COPD Support Group

hi im from Ireland have copd stage two. I am smoker. what is life expectancy. I have other health problems like fibromyalgia, diverticolous, Bowel disease)and suffer from depression. I have bronchitis and emphemcima. dose any one know this. im not getting any ans here in Ireland. thank you. presently trying to give up the rolled tobacco. x

I'm taking Spiriva, but can't tell if it does anything. I forgot to renew the Rx and noticed no difference while waiting for the Rx renewal. Does anyone have any information on use? The MD says it is to prevent long-term COPD problems, but I'm not at all sure.

just found this site....my husband was dx with end stage COPD about 2 weeks ago...other than put him on steroids and 4 different inhalers...dr said all they can do is make him comfortable...what? He's not eating ...he's lost nearly 10 lbs in a week...he doesn't like the meds so it's hard at times for me to make him take them?? Please help!!

good afternoon everybody, i am new to the site and looking for some advice and or ideas. Alost six years ago my husband and i moved from our home to a house that would have enough room for his parents to be with us. my mother in law was in poor health, she has copd, diabetes, Congestive heart failure and has suffered a major heart attach a few years back followed by a bypass and then a few strokes a few years ago as well. Everybody living under one roof was working out well we were able to help them out financially and keep an eye on their health and saftey. my husband and i both worked outside the home and our daughter whom was almost two at the time was in daycare. As time passed my mother in laws condition progressively went down hill. She would not follow Dr's orders for her diet exercise or medications and then became bed bound unable to support her own weight she could no longer sit or stand even for a few seconds without total support. She has had a folley for many years and bowel incontince as well. my father in law was her soul care provider until very suddenly in Dec 2010 we lost him to a massive heart attack. All in one night our worlds had been turned upside down. My husband had a very very very strong bond with his father they had a relationship unlike any other ive ever seen so it was very difficult for him to deal with the lose. He was never very close to his mom but loved her non the less. With his mom being bed bound and no caregiver he asked me if i would give up my job and take on her care so he wouldnt essentially be losing both parents at once by placing her in a home and he wanted to honor his fathers wishes of not having her placed in a home as well. i felt very trapped and obligated at the time and took on the chanllenge. I sacrificed my entire social life my freedom my job and my life as i knew it then to do what i had to do for my family. But my limit is drawing near. Even though we all live under the same roof my husband and mother in law Never see each other and Never talk. He avoids her at all cost and she him. Beings that i am the one she sees and deals with everyday i am the target whenever she is frusterated or angry. But lately she is testing my patience to the max. She will verbally attack me out of the blue for no apparent reason. She will say whateve she thinks will hurt the most and make accusations and complaints that she knows will really cut deep. The state pays me to be her caregiver so i have two sides i always have to look at. On one hand it is family and a family situation and on the other it is my income and means to support my family. She will make unrealistic demands of me and then when i try to explain i cannot accomadate that she gets all fired up and starts in with the your a horrible person i hate you on and on and on. How do i continue to deal with this and not lose my cool. She has several visit to the ER and hospital each year due to infections caused by the folley and therefore hospice is not an option we feel would be good for her as going to the hospital is not option for them they would just treat in the home and if she were to go septic we could lose her un necessarily. Placing her in home is always tossed around but of course that means i would be un employed immediatley and my daughter would be losing her grand mother and my husband and i would not be able to afford to stay in this house as it would be too much with just his income while i find another job. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks

Hi everyone just a little poem that came from heaven to help our loved ones pass over, Gentle spirit,please to come, My life on earth is almost done, Appear before my closing eyes, Tell me again i cannot die, Here is my hand, please hold it fast, Then with courage i will pass, Across that bridge that's built with love, Into the summer land above,

hello everyone i'm new to the site and looking for some advice, i've brought my 76 yr old father to live with me, he is bedriddin, cathiterized 8yrs and had a stroke, has copd, emphysema, i believe he may be coming to the end as for the last to weeks he has very gray and blue hands and they are mostly cold, he has been choking on his food for the last three months but the few weeks his face and neck are turning blue almost black for about five mins after, has chest and kidney infections with very dark urine, the doc said his sodium is very low, but he is eating a little in the day sleeping alot, he is smoking about 13 cigs a day, and was very disapointed when the doc left an antibiotic as he dosen't want to be here on earth he gave up after my mum died of heart failure 5yrs ago, God Love him it's so sad, but he dosn't want to be fixed he's ready to go, i'm worried that he may suffer at the end all advice would be welcome.

