The past 3 years I had very bad depression and couldn't even leave my house so I sat in bed all day and eat junk food and drank Dr.Peppers and smoked all day from morning til bed time. I would was dishes when they needed them and laundry after someone would carry it out for me because it took so much out of me to even carry the basket of laundry. It took my breath to even walk to my kitchen and sometimes just to the bathroom which is much closer than the kitchen.
This past Dec. Christmas was a fog to me and on the 27th. I told my son I needed to go to the hospital, I called my husband too and told him then called my daughter that lived close by. My daughter called 911, I could not even get out of bed or walk. The ambulance come and said I just had the crud and to open up windows and take meds for the flu and to not smoke and they left. My husband got home and they loaded me up and go me to the ER just in time. My husband said I was already turning blue. They put the tube down my throat and got me stable enough to take me to a different hospital that had better doctors for respitory problems.
As soon as they found out I was a smoker they attached the word COPD to me and also congestive heart failure but come to find out there was no heart failure. They did say I had double pneumonia in the hospital.
I have been going to the lung doctor. He has done no testing in his office, not sure what all he did if anything in the hospital except to xray my chest. He is very hard to understand and my daughter that lives out of town used to work with a doctor that was from another country so she could understand him better but she is not here when I go see him now.
I was sent home with oxygen and on my follow up he took me off of oxygen 24/7 and said to just use it when I do anything that exerted me. Next visit he said I would be able to get rid of my tank, didn't need it anymore. Then he had me walk the hall a few times, I was practically running. The nurse caught up wtih me and put the oximeter on my finger and then had me go back to the room, said my reading was 88 or 89 and they stuck the oxygen back on me real fast. My pulse was up also. He then said that I had to continue to use the oxygen when I did anything exerting.
He has me on meds also. I take one Theo 24 in the morning along with one dose of Spiriva and one Lasix pill. In the evening I take 2 puffs of Asmanex. I also take Xanax, low dose for anxiety.
Some of the meds seem to have my pulse rate higher so of course it goes up more when I do things. The Theo 24 has a side effect of higher pulse rate and probably the asmanex also. As for exercising he said I can do anything I want, I can go anywhere I want, I can do anything I feel like doing.
I have found also that my taste is not like it used to be, some things I can not stand to eat any longer. The pharmacist said it is from the Asmanex, the steroid in that inhaler.
I bought me a finger oximeter to keep up with my readings. I have been doing walking and sometimes I jog in place. I have just started this, before this I was just counting my steps daily and trying to improve on that and stopped the counting during Easter when my daughter and grandson was here. Been doing the following since the beginning of this week: I have been walking 10 minutes at a time and here lately walking 10 times a day at 10 minutes each time not counting just regular walking around the house and outside. When I do my walking the lowest my reading gets is usually 92 and after I finish and sit down it starts going back up to 98 or 99 and my pulse back down and this is without using my oxygen. On the average my oxygen level at rest is 97 or 98.
Do those reading sound ok to you or do I need to use the oxygen when I do my 10 minute walks. I am trying to build myself up and make myself stronger so I can do more since I am feeling better and want to get out and do things and go places now. I have been a very sick person the past few years and never realized it was so bad but now I feel like a new and different person.
I go back to the doctor June 12th and hopefully I will impress him then and show him that I don't need the oxygen. Heck, I did nothing for 3 years, my muscles were turning to mush!!!
I am not good with writing down things like this and I may have left so much out. If anyone has any questions about something that I left out just post here I will be checking back in.
Also any suggestions or input would be greatly appreciated.
Oh yes, when I walk I don't get out of breath on my 10 minute things. If I get tired while doing the walk that is when I will just stand in place and high step my legs in a walking type style or hold the back of the chair and jog in place. Oh, I don't have a cough either. Have not smoked either since I went to the hospital.
Thank you
Your readings sound very good to me, but I need 5 liters of 02 to maintain 94 while exercising. (Obviously I have severe COPD.)
