CONDITIONS & DISORDERS
COPD: A PATIENT'S PERSPECTIVE Kim Lam Marketing Executive, Aberdeen Kim writes an interesting blog about living with lung disease to promote awareness of COPD and to help and support other sufferers. www.lungevity. blog
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At the young age of 28, Kim was diagnosed with emphysema, a lung condition which can be categorised under Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). Here she explains how the condition has affected her life and what diet and lifestyle changes she has had to make. At the time I was diagnosed, I had just been getting into the groove of living and working in London for The Financial Times as a Marketing Executive. Unbeknown to me, COPD and the London air pollution had silently crept up on me, causing irreversible damage to my lungs. Prior to my move from Scotland, my birthplace, to London, I was only ever aware of having ‘normal’ asthma throughout my child and adulthood, experiencing few problems and the occasional chest infection. It was three months after my move that I started to experience heavy symptoms, such as struggling to breath and severe asthma attacks. Each time I was admitted to hospital due to low oxygen levels and illness. As a result, I was referred to a respiratory specialist. Over two years living in London, I was admitted to hospital about 11 times, either as an emergency admission, or with a severe chest infection. It was always a very scary, frustrating and confusing experience for me, as I had no idea what was happening to my body or immune system. I was put under a series of tests and scans and investigations, but there were few answers because my lifestyle didn’t match up to why I had the symptoms. As an active young individual, I never smoked, I didn’t drink heavily and led a very healthy lifestyle. Even the doctors and professionals were scratching their heads. Eventually, on my last hospitalisation, I made the decision with the support of my specialist and employer,
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to move back home to Scotland and to see if living in a less polluted environment would help any. I was also referred to another respiratory specialist team based in Scotland, which was the first time I had heard about COPD. It was explained that even though COPD is associated with either old age or heavy smoking, my lungs were damaged like a COPD sufferer, for whatever reason. All the genetic tests for it such as Alpha-1 antitrypsin and cystic fibrosis etc, were carried out, but all came back negative. And to this day, it still remains a mystery, however, to some extent, specialists have concluded that I was born with weak/ underdeveloped lungs. Potentially, exposure to secondhand smoke and, no doubt, the air pollution in London, were the icing on top. Over time, and from many meetings with other specialists across the country, it was also revealed that I potentially have bronchiectasis as well as emphysema. It is indeed a very complex pathology, which leaves me susceptible to infections, a weaker immune system, as well as a greater need to take more care and be cautious. Whilst in the beginning, acceptance of having the condition was probably one of life’s toughest challenges, especially at such a young age, once I started learning more about the condition and learning how to manage it, things eventually got easier. At the start, it was debilitating, frustrating, tiresome and made me feel either angry or sad and for some time, I remained in
Without a doubt, I use my COPD specific inhalers every morning . . . . . . I also nebulise most mornings ahead of my day and at night if I’m wheezy. Without this, I find my symptoms are more erratic and play up.
a ‘why me’ victim mentality. It was like almost having to grieve my former healthy self, have a funeral for it and adapt to this new body with a chronic condition. That said, I didn’t want to let the condition control me and preferred to alter my perception so that I could control it with balance and peace instead. It took a lot of reading, researching, meditating, talking and therapy (either self-help or where I had to open up and reach out to professionals). In pursuit of educating myself and learning more, I asked endless questions to my doctor, picked up all the official NHS leaflets, did my own desktop research and signed up to work with the British Lung Foundation. I also started my own blog https://lungevity.blog/ as a means of therapeutic release, but also as a way of structuring my thoughts and to communicate what I learned as a way of helping others who were going through a similar experience, or suffering from a chronic lung condition.
