Posts by Dana Brooks3

I'm glad you took that crucial step and he started his new treatment, especially since he’s already feeling some relief.

It matters that you've done everything possible to stabilize things now and slow down the progression as much as you can moving forward.
I'm not sure what the previous diagnosis was, but it sounds like a new phase has hit where emphysema is complicating the COPD, which is a direct result of smoking—so major props to him for quitting! It's a massive hurdle for long-term smokers, but such a huge win for managing the disease and keeping his quality of life up.

Yes, it's vital that he takes the Spiriva Respimat at the same time every day to keep those airways open. We don't have that specific brand here in the States, but we use similar things like Spiriva, though from what I can see, Spiriva Respimat is a more advanced version...

This isn't necessarily the time of year when the disease itself flares up like it does in the spring, but it is a season of vulnerability—colds, the risk of the flu (he definitely needs his shot), and so on. Around here, doctors usually prescribe antibiotics as soon as even a minor cold sets in for someone with this diagnosis, which is good for preventing more serious infections.

It's great that he's seeing improvements right away. There are so many different types of inhalers, solutions, and therapies available, especially if he stops responding to Ventolin (it didn't work for my mom, but she had asthma on top of everything else, so her regimen was more intense)... there are plenty of options.

Changes like this can be pretty stressful 😉 But you, your father, and the whole family are all just learning how to adapt and live with this as best as you can. You're doing everything right, and things should feel more stable now 😉

And I'd recommend staying hydrated. Drinking plenty of water helps with quitting smoking, and it's generally helpful for COPD and making it easier to clear the lungs...

My father was just diagnosed with early-stage COPD, but he was in really bad shape when it happened. After dealing with severe bronchitis and part of a pneumonia last year, he had basically lost all his strength... and he's already 85.

On top of everything else, I've been having him take royal jelly, and it honestly worked wonders to get him back on his feet. He regained so much energy...

Honey, honey with propolis, or royal jelly (as long as there aren't any allergies)—you can never have too much of that. He takes it constantly, and it helps him clear out everything he's coughing up quite easily.

Petrovic Apitherapy makes some excellent blends. My mother used to take them (I don't live in the US), so I'd definitely recommend them as extra support. But most importantly, he needs to see a specialist to get the right medical treatment...

copperrider59 said:My father is 76 and has been battling COPD for quite some time. Even with the diagnosis, he hasn't been able to quit smoking. He was using Spiriva Respimat, and for a long while, his condition stayed relatively stable... he could still walk uphill without much trouble...

Is there any chance this is an extreme emergency? I keep telling myself that since he hasn't needed oxygen therapy yet—and I've read that oxygen is usually reserved for the most critical cases—it means things aren't at their absolute worst. Maybe with oxygen support, he’ll be able to function somewhat normally for a little while longer...

Hi, I can't really recommend a specific pulmonologist in Washington, D.C. or Cleveland... I can only say from my mother's experience that COPD is a progressive disease that goes through different stages...
The goal is to preserve quality of life as much as possible... and to slow down the progression...

A pulmonologist needs to monitor the situation to determine which of the four stages applies. From there, they can decide if long-term oxygen therapy is necessary. With daily, at-home oxygen support, it's possible to function relatively normally for years... 😉

Restrictions will show up eventually, though how much they affect you is probably different for everyone. My mom struggled with more lung issues during her own battle... since no two cases of COPD are exactly the same, it's probably best not to make direct comparisons...

He definitely needs to get that spirometry done, along with whatever other tests the specialist orders. There are standard protocols in place, so I don't think there's much room for error...

Over time, they'll become more sensitive to colds and things like that... which could lead to flare-ups...

It’s possible they might just add an extra layer to his treatment, like a new inhaler or some nebulizer sessions... that could make all the difference...

Look into pulmonary rehab... learn some breathing exercises and how to pace yourself properly when you get winded. A pulmonologist can show you specific techniques. It would be good to walk on flat ground to stay active, maybe grab some 1 lb weights to do some light daily exercises along with the breathing work. Even just using your arms helps maintain muscle mass... that affects oxygen intake. This disease tends to cause muscle loss over time, so we need to slow that down. Diet is just as important too...

If he ramps up the therapy and starts on corticosteroids, he really needs to stay out of the sun while taking them... It’s also vital to use supplements to support the immune system. The prognosis looks better with regular Vitamin D—especially since older patients have a harder time synthesizing it naturally, so he definitely needs it. Vitamin C is a must, along with other vitamins and minerals based on his specific needs and his doctor's advice...

Probiotics are worth considering. Gut health plays such a huge role in immunity and lung function...

It would be so much better if they could just quit smoking, but I know at that age, it’s already such a hard habit to break...

Changes in altitude and regular trips to a wellness retreat... it all impacts quality of life and can either help slow down progression or speed it up...

