our expert COPD patients on what works best for you and what you might advise to newbies.
When I was working in pulmonary rehab and with our chronic lung disease support group, many of the newer participants told me that their greatest fear was that their breathing would get bad enough to cause them to stay overnight as a patient in the hospital—and that the scariest part of this was that they’d be really sick and never get back to the level of health they had before that exacerbation. They asked, “Is this what’s going to happen to me?”
I told them, simply, that no, it doesn't have to be that way, and that there was a lot they could learn to help them have a much better chance of keeping that from happening, and help them to live their best life
So, let’s get down to business and figure out how you, a person with COPD, can avoid exacerbations or at least make them less serious.
What is an exacerbation? An exacerbation (x-saa-cer-bay-shun) is a flare-up of COPD in which symptoms get worse. Changes in medical treatment may be needed.
The COPD Foundation has several really great resources on exacerbations. I know that it’s a lot of information, but here’s an idea… how about if you get started by choosing three of these resources? I’m sure you’ll learn a lot. Let’s go!
Resources
Learn more
What is an Exacerbation or Flare Up | COPD Foundation
COPD and Pneumonia | COPD Foundation
Blog posts
Quiz—Exacerbations - Have you ever? (copdfoundation.org)
Check in- Exacerbations (copdfoundation.org)
Check in—The My COPD Action Plan—An interview with Caroline (copdfoundation.org)
Free downloads:
COPD Foundation Educational Materials—click on The Basics of COPD/click to view all languages/choose English or Spanish/go to p. 15 and p. 25
COPD Foundation Educational Materials—Guides for Better Living/choose English or Spanish/click on Exacerbations
COPD Foundation Educational Materials—Staying Healthy and Avoiding Pneumonia +
covid-therapeutics-infogramic-(COVID-19 Defenses).pdf
COPD Foundation Educational Materials—click on My Action Plan +
If you’re a person with COPD who has learned to avoid exacerbations, and at least to keep them from becoming serious, can you share one thing you’ve learned that has made a big difference?
Let’s talk! I look forward to hearing from you!