Mind Over Body!

Image by Pieter Musterd via FlickrI have always believed that a healthy mind leads to a healthy body. I think if you are positive and happy then that does help you feel well and to fight illness.When you have a long term illness like Pulmonary hypertension it is hard to be positive and to feel happy because of the simple fact that you often feel so awful. Its hard to be positive if all you want to do is to sleep or your heart is racing so fast it often seems as if its going to take off and enter orbit!But you have to try as it is the key I think to feeling better about yourself and your life.
I find that there are several things that can help. Firstly you have to put yourself and your needs first. Most of us spend our lives putting others first but I think you have to change when you become ill with a long term illness.You have to put your needs and yourself first. It may sound selfish but I think you have to put yourself first just to survive.I think you have to use your time to do the things that you enjoy and give you pleasure.You don`t have to do a lot physically just perhaps sitting on a beach looking out at a beautiful scene like that in the photograph can really lift your spirits. I also think its important that you try to keep occupied and busy as much as possible as this helps keep your mind off your troubles and stops you delving into self pity which I know from experience is so easy to do.It is also good to have a hobby that you enjoy and put a lot of your efforts into that. I research my family tree which is I find interesting and enjoyable and keeps my mind occupied. It is also a hobby that doesn`t take up much energy which is an important factor when you feel so tired all of the time.
The more positive you feel the more happier and contented you feel the better you will feel in yourself.Its amazing how much we can cope with and how easy it is to overcome even the biggest of obstacles when we are at peace with ourselves and our soul is happy and contented.

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Computers, New Technology and Disability!

When you suffer from a long term illness such as COPD, Pulmonary Hypertension etc you become disabled and your life changes forever. You find it harder to get around as much as you did and you inevitably come into contact with other people less.Your life  changes but it doesn`t end so you try and find ways to make life easier and to carry on with some semblance of a normal life. I have found the computer has played a big part in this.
My computer is my lifeline to the world. Its where I do my shopping, banking and all the other every day things people find easy to do but because I have a job getting about I don`t. I have also found that it can act as a great way to socialise and to communicate with others. To me and I do know to many others who are disabled our computer is as vital to us as our cooker or fridge!
I think its a pity that those in the business of caring for the disabled, health care professionals, doctors etc do not recognise the impact computers and other new technology could have on the quality of life of those who are disabled with long term illnesses.I also think that if new technology was used more then costs for the health services and local social services could be brought down.
I believe that anyone with a long term illness should be put online by the health service.Many people with long term illnesses need home helps and carers to get there shopping, do there banking etc if they were online this would not be needed in many cases as they could do this themselves online.A saving in cost and I suspect benefits to the disabled by making them feel more independent.I also think you should be able to order repeat prescriptions and book doctors and hospital appointments online. This again would save costs in paperwork etc.
Going on from this you could have what is termed home medicare where people take their own pulse and oxygen levels and also their own blood pressure everyday at home and put the results online or over the phone to a nurse who would then be able to see if the patient needs to be seen rather than have to take up her or the doctors time in surgery.
New technology and computers have opened up countless possibilities for improving and enhancing the lives of the disabled and the long term sick.The disabled and the long term sick have recognised this and are using new technology everyday to improve their lives. Sadly I don`t think health professionals have so far recognised the possibilities and played their part in using this technology to help their patients and clients.

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Sleep Apnea.

Image via WikipediaLast October I was diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea.This is a problem that quite a number of people with Pulmonary hypertension suffer from. In broad terms it is a condition that  causes your windpipe to close up when your asleep which stops you breathing. The body tends to wake up when this happens after about ten seconds and in itself it can`t cause any problems but it puts an enormous strain on your heart and body and can cause strokes and heart attacks. I stop breathing about thirty six times per hour, some people do it much more often.
The condition is diagnosed by a sleep study.The photograph shows a man wired up ready for one. A sleep study is a simple non invasive procedure that most people do at home where you wear various monitors over night which take readings and finds out if the illness is present or otherwise.
If the condition is judged to be severe which is if you stop breathing more than thirty times per hour when asleep or you have an heart condition or another illness like pulmonary hypertension that puts strain on your heart then doctors will usually treat it by getting you to wear what is called a CPAP mask at night. This is a mask that covers your nose and mouth and pumps concentrated air into you to help keep your airways open.It is very effective in dealing with the problem but it does take a time to get use to wearing it and sleeping while it is on.
When you have sleep apnea your body tends to wake up every time you stop breathing although most people don`t remember this as you don`t come fully awake and most people with sleep apnea do find themselves feeling extremely tired. Once they use the CPAP mask they do notice a real difference and it can make a big change to there lives.
I found the best way to get use to it is get use to it gradually. First just wear it for a couple of hours and then slowly build up until your on it all night. Most of the machines have counters on them that record how long you have been using it so it is also a good idea to use that in setting yourself goals when you first start using it. I found that it also helped just to sit with it on for a couple of hours in the daytime just to help get use to it.
The thing you have to remember that although the mask can be a bit of a pain it is really your fiend as it is helping you avoid far more serious problems.