Keep an eye on his phlegm. If you notice any color changes, like a greenish tint or anything unusual, you should have it analyzed. He might need antibiotics or something else if it turns out to be a fungal issue... He might have just caught a stronger cold. Over time, he’ll likely become more sensitive to colds and seasonal shifts. It all plays a part, so it's important to monitor everything and get him the right treatment...

I think you'd see it too—that things have taken a turn for the worse and need immediate medical attention... It's best to get to a pulmonologist as soon as possible...

I just want him to recover and feel better soon...

Have you checked your Vitamin D levels yet?

It reminds me of when I was struggling because my levels were bottoming out and I had no idea. I saw a specialist, ended up hospitalized, and my whole life just fell apart... I felt like I was becoming partially disabled until a rheumatologist finally thought to check it.

I have some autoimmune issues in my history. It’s not entirely clear-cut, but between Vitamin D therapy and rehab, I feel like a new person.

Gerald Jackson48 said:We actually had a similar debate over in this thread: What are we even doing here?

The conversation eventually drifted off into a hundred different directions like it always does, but there was this recurring point about people falling into a "dopamine rabbit hole." It's essentially an addiction loop, which is pretty much how most of the internet runs these days.

https://www.fastcompany.com/90329997...ng-rabbit-hole

You’ve raised such an interesting, complicated topic. I don't quite have the headspace to give you a proper answer right now, but thanks for sharing the link to that other thread. I hadn't seen it, though I've been thinking about the same thing... I'll keep it in mind for later.

dustystag14 said:In California, we have a saying: "If you're going to go for it, you might as well go all out in Curran..."

Al Bem, honey, we’re getting into some seriously heavy territory here...

Because let's be honest, being the owner is a complete nightmare...

On one hand, you have to make sure the site stays attractive enough for advertisers, since they’re the ones footing the bill for the servers and keeping the database and apps running smoothly, but on the other hand, you've got to organize things so that the actual users actually want to stick around... you need them to invest their time, their thoughts, and their energy into the community without seeing a single cent in return. And then there's the whole extra layer of headache that comes with managing subforum moderators, which is really its own necessary complication...

It would also be nice if there was some kind of actual profit involved, just enough to cover a pizza and a couple of beers every now and then...

Quoting:

Just another journalist asking questions...

While we’re all just sitting around waiting for those top-secret projects to finally drop, I figured I might as well throw out some advice for the other webmasters hanging out here... if you actually want to build a site that doesn't just sink into the digital abyss, you need to figure out what really matters for success...

Here’s the response from one of those website owners we all know too well...

The trick, if you ask me, remains exactly the same—it’s all about manufacturing addiction. At the end of the day, we're just in the dealer business... You have to give people a reason to come back tomorrow for their next fix, every single day... But at the end of the day, it all comes down to being completely all-in, just having that endless, relentless enthusiasm for what you do...

I’m keeping things on the down-low and won't be dropping a link here... unless someone is feeling particularly, incredibly curious... 🤔

Yeah, I really feel for them. Making a profit would be great, but if not, doing good work matters too... 😳

dustystag14 said:In California, we have a saying: "If you're going to go for it, you might as well go all out in Curran..."

Al Bem, honey, we’re getting into some seriously heavy territory here...

Because let's be honest, being the owner is a complete nightmare...

On one hand, you have to make sure the site stays attractive enough for advertisers, since they’re the ones footing the bill for the servers and keeping the database and apps running smoothly, but on the other hand, you've got to organize things so that the actual users actually want to stick around... you need them to invest their time, their thoughts, and their energy into the community without seeing a single cent in return. And then there's the whole extra layer of headache that comes with managing subforum moderators, which is really its own necessary complication...

It would also be nice if there was some kind of actual profit involved, just enough to cover a pizza and a couple of beers every now and then...

Quoting:

Just another journalist asking questions...

While we’re all just sitting around waiting for those top-secret projects to finally drop, I figured I might as well throw out some advice for the other webmasters hanging out here... if you actually want to build a site that doesn't just sink into the digital abyss, you need to figure out what really matters for success...

Here’s the response from one of those website owners we all know too well...

The trick, if you ask me, remains exactly the same—it’s all about manufacturing addiction. At the end of the day, we're just in the dealer business... You have to give people a reason to come back tomorrow for their next fix, every single day... But at the end of the day, it all comes down to being completely all-in, just having that endless, relentless enthusiasm for what you do...

I’m keeping things on the down-low and won't be dropping a link here... unless someone is feeling particularly, incredibly curious... 🤔

I won't post the link out of discretion... unless someone is feeling extremely curious. 🤔[/I]

I Googled 😁

So, does a moderator need to be a good dealer who understands the hustle?

