In February 2016, I sent out a survey to determine how different lung diseases affect daily activities. Thank you to all 62 of you who participated! Here is what I learned: The majority of you have 1-2 doctor appointments per month. <10% of you have 3-4 doctor appointments per month. No one had more than…
I belong to a lot of online discussion forums, the participants being patients with lung disease. Many of them tell the story of how they thought they just had a lingering cold, went to the ER when they couldn’t breathe, and were told they have COPD or another chronic lung disease process. They were shocked…
I prefer my own writing to reposting other people’s content, but I simply had to include this 20 minute Ted talk by a fabulous woman named Robyn O’Brien. Her talk echoes what I have been saying to my patients over the years: There’s something inflammatory going on in our U.S. food supply, and if you…
By now you know I’m a get-to-the-point kind of gal. But an abundance of lawyers, complicated by being in California, has, alas, resulted in this: https://copdsuccess.com/privacy-policy/ The short version: -I don’t share your info -I occasionally may send you links for products I think you might like and would be helpful to you -Life should…
Dear Doctor, There’s one in every crowd… that one patient that just can’t get their medication routine down, can’t find a good enough reason to quit smoking, can’t make any time to exercise. Or maybe you can think of 10 of these patients, right off the top of your head. Go ahead and grab a…
There are an estimated 2000 Respiratory Therapists that hold an honorable place in the profession: 30+ years of experience and service, but: we never found the time to get our Bachelor of Science degree. With my experience, I have been elevated to rank of Clinical Educator, and now business owner, educating RT’s with subject matter…
Dear Kelly, My husband just got home from the hospital. He has COPD, but went in for a knee replacement. He has a big bag full of plastic Respiratory Stuff…. an Incentive Spirometer, a PEP therapy device, a vibratory PEP device, and some inspiratory muscle training device. Does he need to do all of these?…
What is the difference between these programs? 30 Days to Breathing Easier is a beginner program for people who have minimal internet skills. One E mail per day is delivered right to your inbox, with a clickable link to a one to two -minute fun video to watch. You have the option to download and…
Often times my patients will bring in their ‘home’ Pulse oximeters to compare with the hospital grade oximeters. There are a number of things to understand about how a pulse ox works, in order to understand the numbers. When you place the finger probe on your finger, the light needs to go through the nailbed….