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Controlling Your Weight!

When you have a serious long term illness like Pulmonary Hypertension, COPD etc it is hard to control your weight.You tend to exercise less because of your illness and tend to eat more because you have more time on your hands so it is hard to keep your weight under control.
It is of course really important that you find ways of controlling your weight as this will help your condition, make you feel better and also put less strain on your heart which is always put under strain by the symptoms that you get such as breathlessness, exhaustion etc when you have PH, COPD etc.
A year ago I weighed eighty kilograms now I weigh sixty nine. I can`t say that I feel any better for it but that is down to other factors but I am sure that it has helped me losing this weight. My BMI indicated I was overweight when I was up at eighty kilograms but now my BMI is in the healthy weight range which is where we all should aim to be.
Starvation and fad diets are not the way in my opinion to lose wight its just down to a few simple rules and commonsense.You need to train yourself not to snack in between meals and if you do eat a piece of fruit rather than a packet of crisps or some biscuits.Far to many of us skip meals and eat snacks rather than having three good meals a day and I think that is unhealthy and what leads to many being overweight. I also think you need to think what you eat. Try to eat fruit, vegetables, rice, salads etc. Keep away from the high calorie unhealthy processed food  things such as pies and pizzas etc.I also think its important to restrict your fluid intake especially if you have PH and have a problem with fluid retention.Don`t go mad on that and adjust things if the weather is warm but try to restrict your intake to one and a  half to two litres per day.We just need to follow a few sensible rules, show a bit of self discipline and we can help ourselves by making sure that we don`t balloon up with weight. I am a great believer that we must always remember that the doctors can do so much to help us but we have a role to play in controlling and managing our condition as well and we should not neglect our part no matter how awful we feel at times.

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Knowledge!

I know a lot of people with Pulmonary Hypertension and other long term illnesses don`t really want to know all the in`s and outs of their illness and would rather be ignorant of many of the facts of the illness they are suffering from. I can understand that point of view as having an illness like PH can be frightening and make you fearful of the future but personally I think they are wrong and are not doing themselves any favours by remaining ignorant.
With these illnesses the key to managing them and remaining alive and well is in fact knowledge and self help. The doctors can do so much but you also have to help yourself as well and you cannot do this unless you understand your condition and the illness you have. Knowledge someone once said is the key to power and that is very true. By having knowledge about your condition and your illness you have the power to help your self and control and manage your illness.Ignorance may give you some comfort in the short term but in the long term knowledge is the key to survival!

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Natural Liquorice!

Image via WikipediaIf you are taking diuretics which many people with Pulmonary hypertension do you would be wise to stay off products that contain natural liquorice, shown in its plant form in the image.. A new study as showed that patients eating three ounces of liquorice twists a day for a few weeks can have their blood pressure raised, get increased edema and lower their potassium levels. The liquorice contains the chemical Glcyprhizin which retains sodium and makes you lose potassium, both are potentially dangerous, especially if you have PH or other heart problems.
Not good news. I love liquorice but I think its always best to play safe with these things.Those of us with long term health problems have enough to cope with without causing ourselves more problems.

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Great News!

This is a link to some very good news about a patient who has COPD who has received stem cell treatment. It seems that it has been so successful that the patient concerned has even be able to stop using his inhalers.We have seen similar breakthroughs in this treatment with Pulmonary hypertension so it seems that medical science is really making huge strides in making stem cell treatment effective. Congratulations to the medical team concerned.http://www.prweb.com/releases/XCell-Center/COPD/prweb4481494.htm

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Long Term Oxygen Therapy.

Image via WikipediaWhen I was diagnosed with Pulmonary Hypertension I was put on oxygen for at least fifteen hours a day.This wasn`t basically to help me breath but to help my oxygen levels stay up above ninety and so stop me becoming breathless and having such symptoms as giddyness, pain in the chest and a very rapid heart rate.It is basically more a preventive measure than anything else.
The oxygen is delivered via a oxygen concentrator, shown in the photograph, which is basically a machine that produces liquid oxygen.Nasal canulas are generally used which is a tube you put around your face with tubes that go up your nose.Most people have long leads on the concentrator so they can move about the home easily. At night people tend to have the machine away from the bedroom because it can be noisy.
Oxygen at a high level for a long period of time can damage peoples lung function but most people on oxygen with PH are on so low levels it cannot harm you at all. In fact oxygen can be of great benefit to sufferers as it not only guards against breathlessness it can also lower the PH pressure as oxygen given for fifteen or hours or more can help open up valves and reduce pressure on the heart.
Some people find it hard when they are told they need oxygen as they tend to think its a constant reminder they are ill and a sign there time is ending but I think they are wrong. Long term oxygen therapy is just one of a number of treatments that people are given with PH and it can make a big difference to peoples life.  People should always look on it as a friend rather than a enemy.

