Changes!

Image via WikipediaThere are times in all our lives where things happen that are so huge  our lives change completely.The first big change in my life was when my mother died.I was living with her at the time, still in the same home I grew up in as a kid so when she passed on I had to learn to run my own life, look after myself and try to build a life for myself. It was very hard but I amazed myself at my ability to adapt and learn and I soon got use to this new life.
The one thing that amazes you with these events is that once they happen your old life which had just passed days ago seems like a lifetime away . It  as if you had just been reborn to start a new life.
When I was diagnosed  with my present health problems my life changed again in the same dramatic way. One day I was fit and healthy and walking my dog for a couple of hours a day the next I had difficulty walking a hundred yards and doing the simplest of things.You are effectively disabled in an instant with doctors telling you your going to need oxygen and a heart transplant to survive and for the first time in your life your falling asleep in the daytime through utter exhaustion.But life carries on. Not like before of course but you adapt and change and learn how to survive in your new circumstances and you fight on.You fight for your life!
That is the thing I think that unites all of us who have these conditions  we fight! We fight to survive and to carry on.Its something we should be proud of I think and something we should never give up doing until our dying breath!

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Cold Weather!

As I sit here writing this there is a crisp deep white frost out in my garden and we are expecting a lot of snow later today.The snow may be nice for the kids but for those of us with lung problems it is far from nice.I find  the cold weather does make life a struggle.I try to keep my flat as warm as possible and only go out when I have to as I find if I get cold its much harder to breath..
I know energy is expensive now and many people struggle to  keep there homes warm in winter but if you have lung problems then it is important that you do keep warm. If you get cold your windpipe tends to get smaller which is why you have greater difficulty breathing, so my advice to anyone is hang the expense and keep the heating on. Without it your going to make yourself more ill than you already are.
If you find that you have to go out then I find that it does help if you wear a hat and scarf.I also think you need to walk steady when out rather than fast, which it is so easy to do when cold, as a steady rather than fast pace helps to keep your breathing in check and doesn`t push you to the extent where your going to get your heart start racing as well.
I think in this country people with long term health problems are not helped enough with there energy bills in winter. I believe that the help given to old people with their energy bills should be extended to those with long term health conditions as well. This would not only make the system more just but also prevent many people becoming ill and even dying from the cold because they can`t afford to heat their home as well as they should be able.Its a scandal that in a country as rich as we are, and we still are regardless of what the government say,  that people die because they can`t afford to heat their homes.

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A Rant!!!

I am writing this post  basically to have a moan about something that I find intensely  irritating at times. Like a lot of people with Pulmonary hypertension I have COPD which is actually empathysema.COPD describes a group of lung diseases. Most people who have these illnesses are smokers or ex-smokers.
Whenever I see a doctor who I haven`t seen before there is always this  presumption that I am a smoker which I am not and have never been. I have told doctors I have never smoked but I can see by the look on their faces that they just don`t believe me which I find  extremely annoying.
It is as absurd to make this assumption as it is to make the assumption that everyone with Aids is gay.I find it extremely annoying and I wish doctors would not do it.
End of rant!!!

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The Road We Travel!

When you have a long term progressive illness like Pulmonary hypertension and COPD people think that the road we travel is basically straight down and we just get steadily worse I don`t find that to be the case.
I have had theses illnesses now for about three years and I get long periods where I don`t feel too bad and then suddenly things   get worse and I really struggle for a while but when I get through that I tend to pick up and then things are not to bad again.
I think there is a tendancy to think when you get a bad turn that its all downhill from here and things are never going to be as good as they were but although I suppose we get worse over time the difference is so slight and gradual that you don`t really notice it.
The thing to always remember I think is that the road we travel may be rougth at times but its not all down hill and there are good and happy times to be had along the way and the road is a succession of hills not a steep cliff!!.
These things are never as clear cut and  straightforward as we are lead to believe that is why many of us tend to live for far more many years than the doctors expect us to.

Another CT Scan!

Got to have a CT Angiogram Pulmonary scan on Thursday.Lost count of the scans I have had since I was diagnosed.
This one as been ordered to see if I have any blood clots in my lungs.It involves a injection in the arm, through a cannula, of radioactive iodine which helps them see the blood vessels more clearly.The amount of radiation they inject you with is very small and not dangerous although its best to stay away from children and pregnant women for a few days after the injection.They say that the best thing to do after the scan is to drink plenty as this helps wash through the iodine more quicker. The scan is not painful although you do feel a hot flush when they inject you which can be a bit disconcerting.Some people have been known to feel as if they have wet themselves but its only a feeling you don`t actually do it. Thank god!!
Always feel nervous about these things before hand but once I am at the hospital people are so kind and caring and try there hardest to relax you that I cease to feel nervous.Unfortunately when you have along term health problem it does tend to be test, tests and more tests. After a while you tend to get use to them and just accept them as a part of your life!

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Exercise and Pulmonary Hypertension!

Image via Wikipedia When you have any long term health condition exercise benefits you but with Pulmonary hypertension you should always been cautious when you are exercising as it can make the condition worse if you do to much. This is a link to a very good article about exercise and PH that explains things very well.
PHCentral (Pulmonary Hypertension) Features: Exercise and Pulmonary Hypertension

Hope For Those With Heart Failure!

Interesting article about research going on involving stem cells and heart failure. Gives real hope to all of us who are suffering with heart failure.
Stem cells from aged, damaged hearts could be used to treat heart failure