Living With COPD

COPD can be managed, although it cannot be cured at this time. When you manage COPD, you:

• Quit smoking.
• Take steps to improve your ability to breathe.
• Eat well and stay active.
• Learn all you can about COPD.
• Get support from your family and friends.

Quit smoking

Quitting smoking is the most important step you can take to prevent or slow damage to your lungs—it is never too late to stop smoking.

There are clear benefits to quitting, even after years of smoking. When you stop smoking, you slow down the damage to your lungs. For most people who quit, loss of lung function is slowed to the same rate as a nonsmoker's.

Although lung damage that already has occurred does not reverse, quitting smoking can slow down how quickly your COPD symptoms get worse.

You may think that nothing can help you quit. But today there are several treatments shown to be very good at helping people stop smoking. They include:

• Nicotine replacement therapy.
• The medicines bupropion (Wellbutrin or Zyban) and varenicline (Chantix).
• Support groups.

You will double your chances of quitting even if medicine is the only treatment you use to quit, but your odds get even better when you combine medicine and other quit strategies, such as counseling.¹

For more information, see the topic Quitting Smoking.

Make breathing easier

Do all you can to make breathing easier.

• Avoid conditions that may irritate your lungs, such as indoor and outdoor air pollution, smog, cold dry air, hot humid air, or high altitudes.

  COPD: Avoiding Your Triggers

• Take rest breaks. Schedule short rest breaks during household chores and other activities. An occupational or physical therapist can help you find ways to do everyday activities with less effort.
• Stay as active as possible, and get regular exercise. Try to do activities and exercises that build muscle strength and help your cardiovascular system. If you get out of breath, wait until your breathing returns to normal before continuing.

  COPD: Using Exercise to Feel Better

• Learn breath training techniques to improve airflow in and out of your lungs.

  COPD: Learning to Breathe Easier

  Breathing Exercises: How to Use a Manual Incentive Spirometer

• Learn ways to clear your lungs that can help you save energy and oxygen.

  COPD: Clearing Your Lungs

• Discuss pulmonary rehabilitation with your doctor.
• Take the medicines prescribed by your doctor. If you use a metered-dose inhaler (MDI), be sure you know how to use it properly.

  Breathing Problems: Using a Metered-Dose Inhaler

Eat well

Good nutrition is important to keep up your strength and health. Problems with muscle weakness and weight loss are common in people with severe COPD. People with COPD who are very underweight, especially those with emphysema, are at higher risk of early death than are people with COPD who have a normal weight.⁵

COPD: Keeping Your Diet Healthy

COPD: Avoiding Weight Loss

Seek education and support

Treating more than the disease and its symptoms is very important. You also need:

• Education. Educating yourself and your family about COPD and your treatment program helps you and your family cope with your lung disease.
• Counseling and support. Shortness of breath may reduce your activity level and make you feel socially isolated because you cannot enjoy activities with your family and friends. You should be able to lead a full life and be sexually active. Counseling and support groups can help you learn to live with COPD.
• A support network of family, friends, and health professionals. Learning that you have a disease that may shorten your life can trigger depression or grieving. Anxiety can make your symptoms worse and can trigger flare-ups or make them last longer. Support from family and friends can reduce anxiety and stress and make it easier to live with COPD.
• Your treatment plan. Following a treatment plan will make you feel better and less likely to become depressed. A self-reward system, such as a night out to eat after staying on your medicine and exercise schedule for a week, can help keep you motivated.

Palliative care

If your disease gets worse, you may want to think about palliative care. Palliative (say "PAL-ee-uh-tiv") care is a kind of care for people who have illnesses that do not go away and often get worse over time. It is different from treating your illness.

Palliative care may help you to:

• Focus on improving your quality of life—not just in your body but also in your mind and spirit.
• Manage symptoms or side effects from treatment.
• Cope with your feelings about living with a long-term disease.
• Make future plans around your medical care.

Palliative care may also help your family better understand your disease and how to support you.

If you are interested in palliative care, talk to your doctor. He or she may be able to manage your care or refer you to a doctor who specializes in this type of care.

For more information, see the topic Palliative Care.

End-of-life issues

Doctors are getting better and better at helping people with COPD live longer. But it is a disease that gets worse and can be fatal. Many important end-of-life decisions can be made while you are still able to communicate your wishes.

• Care at the End of Life
• Writing an Advance Directive