COPD




Note: Liddie passed away only a year or so after this page was created.
Reported by Liddie

PAIN
____ Headache
____ Tender points or trigger points
____ Muscle pain
____ Muscle twitching
____ Muscle weakness
____ Paralysis or severe weakness of an arm or leg
____ Joint pain
____ TMJ syndrome
____ Chest pain

GENERAL NEUROLOGICAL
____ Lightheadedness; feeling "spaced out"
____ Inability to think clearly ("brain fog")
____ Seizures
____ Seizure-like episodes
____ Syncope (fainting) or blackouts
____ Sensation that you might faint
____ Vertigo or dizziness
____ Numbness or tingling sensations
____ Tinnitus (ringing in one or both ears)
____ Photophobia (sensitivity to light)
____ Noise intolerance
EQUILIBRIUM/PERCEPTION
____ Feeling spatially disoriented
____ Dysequilibrium (balance difficulty)
____ Staggering gait (clumsy walking; bumping into things)
____ Dropping things frequently
____ Difficulty judging distances (e.g. when driving; placing objects on surfaces)
____ "Not quite seeing" what you are looking at
SLEEP
____ Hypersomnia (excessive sleeping)
____ Sleep disturbance: unrefreshing or non-restorative sleep
____ Sleep disturbance: difficulty falling asleep
____ Sleep disturbance: difficulty staying asleep (frequent awakenings)
____ Sleep disturbance: vivid or disturbing dreams or nightmares
____ Altered sleep/wake schedule (alertness/energy best late at night)
MOOD/EMOTIONS
____ Depressed mood
____ Suicidal thoughts
____ Suicide attempts
____ Feeling worthless
____ Frequent crying
____ Feeling helpless and/or hopeless
____ Inability to enjoy previously enjoyed activities
____ Increased appetite
____ Decreased appetite
____ Anxiety or fear when there is no obvious cause
____ Panic attacks
____ Irritability; overreaction
____ Rage attacks: anger outbursts with little or no cause
____ Abrupt, unpredictable mood swings
____ Phobias (irrational fears)
____ Personality changes

EYES AND VISION
____ Eye pain
____ Changes in visual acuity (frequent changes in ability to see well)
____ Difficulty with accommodation (switching focus from one thing to another)
____ Blind spots in vision

SENSITIVITIES
____ Sensitivities to medications (unable to tolerate "normal" dosage)
____ Sensitivities to odors (e.g., cleaning products, exhaust fumes, colognes, hair sprays)
____ Sensitivities to foods
____ Alcohol intolerance
____ Alteration of taste, smell, and/or hearing
UROGENITAL
____ Frequent urination
____ Painful urination or bladder pain
____ Prostate pain
____ Impotence
____ Endometriosis
____ Worsening of premenstrual syndrome (PMS)
____ Decreased libido (sex drive)

GASTROINTESTINAL
____ Stomach ache; abdominal cramps
____ Nausea
____ Vomiting
____ Esophageal reflux (heartburn)
____ Frequent diarrhea
____ Frequent constipation
____ Bloating; intestinal gas
____ Decreased appetite
____ Increased appetite
____ Food cravings
____ Weight gain (____ lbs)
____ Weight loss (____ lbs)

SKIN
____ Rashes or sores
____ Eczema or psoriasis
OTHER
____ Hair loss
____ Mitral valve prolapse
____ Cancer
____ Dental problems
____ Periodontal (gum) disease
____ Aphthous ulcers (canker sores)
COGNITIVE
____ Difficulty with simple calculations (e.g., balancing checkbook)
____ Word-finding difficulty
____ Using the wrong word
____ Difficulty expressing ideas in words
____ Difficulty moving your mouth to speak
____ Slowed speech
____ Stuttering; stammering
____ Impaired ability to concentrate
____ Easily distracted during a task
____ Difficulty paying attention
____ Difficulty following a conversation when background noise is present
____ Losing your train of thought in the middle of a sentence
____ Difficulty putting tasks or things in proper sequence
____ Losing track in the middle of a task (remembering what to do next)
____ Difficulty with short-term memory
____ Difficulty with long-term memory
____ Forgetting how to do routine things
____ Difficulty understanding what you read
____ Switching left and right
____ Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you speak
____ Transposition (reversal) of numbers, words and/or letters when you write
____ Difficulty remembering names of objects
____ Difficulty remembering names of people
____ Difficulty recognizing faces
____ Difficulty following simple written instructions
____ Difficulty following complicated written instructions
____ Difficulty following simple oral (spoken) instructions
____ Difficulty following complicated oral (spoken) instructions
____ Poor judgment
____ Difficulty making decisions
____ Difficulty integrating information (putting ideas together to form a complete picture or concept)
____ Difficulty following directions while driving
____ Becoming lost in familiar locations when driving
____ Feeling too disoriented to drive
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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) refers to chronic bronchitis and emphysema, a pair of two commonly co-existing diseases of the lungs.
What is COPD?

It includes such illnesses as emphysema, chronic bronchitis and sometimes asthma. It is primarily characterized by extreme shortness of breath.

Living with COPD means many things..having to avoid all kinds of strong odors, smoke, flowers, perfumes, cleaning supplies, paints, solvents, vehicle exhaust, shaving lotion, bath powders, incense, temperature extremes or wind, crowds, molds, and dusty places because they make me short of breath.

Physically: Living with COPD can mean having difficulty walking up stairs or inclines, not walking very far, being unable to rush or "being rushed" tiring easily-especially if things last too long, being unable to tolerate tight clothing and the inability to talk for any length of time.

Socially:  Living with COPD can mean coughing in public which attracts attention and embarrasses me, having to use or wear devices or equipment, or take medication which invites public comment (oxygen, cold weather masks, inhalers), being concerned (often excessively) about contact with cold or flu germs, having my friends make short, pleasant, smoke-less visits.

Emotionally: Living with COPD can mean crying easily, angering easily, become frustrated and impatient because I can't do the things I used to do. Feeling resentful when others tell me, "you don't look sick". Sick lungs don't show!. Being panicky and tense, being dependent and demanding because it's frightening when you can't breathe.

COPD affects my family too! They are affected by: adapting to my various physical, emotional, social and environmental needs and limitations, leaving many functions earlier than they wish because of me or never even getting there, having to check out all of the details in advance and getting places early and having to remain calm and reassuring at all times.