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1 week ago | 
copdnewstoday.com | Caroline Gainer |Lindsey Shapiro |Margarida Maia
Note: This column describes the author’s own experiences with trazodone. Not everyone will have the same response to treatment. Consult your doctor before starting or stopping a therapy. Sleep issues haunt many of us with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). As I mentioned in last week’s column, I’ve been having difficulty falling asleep, so I recently took steps to fight my sleep demons. It wasn’t until mid-2024 that I started to struggle with sleep.
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1 month ago | 
copdnewstoday.com | Caroline Gainer |Steve Bryson
March is a difficult month for me. I can relate to Bill Withers’ song “Ain’t No Sunshine.” The bleak winter months in southern West Virginia get me a little (or a lot) down. Those of us with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) struggle daily to “Keep on the Sunny Side.”One of the reasons March is difficult is because it’s my birthday month, as well as my mother’s and my son’s. Of the three, I’m the only one still alive. My grief feels extra heavy around birthdays and anniversaries.
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1 month ago | 
copdnewstoday.com | Caroline Gainer |Marisa Wexler
The moment I reached the top of the stairs with an oxygen saturation of 92%, I was filled with elation and relief. Although this saturation level would be considered below normal for most people, I was excited. As I stood there, not needing to catch my breath, a wave of accomplishment washed over me. My eyes welled with tears as I realized I’d made significant progress since September, when I had my latest bout with pneumonia.
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1 month ago | 
copdnewstoday.com | Caroline Gainer |Steve Bryson |Marisa Wexler |Marta C. Figueiredo
I remember how hard it was to keep cars, or any other outdoor metal object, clean and looking good when I lived in the steel town of Weirton, West Virginia. That ongoing struggle reminds me of my ongoing battle with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In the late 1960s and early ’70s, nearly all of the steel mills in the upper Ohio Valley were fueled by metallurgical coal.
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2 months ago | 
copdnewstoday.com | Steve Bryson |Marisa Wexler |Margarida Maia |Caroline Gainer
A digital, community-based intervention to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) exacerbations in a home setting significantly improved the quality of life of patients, a pilot study suggests. The Healthy at Home intervention combined biometric monitoring via a smartwatch, symptom tracking, mobile on-demand acute care services, and optional digital pulmonary rehabilitation.
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2 months ago | 
copdnewstoday.com | Caroline Gainer |Lindsey Shapiro |Patricia Inacio |Yedida Y Bogachkov
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) makes it hard to breathe, and many of us with the disease know that breathing exercises can help. Still, a study published in October in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation suggested that a combined inspiratory (inhalation) and expiratory (exhalation) muscle strength training device can help strengthen the muscles that aid in breathing.
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2 months ago | 
copdnewstoday.com | Caroline Gainer |Margarida Maia |Lindsey Shapiro
Many of us with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) experience chronic fatigue, but I still wondered why I’d been sleeping more than usual lately. As usual, I did some research and am letting you in on my findings. The first article I read was published by the Cleveland Clinic and explains that we all oversleep sometimes, especially if we’re recovering from an illness or injury, and that it’s nothing to be concerned about.
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2 months ago | 
copdnewstoday.com | Caroline Gainer |Margarida Maia
While chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is commonly associated with symptoms such as coughing, wheezing, and shortness of breath, many of us also experience chronic pain. I was interested in learning more about the types of pain that may be associated with COPD and what can be done about it, so I did some research. My search led me to an issue I’ve experienced: severe neck pain. I brought this up to my general practitioner (GP), who gave me exercises to do four times a day.
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Jan 21, 2025 | 
copdnewstoday.com | Caroline Gainer |Margarida Maia
For those of us with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), routines become an essential tool for coping with the changes that our disease brings. The focus is often on morning routines, but my evening routine has become increasingly important over time. My evening routine starts at 6 p.m., when I do aerobic exercise — walking in the local state park — in warmer weather. Now that it’s cold outside, I rely on my stationary bike to complete my 30 daily minutes of aerobic activity.
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Jan 14, 2025 | 
copdnewstoday.com | Caroline Gainer |Margarida Maia
As I watch the snowflakes fly and see the trees sway in the 17 mph winds, I’m reminded that those of us with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) face some interesting challenges during the winter season. I personally don’t feel the effects of the cold on my breathing until the temperatures dip into the teens Fahrenheit. If we add wind, the equation changes, and temperatures in the 20s are problematic.
