You are not alone! "The impact of COPD symptoms on Quality of Life is often underestimated; for example, 36% of patients who describe their symptoms as being mild-to-moderate also admit to being too breathless to leave the house. Additionally, early morning and nighttime symptoms are a particular problem.
A recent observational study found that, regardless of disease severity, more than half of patients experienced COPD symptoms throughout the whole 24-hour day, and nearly 80% of patients reported experiencing symptoms during at least two parts of the day. The presence of symptoms is associated with worse health status, depression, anxiety, and poor sleep quality."
COPD: the patient perspective Paul W Jones Henrik Watz Emiel FM Wouters Mario Cazzola International Journal of COPD
There are two elements that can affect this sense of Quality of Life:
1. Physical Activity (yes, there it is again!) "Physical inactivity is a key feature and direct consequence of the symptoms of COPD. Instigating approaches to increase physical activity can potentially improve prognosis. One such approach, pulmonary rehabilitation with multidisciplinary support, can potentially improve physical inactivity, which will impact on general health." And guess what - active is defined as >10,000 steps! If you can only do 1000 at a time then do it 10 times a day!
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2. Adaptation "An approach to disease management that focuses on the consequences of COPD symptoms from the patient perspective can help to improve aspects of QoL and subsequent outcomes in patients with COPD." When we lead our Health Care Team instead of being led around by them then we adapt to our condition much better. We feel empowered instead of victimized not only by illness but by the Health Care Providers themselves! If you perceive that your Dr. doesn't listen to you - find another Dr,! Never stop advocating for yourself. If you can do that with a thorough knowledge of your disease and it's comorbidities you will have better outcomes in this area!
It's your Life, your Lungs, your Heart, your Body! Don't ever stop being your Advocate!
You don't have to be the victim!