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Constipation!

Image via WikipediaWhen you have heart failure you tend to take diuretics for fluid retention and because of these two factors you can easily become constipated.It can happen quite quickly and its something that you need to guard against in your daily life by eating the right things.I find having wholemeal bread instead of white bread and eating  plenty of vegetables, fruit and salad does help to guard against this.It also of course helps you feel better as eating a healthy diet keeps your weight down and gives you the protein and vitamins you need.
When you have long term health problems the doctors give you all the drugs and treatments they can to help you but I do feel strongly that we all have to do our bit to help ourselves and to stop our lives being disrupted and made worse by the inevitable side effects of the drugs we take and the illnesses we have.

Warfarin.

Warfarin is an anti-coagulant drug that many people with Pulmonary Hypertension take to stop clouts occurring  in their blood. I was on it for about a year after being diagnosed and it can be a bit of a pain but it didn`t give me many problems.
You have to be tested quite regularly so the medical people know the best doze to have you on so that you keep in a range of what is called INR. Basically if its too low then your clotting too quickly, if its too high then your clotting too slowing.Obviously if you are clotting to quickly there is increased chances of a heart attack or stroke and if your not clotting quick enough then there is a danger of an internal bleed occurring.
When you first go on the drug the testing is fairly regular but after a time when your body has got use to the drug the periods between testing can be as long as two or three months. The drug is an effective drug that will not give any problems as long as you respect it. Eat regular meals, don`t drink things like grapefruit and cranberry juice, stay off the drugs like asprin for instance that the doctors will tell you to and don`t drink alcohol except for special and rare occasion's.
There are risks going on Warfarin as it can occasionally cause serious complications but the risks you run not taking it when the doctors say you should are even greater.

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Chocolate Can Help!

Image via WikipediaInteresting article about the benefits of dark chocolate.We always think of chocolate as being harmful to our health and being responsible for making us over weight but this study has shown that dark chocolate can lower hypertension which could be of particular benefit to Pulmonary Hypertension patients.
My old gran use to say that a little bit of what you fancy does you good, in the case of dark chocolate she could very well have been right!
http://www.medpagetoday.com/Cardiology/Hypertension/6084

Alternative Medicine.

I don`t believe that alternative medicine on its own can cure any serious long term illness. I think anyone who thinks that is simply deluding themselves.Having said that I do think that used in conjunction with conventional medicine it can help conditions and particularly help to reduce the severity of symptoms.
I have COPD and I have found that taking a Omega 3 supplement every day helps my breathing.Fish oil is known to help the respiratory system and I have been convinced over time that this is true.There are also several different herbal remedies that can help with Pulmonary hypertension and other blood pressure problems by opening up the circulation system.
I would recommend everyone with a long term illness to have an open mind on this and consider anything that may help them but before you take anything have a word with your doctor to make sure it will not interfere with the effectiveness of your other drugs and try to learn as much as you can about any alternative therapy before you embark on it.As far as I am concerned we have a lot to gain by trying these medicines and nothing to lose.

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Pulmonary Hypertension and Carrot Juice!

Image via WikipediaInteresting article about the benefits carrot juice could have for PH sufferers. Its not going to cure you but it could help lower your pressures and make you feel better.Worth trying I think.
Control Your Pulmonary Hypertension with Carrot Juice - Pharmacy Innovation

Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness.

Pulmonary hypertension is a rare illness that most people have never heard of including health care professionals.Lack of awareness is a major problem for PH sufferers as it can lead to misdiagnosis, non-diagnose  and also it can lead to patients being given medications and treatments that will have an averse effect on there condition.
I believe that like illnesses in the past such as Aids, Sickle Cell Anemia and Cystic Fibrosis who went through this same lack of awareness there needs to be a programme to educate health care professionals and the public in general about PH.I don`t think it needs stunts or PR exercise to improve awareness I think it needs an organised programme that will teach doctors, nurses etc about the illness and also a publicity campaign to inform the public about the illness by telling the stories of PH sufferers more wildly.
Other illnesses got wider recognition when people started to learn about the struggle those who have the illness go through and also started to realise that they themselves or a loved could so easily be given the cross we PH sufferers have to bare.
So I think we have to put away the toys and the play things grow up and start to treat the public with a bit more respect and just get the facts out there more. Do that and not just the public but those in the medical profession who can make a difference will stand up, listen and start to do something.

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