What is the best thing to do to help urself if u have emphysema?..i already quit smoking 1.5 years ago? -
i lnow i can-t cure it but what can i do to make my life more better activity wise?..energy wise?..i hate this huffing - puffing all the time..am on 02 24/7, pednesone, spiriva, advasir, theo, have a nebulizer too but i still get short winded just walking to the bathroom so what can i do to strengthen my lungs?
You could be short of breath if you-re not in good shape. Try walking, even if it-s only up and down a hall way or from one room to the next. Increase this a little each day. Lay down on you bed and place you hands lightly on your abdomen. Breathe in through you nose for a count of three (your abdomen will rise) and out through your mouth for a count of 6 (your abdomen will return to normal). Take in a deep breath and blow into a baloon. Keep doing this until you blow it up. Sing, sing, and sing. Laugh as often as you can. Even with all this nothing beats walking. Start slow and increase speed and duration over time. Good luck.
the deep breathing exercises and movements of Yoga help me a lot. I have COPD and positively hate the Combivent I am on and don-t really want to go to steroids due to their effect on glucose levels.
http://www.yoga.about.com
has lots of excellent descriptions of how to do the deep breathing yoga exercises.