It sounds like you are doing everything right and hopefully you quit smoking before your lungs were severely damaged. You said you were seeing a pulmo/lung dr...has he not ordered full pulmonary function testing (which is just blow-blow-blow in a tube) to determine if you have COPD and if so, the degree of severity? Just for peace of mind, I would insist on testing, plus I think I would consider getting a second opinion--Theo has many side affects besides being hard on the heart and some doctors refuse to prescribe it.
I truly commend you for exercising and quitting smoking. Those are the two most important things you can do. And don't you find exercising helps the state of mind? I think you will just keep getting better and better.
One day the nurse said something about coming in a doing some tests but come to find out the girl that was going to do them just knew how to do one of the tests. She knew how to do one where you blew into a tube and it was hooked up to a computer screen and she said something about a red line...I have no idea. So, I have had no testing done.
As for a 2nd opinion, I would love to go to a different doctor and also one that is closer to home and one who speaks where I can understand them but I have no insurance and he is good about seeing me and not bugging me about payments YET.
What all side effects is there with theo? I might need to talk to my pharmacists about this huh?
Oh on my walking 10 minutes, at times my reading might go to 90 for one or two seconds then 91 for the same amount of time then up from there fairly quickly.
I am also confused too with the readings, I have heard so many different people say such and such reading is really bad where others say the same reading is not bad at all.
The nurse told me that 95 and up is good and 93 and below is very bad. That day they scared me to death when they rushed me to my oxygen and put it on me. They never even saw if and or how much it would go up on it's own.
My 9 yr old grandson will be coming for the summer, which he always does, and I am so looking forward to his visit as I want to do more with him now since I have been ill for so many years. He was here for his Christmas break when all this happened and my daughter made a flying trip back here to help out and to be with me and our family. He was also here for his spring break and it was so nice to be able to enjoy him being here and really hoping for even more improvement this summer.
Since I still have some agoraphobia it is hard for me to walk far from the house alone but at least I am getting outside now. I also now will ride with my husband to the bank or other places, still can't make it into a big store yet. My son took me and our puppy to the river park one day and oh how I did enjoy that.
Please take care of yourself. Thank you for the reply.
Just as a point of reference, Medicare and insurance cover cost of 02 when the saturation falls below 88--that's when lack of 02 can harm the heart and other organs. Of course, the higher, the better. My pulmo feels staying at 94 during exercise is a goal to strive for. (I try to walk at least 3 mi. a day.) Don't you just love your oximeter? When I first got mine, I was obsessed with it, but now have a good idea where I'm at.
Just one more suggestion--are you familiar with 'pursed lip breathing' where you breathe in to the count of 4 and gently blow air out (with pursed lips) to the count of 8? It's particularly good when you feel you can't walk any farther, or are anxious. It also helps rid us of excess C02.
I can sure relate to the agoraphobia but have a dog that needs walking, which helps immensely. I can only drive to the store and bank and have to rely on my kids for dr's appts. At 66, I've pretty much accepted my limitations but am so grateful to be able to play with grands.
Best wishes, Patty
p.s. you could do a search for Theodure side effects and mention them to your dr? If you feel Spiriva isn't adequate, you could also ask for a sample Albuterol inhaler which is useful as a rescue med or right before exercise--Xopenex is a gentler form of Albuterol & easier on the heart. Hope this isn't too much info.
Is Theodure the same as Theophylline? This is the generic name that it shows for my Theo 24.
Yes, I have read and tried the pursed lip breathing. Isn't it something what a different way of breathing can make a difference?
As for the Spiriva I guess it is working for me. I don't seem to have a problem with it. I take my puff of it around 7am and my asmanex puffs at 7pm. I take my oral meds around 6:30am. My xanax I take around 9 unless I am doing good without it and forget about it.
I also depend on my kids and husband on things because of the agoraphobia. But as I said, I still need to work on that more. Have just started getting out of the house in Jan. or Feb. on my own. It will take time.
Yes, I do love my oximeter. It makes me feel more assured and more willing to get up and do things.
Do you walk your 3 miles at one time or over the day like I am trying to do now? How long does it take you to walk the 3 miles?
Sorry for so many questions but I am so new to all of this and so thankful I found this site.
Thank you for the time you are taking to talk with me Patty.
Charlotte
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