One important thing to do is...
Good morning,
Delurking over her to respond to Carmen. I posted yesterday on the COPD Living Forum.
i hardly do exercise i try to walk but find myself looking for the o2. i need help taking a bath. i just want to be able to go back to my normal sats. doctor said not to stay long without the o2. am eating well tho.
Have your vitamin D levels checked. Most people with severe respiratory problems are vit D deficient. If your doctor won't do it you can buy a kit on line fairly cheaply. There are several sources.
http://www.grassrootshealth.org and also at the Vit D Council's website.
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org
I think it's cheaper at grassroots health. Anyway, once you find your level it would be good to build it up to a high "normal" level. Once you get the vit D back in your system and after a few months you should notice a marked improvement in your overall muscle strength. One of the areas we seem to be the weakest in is the muscles is our groin area. I noticed the improvement when I realized how much easier it was for me to climb steps. Not that I didn't become winded but if your muscles are stronger it makes everything a little easier. I'm trying to find a link for for the groin thing for copd patients.
Here is the Pauling Institute's statement on muscle weakness and Vit D deficiency:
http://lpi.oregonstate.edu/infocenter/vitamins/vitaminD/ scroll down the page a little.
This is by no means a cure but it helped me tremendously. It's taken me over two years to improve as much as I have. I was not in quite as bad a shape as you seem to be however there are many studies available confirming the link between respiratory illnesses and Vitamin D deficiency. I've posted some links below.
As we age it is harder for our systems to make vitamin d. Also, when we are ill our vitamin d "tank" depletes itself more rapidly because it sends it where our systems need it most. Here's a link to how vitamin d works in our bodies:
Calcidiol Made in Liver
After it is made in the skin, or taken by mouth, cholecalciferol is transported to the liver where it is metabolized into calcidiol or 25(OH)D. Calcidiol is now thought by some scientists to have steroid hormone properties. It certainly helps maintain your blood calcium levels. But calcidiol's main importance is that it is the storage form of vitamin D. Calcidiol is what fills your vitamin D gas tank. If your serum calcidiol level is less than 40 ng/mL, your tank is low and should be filled up, keeping it that way unless you have a rare medical condition called vitamin D hypersensitivity.
In order to understand why you should keep your vitamin D tank full, you need to understand the next step in the metabolism of cholecalciferol. After your liver turns cholecalciferol into calcidiol, calcidiol follows one of two pathways. The first pathway takes priority?as your life literally depends on it?but the second pathway is causing all the excitement. However, if your tank is low, most of your calcidiol takes the first pathway.
Also, don't take the prescription form. It is D2 not D3.
Here is the vitamin d council's research page on COPD link:
http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/science/research/vitamin-d-and-chronic-obstructive-pulmonary-disease.shtml
Hope this helps.