5 common everyday problems COPD patients face and how to tackle them

COPD, commonly known as smoker’s cough, changes your life profoundly. If the lung disease is advanced, if often restricts patients’ lifestyle. We show five common problems patients with COPD face and give advice on how to deal with them.

#3 COPD everyday problem: Walking long distances

Walking long distances can become more and more of a challenge as the COPD progresses. Many patients respond to this by avoiding it and walk less and less. But that only serves to exacerbate the problem. This is why you should not only look at short-term solutions, but should tackle the problem with a long-term view.

The solution
The short-term solution for the problem is to drive some of the way by car, so that you then have the stamina to go on the actual walk. Would you like to stroll around the pedestrian area in town or go to a market in the town centre? Then get someone to drop you off at the edge of the pedestrian zone. This is what Doris Wohlfahrt does. The pensioner has stage 4 COPD. She likes going to markets and explains: “Most markets are held in the city centres where cars are not allowed. My COPD makes it hard for me to go long distances on foot, so my husband drops me off near the market and then goes by himself to look for a parking spot. So I can save my strength for walking (...) and not use up my energy on getting there. Even so, I still need to take several breaks while walking around the market.”

A long-term measure to be able to walk long distances and be independent is disciplined training. You can do targeted fitness and walking training with lung sport in a local group or do free online lung exercisesor work with a physiotherapist. It is a long and hard road to travel, but it is worth it. This is what Eberhard Jordan has experienced. When the COPD patient was discharged from the intensive care ward in 2014, he could not even walk ten meters unaided. This was something the Viennese patient had to learn again with the help of others. After half a year he managed to walk from his apartment to the bus stop. And nowadays he goes for a 10 km walk through the Prater park in Vienna every Sunday.

#5 COPD everyday problem: Shortness of breath, panic attacks and coughing in public

Anyone with chronic respiratory disease knows that it is not uncommon to be short of breath or have a coughing fit in public. Many people find that unpleasant and embarrassing. What should you do if something like that happens?

The solution
Stay calm and concentrate on breathing steadily. If you are short of breath or have a panic attack, breathing techniques and positions that make breathing easier, such as off-loading while standing, the goalkeeper position and the sitting tripod position can help.

Coughing fits can sometimes be prevented or alleviated with shallow, short breaths, pursed lip breathing and drinking plenty of water.

And remember: Shortness of breath, coughing and panic are not necessarily brought on by physical problems or an external irritant, such as smoke. People with COPD report that (mental) stress, for example, can also trigger shortness of breath. Think about which situations stress you out and make a conscious effort to avoid them. One example: Time pressure Always leave yourself a buffer before an appointment so that you don’t have to hurry.