COPD

[livingwith]

i lost my dad to COPD 2 half yrs ago ,my mum and i nursed him at home as he was so afraid of hospitals so we promised we would look after him right to the very end and we did ,now i am nursing my mum who has COPD ,Angina ,their r so many other illness that cum with COPD ,now she has just developed an ulcer on her right foot ,my dad got ulcers on his foot they are known as bedsores and now im so so so scared that i know my mums body has had enough to top it all from just before christmas she has ...Read the full article

[SarahLT]

Hi there, my dad has very severe COPD- he has emphysema and a mining lung disease. He has been doing really well but since November 2008 we have noticed a huge decline in his health - he gets one infection after the other, they are getting closer together, more severe and more difficult to treat. He is on oxygen 24 hrs a day now and has difficulty moving around due to shortness of breath - he also gets these terrible panic attacks where he feels like he is "drowning" and can't breathe. His doctors have now told us that he is on the downhill slide and that the next big infection will be the end of him, they say his immune system will just totally shatter one day. He gets a lot of swelling in his ankles and feet and has lost a huge amount of weight - he also suffers from terrible back pain. The doctors have put him on cortisone treatment as he seems to do better on it. This is all breaking my heart and although I am trying to put on a brave face for him and my mom I don't know how to cope with it all - my dad and I have always been really close and this is breaking my heart, I find myself bursting into tears all day which upsets my two little girls and my husband feels totally helpless. I can't imagine my life without him in it.

[Julie2009]

I read your post and I am so sorry to hear about all that you and your parents have gone through with the COPD. You are all in my prayers --- it is so very hard on the caregiver.

Hugs and prayers - Julie