You know, we all love a good mystery. It’s interesting to hear about something that happened, then try to figure out how and why. We listen, pay close attention, and learn, then put the information together to figure out what occurred, and what comes next.
But when it comes to knowing what’s going on in our lungs when we have COPD, even after we’ve been diagnosed, why are we sometimes not all that curious to know what’s going on? Before we answer that, let’s take a quick, simple look at some other body systems. Now, this is not to say that other body systems aren’t complex, but for this purpose, let’s just look at them from a distance. It’s kind of easy to see how the heart works—it’s a big muscle that acts as a pump. When it gets weak or doesn’t get enough oxygen, it might stop, causing a heart attack, or even death. The stomach is a pouch that holds the food we’ve eaten and helps break it down with acids. If we get sick to our stomach, it’s obvious that something we ate made our stomach want to get rid of it. When a bone breaks, it can’t function the way it is supposed to until it is fixed and healed.
But the lungs…now that’s a different story. When I taught classes in pulmonary rehab, I found that a lot of my patients didn’t know much at all about the lungs and how they work. They knew their lungs were not working well, but beyond that it was kind of a mystery. They asked, “I know there is air inside the lungs—does that mean they’re like two big balloons? Why do I cough? What makes my lungs feel tight? It’s like there’s a big rubber band around my chest. My friend has oxygen, so why is she still short of breath? What goes on inside my lungs to make my breathing so bad?”
We can start to answer some of these questions by taking a quick look at COPD taken from parts of an article, How Does COPD Affect Breathing? by Stephanie Williams (see resources at the end of this blog post). COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) is an umbrella term, including emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Many people with COPD have features of both diseases. When the lungs are exposed to irritants, pollution, smoke, etc., different parts of the lung can be injured. In emphysema the tiny air sacs (alveoli) are damaged. This causes them to become floppy and lose their ability to stretch. The exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place in these air sacs, and when they are no longer elastic and stretchy, they can’t do their job as well as they should. In chronic bronchitis the breathing tubes (bronchial airways) swell and become clogged with mucus. Breathing medicines like bronchodilators and inhaled steroids work to help open the airways and decrease swelling. By understanding how emphysema and chronic bronchitis affect the lungs, you can learn how to better manage your lung disease.
Yes, it’s important to understand what happened to your lungs to make you have COPD because when you know what you’re up against, you can learn what you can do about it! I know, it might be really hard to hear some of this at first—to know that your lungs have been damaged. But in the long run, it makes a big difference in helping you know how to take care of your health—both physical and emotional—so you can go forward with your best possible quality of life!
When you were first diagnosed with COPD, how much did you know about your lungs? How has learning about COPD and understanding what you can do to manage it, helped you live better?
Let’s talk! I look forward to hearing from you!
All though this month, January 2022, we will be learning about the lungs and COPD. Follow these links to helpful resources:
How Does COPD Affect Breathing? | COPD Foundation
Check in – What went wrong with my breathing? (copdfoundation.org)
What is COPD? - Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease - COPD Foundation
COPD Causes and Risk Factors | COPD Foundation
How is COPD Diagnosed? | COPD Foundation
Understanding Your Lungs | COPD Foundation
Newly Diagnosed with COPD - Learn More - COPD Foundation
Exercise, Nutrition, Oxygen, Travel, Cough, etc. Coping with Airway Mucus | COPD Foundation
What is Pulmonary Rehabilitation? | COPD Foundation
COPD Foundation Educational Materials
COPD Inhaler Educational Video Series | COPD Foundation