Diet This is very subjective, as it’s usually different for each body type. However, in my case I’d be considered underweight and even a 2kg increase can provide functional improvements to my respiratory health. For some, it may be that they are overweight and putting pressure on the organs. So I focus on a balanced diet with carbs, protein and lots of fruit and veg. In particular, I eat much of the healthy fats including avocados, nuts and raw cacao. Each of them help to maintain mental health as much as physical health and I also like to pursue an ‘anti-inflammatory’ diet, e.g. eating foods that prevent inflammation in the body and to support a stronger immune system, such as pineapples, salmon, broccoli, nuts etc. This cuts out any processed foods such as cakes, biscuits and meats. Of course, the occasional treat is fine (you need to enjoy life), but limiting intake daily helps me lead a healthy lifestyle regardless.
LIFESTYLE CHANGES
Exercise and pulmonary rehab If you have skeletal muscle weakness (which you likely will have from COPD and lack of exercise), it has an associated impact on exercise tolerance and provides a strong rationale for people with COPD to exercise. If you haven’t exercised then breathing may also be uncontrolled, so I try my hardest to incorporate strength training, cardio and yoga on a regular basis. As much as a COPD sufferer may not want to exercise in the beginning due to breathlessness, exercise can actually help improve capacity, strength and lung function overtime. Yoga is probably my favourite because it provides stress-reduction, less anxiety, inner peace and mental stability as well as physical benefits.
There are lots of measures a COPD sufferer can take, but generally, there are some dependable things I incorporate into my lifestyle to either prevent heavy symptoms, improve or alleviate them. Taking medications daily Without a doubt, I use my COPD specific inhalers every morning, take a preventative antibiotic (azithromycin), carbocisteine (disperses mucus build up) and vitamin supplements such as cod liver oil, vitamin C, Turmeric and ginger root. I also nebulise most mornings ahead of my day and at night if I’m wheezy. Without this, I find my symptoms are more erratic and play up.
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CONDITIONS & DISORDERS
Being able to speak with a qualified counsellor helped get a great deal off my chest (pun intended) and can help you work through emotional issues. With emotional healing, often comes physical healing. Alternative therapies Although some of the suggestions are experimental for me, I do believe in alternative healing methods that promotes overall, holistic healing and well-being. Some of these include regular attendance to salt caves, acupressure massage, meditation, facilitating a supportive, healthy, clean and non-polluted environment with Himalayan salt lamps, cold air diffusers and aromatherapy (such as tea tree oil and lavender) etc. Clothing It’s important for me to wear a protective mask, such as the Vogmask, which helps filter out the pollution if I do happen to travel back to London or anywhere polluted for that matter. It also helps if it’s a windy day, as the mask enables me to cope better if I’m out for a walk. Counselling/Therapy At the NHS, I was luckily assigned to speak with a qualified counsellor who deals specifically with lung disease sufferers. Understandably, people with a chronic condition can suffer high levels of anxiety and depression, which in itself can cause illness and a suppressed immune system. Being able to speak with a qualified counsellor helped
get a great deal off my chest (pun intended) and can help you work through emotional issues. With emotional healing, often comes physical healing. I also do my best to minimise stress levels and undue pressure, whether that’s from work or social engagements. COPD sufferers use a lot more energy than an average person, so it needs to be preserved and used wisely. CONCLUSION
As demonstrated above, its takes a small army of different approaches and support network to tackle COPD. I don’t think there is a silver bullet or one single answer for individuals with the condition. I take the view that none of us can be passive bystanders with any health condition. A proactive approach must be taken for a healthier mind and body and whilst in the beginning I didn’t lead an unhealthy lifestyle which would have contributed to COPD, if I didn’t take these further measures on an ongoing basis, I’d potentially be much worse off. Since learning and educating myself more about COPD, with less exposure to pollution, I have had significantly less hospitalisations and less frequently affected by any severe symptoms.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION/RESOURCES •
British Lung foundation at www.blf.org.uk. The BLF Helpline on 03000 030 555 has a friendly team who can offer advice on healthy eating and answer questions on any aspect of living with a lung condition.
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For more information on healthy eating and COPD, go to www.nhs.uk or the British Dietetic Association food facts website www.bda.uk.com/foodfacts/ home.
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For details of local food delivery services go to www.gov.uk.
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www.NHDmag.com July 2018 - Issue 136