Sean Cruz said:jah 🤣

That 🤣

🤣

I had this idea to start one too... I was imagining if we all opened our own, and since we're just "playing" around—it might as well be Disneyland 🙏
...

Dana Davis5 said:Gratitude is really just a core part of being spiritually humble...it brings this specific kind of inner joy and sense of fulfillment

Honestly, without being grateful, you can't ever truly feel fulfilled—even if you somehow manage to check off every single thing on your bucket list

It's all been said perfectly.

A friend of mine, a cocaine addict, went to an ibogaine clinic in Mexico and had a great experience. It feels a little awkward to recommend it, though. As an alternative, you might want to look into other private clinics, but I don't know much about them. The most important thing is long-term psychological support and therapy; a one-time treatment just isn't enough...

In hospital settings, they include education too. You have to educate patients under professional guidance regarding alcoholism. It's vital to truly understand what addiction is—how it affects the body, the brain, and your entire life. Then, you move through the steps...

Changing other lifestyle habits, like regular exercise, and certain types of supplementation... those are all ways to build a solid support system.

I wish you nothing but success in your recovery.!

Www

hiddenpuma75 said:I have even more statements right here, just so you know I'm not cluttering things up too much

forget: the swine flu in 2009. That was a virus that reached the world from Mexico and until today there is no vaccination against it.

Without getting too deep into the comments from people whose backgrounds are probably all similar to this Indian guy bluemason3 picked out, this caught my eye.

I received a quadrivalent shot this year, including one for swine flu.
And it isn't anything new; it's been around since 2009.
What kind of people are these? Who wrote these statements? 🤣

Just trolling... 🤷

Rachel Allen55 said:I didn't even say it had filters.

From what I gathered, you mentioned surgical masks filter 95%, which isn't actually true, so I was just pointing that out...

melloworca6 said:I read that too, but I just don't see the logic. All it takes is one infected person sneezing or coughing in a store, and within three hours, dozens of people are breathing in those particles. Think about how crowded those shops were when everyone rushed out to go shopping—there’s no way there weren't people coughing or sneezing in those aisles. We should be seeing thousands of cases by now.🤷

There are probably way more cases being covered up than we'll ever actually know about, but then again, it’s not like everyone is just going to catch it... you still need a certain amount of viral load to actually inhale it...

Rachel Allen55 said:Those masks are designed to filter out about 95% of bacteria and they're meant for short-term use—maybe 6 hours max. Studies show that once you hit that four-hour mark, their effectiveness as a filter drops off a cliff.

A surgical mask doesn't actually have built-in filters. They work best for the first two hours, providing less than 90% protection...
N95 and FFP2 masks filter 95%, while FFP3 hits 99%.

Rachel Allen55 said:Those masks are designed to filter out about 95% of bacteria and they're meant for short-term use—maybe 6 hours max. Studies show that once you hit that four-hour mark, their effectiveness as a filter drops off a cliff.

A surgical mask doesn't actually have built-in filters. They work best for the first two hours, but their filtration rate falls below 90%...
N95 and FFP2 masks filter 95%, while FFP3 reaches 99%.

Betty Bennett70 said:Good evening.

I would truly appreciate hearing your thoughts on this matter.

Since yesterday evening, I have been struggling quite significantly with my breathing. It feels incredibly difficult to take a deep breath, and I am left with this persistent, nagging sensation that my lungs simply aren't filling up all the way with air. While I can breathe normally through my nose, I just cannot seem to fully expand my chest, which forces me to take deep breaths through my mouth; even then, I only manage to feel like my lungs are full about 70% of the time. I find myself needing to take a massive, deep breath every two minutes just to ensure I don't end up completely breathless.

I am sleeping relatively well, though, because once I lie down on my side, I can breathe somewhat normally without feeling like I'm gasping for air.

I don't have a fever, but I do experience occasional bouts of coughing that pop up here and there, perhaps a few times throughout the day.

Since this whole ordeal kicked off over the weekend, I haven't really had a smart way to figure out exactly what is going on with me.
When it first started yesterday, it felt much worse; I actually had to lean forward just to catch my breath. Now, I am able to take a deep breath and fill my lungs even while lying down.

Does what I’ve described sound like typical Asthma symptoms? I have never dealt with anything like this before, so I don't own an inhaler or any similar equipment, nor have I ever had to navigate these kinds of issues.

Is there any way I might be able to find some quick relief? Any advice at all would be most welcome.

That sounds like a panic attack.

It might be stress, especially since you can still physically inhale. If I were describing my own panic attacks during extreme stress, it would sound exactly like that...

For anything serious, you need a doctor, not a forum. Discussing this here might just fuel hypochondria if that's your tendency, or ramp up the panic if that's what's happening. My advice would be to step away from medical threads and try breathing deeply and slowly—inhale slow, exhale twice as slow...