Hi, I am new to this group. My husband and I have been caring for his mother for the last 10 years. Of those 10 years... she lived with us for 9. Not only does she have congestive heart failure... but she has dementia. We put her in assisted living in this beautiful place where she immediately adjusted and had so much fun. In fact.... she came back to life. The only sad thing... is that since Oct. 2012. she has been in and out of the hospital several times from complications with CHF. She would faint and fall. Last weekend she fell on Friday and progressively got worse. Drugs seemed to stop working... Did I mention that she is 96*? Our hearts just broke when the doctor told us... let's get her to the hospice care center... maybe 3-4 days left. Well, it's been 5 days, and the signs of death are imminent, the death rattle in the throat, skin mottling... shallow uneven breathing even with oxygen. hands and feet ice cold...She may not last the night. It was very difficult to see her today. I have cried all day. Her son goes to see her, but as death grows nearer, he is backing away.... he cannot face it. She is pretty much comatose at this point and as the hospice workers say... nonresponsive... The guilt we both feel at not being there constantly. Is that normal not to want to sit and watch her struggle? We go, but don't stay long. Every once in awhile she will open her eyes... we talk to her... but she seems glassy-eyed and looks past us. I kissed her good-bye today... she seems to get very agitated when anyone visits..The nurse told us that she gets very anxious and agitated with anyone who comes in the room. My poor husband is so upset.

Back at hospice house, my mom has lived with me for 8 months. 2 weeks ago I believe that she had mini strokes every since then she has been getting worse. This past weekend she was sooo confused, paranoid & hallucinations. My husband and I are worn out.they said the end is near, mind you we have heard that before she was givin 30 days august 2012. It is now march 28 2013. They said to call friends realitives we did it is now 4 days later.she is eating what if they tell me to take her home I cant go t his rew what I went threw the last week at home. No help from family or friends any more they have deserted my. husband and I.my job I feel is getting to be on the left ine they have been very supportive but 8 months is a little longer than I anticitipated.im feeling so helpless I made a commitment to take care of her

Today, my father-in-law comes home from a five day respite at the hospice care center. He is in end stage copd/emphysema. I am his caregiver and this is the hardest thing I have ever done. I have discovered along the way, through conversations with doctors/nurses and with my own research, that copd patients are the most difficult to deal with. I cannot even inagine the anxiety these poor peolpe go through, trying to breathe. It is especially hard when your loved one is in denial about the severity of this disease and refuses medications for symptom management. Here are some tips that may help, at least I hope so. Weight loss in inevitable. I try to get my father-in-law to eat several small meals, instead large ones. I put extra cream and butter in potatoes. Also, nutritional drinks are beneficial, as well as milkshakes, puddings, apple sauce, anything easy to swallow. I found these little meals, that need no refridgeration that only take 90 seconds to microwave and my fil loves them. He also has cakes and snacks near his bed . Anything that is going to keep some weight on is most helpful. We keep a fan near his bedside, as well as a window ac unit in the kitchen. The circulation of the air helps a lot. In the end stages, people with copd will sleep more. My father-in-law sleeps about 11 -14 hours at night then several hour naps throughout the day. They just become exhausted, from shortness of breath and lack of oxygen. Expect somme confusion, because of lack of oxygen to the brain. Small amounts of oral morphine and atavan will help greatly with shortness of breath. Also, most have some pain in their back. The only thing that can be done at end stage copd is symptom management. You will start to notice more bad days than good days. Towards the last few weeks of life, steroids may be presribed for inflamtion, on a permanent basis. Other meds., be given for pain, anxiety, infection. There is not a concern for addiction at this point. This is a slow, agonizing disease and it is difficult to tell when someone will pass. One day, they could be fine and then the next day in really bad shape. It seems to be a vicious circle, that happens over and over. Respie breaks are very important for the caregivers. My father-in-law refused Hospice care for the first bad year. My husband and I had to have his lung doctor tell him, very directly that there was nothing else he could do for him. Finally, after some very difficult times,he relented and allowed hospice. It was a difficult conversation. There was no possibility that my husband and I could take care of him without hospice. Hope this helps, Dina

My husband was diagnosed with COPD over 15 years ago. He did quit smoking and has done everything that the doctors have told him. His pulmonologist suggested a new treatment last month,but first he had to go thru a lot of testing. Alas, his COPD is so severe now that he cannot have this surgery, but I wanted others to know about it, especially if you have had COPD for a shorter time than him. What they can now do is to put one way valves in your lungs and this will let the trapped oxygen out and ease your breathing. I wish that this had been discovered years ago. No, it will not cure the COPD, but will make a persons life easier.