You could also look into breathing exercises. They're part of pulmonary rehab for both asthma and COPD patients, and they help increase capacity... plus they calm you down. Just look them up online...

And if things truly get bad, call 911... but as long as you're able to post on a forum and breathe, I assume you're okay.😁

I don't have asthma, but my mom did. A good friend of mine once had an attack without her inhaler nearby... it was critical, nothing like what you're describing.
I remember sprinting to the nearest pharmacy to beg for an inhaler... I've never moved faster in my life.😁 😉

Sarah Garcia46 said:What is the actual effectiveness of a surgical mask once it has been boiled?

Thank you.

People in China were doing that en masse out of pure desperation, even though experts warned against it because the effectiveness drops to almost zero after boiling.

I guess it just depends on how desperate someone is. For some, it’s a "better than nothing" situation, and honestly, that psychological sense of security has its own value...

If someone feels they need a mask to protect themselves or others (though they mostly protect others), I’d say it’s better to just make a cloth mask at home. That's supposedly the closest thing to what a surgical mask offers. You can toss those in the washing machine and use an iron to disinfect them for reuse, which seems safer than trying to boil masks that were strictly designed for single use...

The most important thing for everyone is how the mask is put on and taken off—plus where it's stored or how it's thrown away—so you don't end up getting infected just by handling it wrong...

Rachel Allen55 said:Out here, layoffs are falling like flies. Society is splitting right down the middle between the people panicking over the virus and those blaming everyone else for going outside—usually families with kids using children and the elderly as their main talking point. Then you've got the folks who actually lost their jobs, who basically don't give a damn about anything anymore. I have a buddy who is a massive panic-monger. He hasn't stepped foot outside in ten days, not even to let the kids out. He won't even open a window. And his wife? She thinks she's a regular genius.

The government is making calls without any real logic behind them, and now the National Health Board is tearing them apart. Not to mention the business community is breathing down their necks, warning of total economic collapse if people don't get back to work and start spending money.

When it comes to the Coronavirus, all anyone talks about now are ICU numbers and some mild cases; the focus has shifted to the recession, job losses, and the ongoing political finger-pointing between the administration and the opposition. Today's press conference with the Secretary of State and the Secretary of the Interior was nothing but pure political theater and circular nonsense. Reporters were hitting them with some heavy questions, but in the end, they just ignored the uncomfortable stuff like they didn't even hear it.

The private sector has basically said the government's stimulus package is just throwing money into a black hole.

No one’s even talking about health anymore. The last two segments on the news were just breakdowns of infection counts. They just tally up the infected. That’s all the "health" talk we get—just medical jargon. Everything else is just politics and economics.

My brother in Germany is a "panicker" too; he locked himself up with his toddler twenty days ago. It turns out he might have been more realistic than me when he said this is more serious than the flu, especially since he's actually in a group at risk for complications... if he's wrong, I wouldn't judge him. We're just different. I've kept my father in isolation for a long time, while I try to get out as much as possible. When restrictions get tighter, I feel like I'm "doing" something... I still go out, naturally, but I'm extremely careful... we just see things differently, but regardless of our differences, everyone should feel some sense of responsibility toward themselvesand those close to them.

The situation can never be the same in Denmark as it is where I am. In a developing nation with what is officially considered the worst healthcare system in Europe, the paralysis is much stronger. I don't even want to imagine the "what ifs"... prevention carries so much more weight here.

Let them argue about the mess they created. This whole economic situation, and how unprepared the world was for it, should serve as a massive lesson on many levels... we'll see...

neoncyclist792 said:Hey there! I’m not entirely sure where to ask this, so I figured I’d just try my luck here. Does anyone know if there's a surface disinfectant spray you can use around the apartment that doesn't require rinsing afterward?

An isopropyl alcohol solution...

Rachel Allen55 said:Thanks, too. Not sure what else to wish you for those big plans of yours.

Back here in the States, they’re basically begging everyone to get out and grab some fresh air, go for walks, and all that stuff.

Maybe we’re just crazy and everyone else actually knows what they're doing.

Over in Mexico, the measures they rolled out a few hours ago are pretty drastic.

Maybe that's just how it works—the lazy and relaxed ones panic during these times, while the disciplined ones start to let their guard down...😁

Now isn't the time to get too comfortable, but we still need to maintain some common sense...

No one is disputing that fresh air matters, but we know how this spreads, and this is a pandemic, so...

Adam Green5 said:Had a fever yesterday, but I'm feeling fine today. Still getting this slight pressure in my chest, especially when I take a deep breath, and my digestion is also totally messed up. No other symptoms so far... just wondering if this is the start of something.

Don't ask on a forum, for goodness sake 😁

There should be medical services available that you can call 😉