June 18, 2025 • 23 mins
Breathing is something most of us take for granted—until it becomes difficult. In this deep dive into Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Kevin and Palmy explore the complex reality of living with compromised lungs.
The hosts break down COPD's telltale signs: shortness of breath during physical activity, persistent coughing with mucus production, wheezing, chest tightness, frequent respiratory infections, chronic fatigue, and unexplained weight loss. While cigarette smoking tops the list of causes, they also examine how air pollution, genetics, and secondhand smoke contribute to this progressive lung condition. Palmy shares a striking workplace memory of knee-high cigarette smoke filling an office during winter months—a vivid reminder of how unavoidable secondhand smoke was before modern regulations.
Beyond breathing difficulties, COPD creates a cascade of complications. The heart works overtime trying to compensate for reduced oxygen, respiratory infections become more frequent and dangerous, and the psychological toll of chronic illness often leads to depression. The hosts share powerful personal stories about family members who began smoking as children and suffered the consequences decades later—including one particularly poignant account of lung damage persisting 15 years after quitting.
From preventive strategies like air purifiers and vaccinations to treatment options including oxygen therapy and surgical interventions, this episode offers practical insights for both patients and caregivers navigating COPD's challenges. Whether you're dealing with COPD personally, supporting someone who is, or simply wanting to understand this common condition better, this conversation provides valuable perspective on the journey from diagnosis through management of this chronic respiratory disease.
Have questions about COPD or ideas for future disability-focused topics? Connect with us through our website or Facebook page—we'd love to hear from you and continue this important conversation.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Kevin (00:00):
Welcome to our podcast.
When Life Gives you.
Palmi (00:03):
Limits.
I'm Kevin and I'm Palmy.
We consider ourselvesdisability advocates and intend
to spotlight some disabilityissues and things we find
interesting that we frequentlyencounter when we're out and
about.
Also some history on disabilitythat we find interesting.
Kevin (00:24):
Well, hi everybody.
Welcome back to our podcast.
When Life Gives you Lummies, hiPalmi.
Palmi (00:31):
Hey Kevin, how are you?
Well, the question is how areyou?
I am okay.
So, since we've been out,kevin's had surgery on his arm
and now he's in a cast up to hiselbow.
Uh, all from the doctor, allthe reports are that everything
went well and we are five weeksout from being castless and is
(00:59):
that the word?
Kevin (01:00):
I don't know.
It's parts of the world.
You have social caste, so I'mthinking that's not the best
word to use.
Palmi (01:10):
Well, you'll be without a caste and be able to use your
wrist properly, so we're lookingforward to that.
Kevin (01:18):
Lucky me.
Palmi (01:21):
So what's our topic today ?
Kevin (01:24):
Well, we were going to talk a bit about COPD, or
chronic obstructive pulmonarydisease.
This is a progressive lungdisease that makes it difficult
to breathe.
No, it's not asthma oremphysema.
Palmi (01:45):
Those are separate diseases.
Kevin (01:48):
Yeah, it's often caused by long-term exposure to
irritant gases or particulatematter, most commonly from
cigarette smoke, and Pam isgoing to talk to you about some
key points about COPD.
Palmi (02:09):
Specifically symptoms.
So one symptom would beshortness of breath, especially
during physical activity,Chronic cough, often producing
mucus Wheezing or whistlingsound when breathing, chest
tightness or heaviness whentrying to breathe, frequent
(02:36):
respiratory infections, fatigueand lack of energy, and
unintended weight loss.
Kevin (02:40):
Okay, and these are causes of COPD in order of or
most frequently.
Most frequently encounteredSmoking air pollution, genetic
factor, secondhand smoke.
Palmi (03:01):
So go into the genetic factor a little bit.
What is that?
Kevin (03:05):
Well, for example, I have a neuromuscular disease.
It's most commonly affected bygenetic factors.
I am not affected by thosegenetic factors, to the best of
my knowledge, but of course Ihaven't gotten to every possible
(03:29):
genetic test yet, so they haveto wait for that.
Palmi (03:36):
Well, specifically, it's a genetic factor, the alpha one.
Is that what it's noted here?
Kevin (03:43):
Well, some factors of ataxia, like you, have
difficulty swallowing orbreathing and in essence, what
you're doing is when you'reswallowing.
You're not swallowingeverything.
You're having some miniscule,particulate matter left over
(04:08):
from, say, eating.
If you're eating crackers,visualize your teeth chomping
into crackers.
You have big pieces and youhave little pieces.
The little pieces that arestuck in the recesses of your
teeth and gums are going to bethere and usually you can wash
(04:33):
them out by drinking some water.
But if you take breath throughyour mouth before you do that,
you end up choking, like I do,because you inhaled some of that
particular matter.
Palmi (04:47):
Right.
Kevin (04:48):
That's what they mean by genetic causes.
Palmi (04:51):
Okay, and then the last one.
Kevin (04:55):
Secondhand smoke is very dangerous because, if you look
at it, the smoke that a smokerinhales through a cigarette most
often goes through a filter.
The second-hand smoke is thatsmoke combined with unfiltered
(05:18):
smoke and you're just inhalingit.
Without the filter as anexample, the first time when I
got to Fort Hood, texas,everyone in the office smoked
with me, and during the winter,when all the windows were closed
, it was like you walk in andsee about a knee-high level of
(05:45):
smoke from the ceiling down.
Yeah so unless I were to lay onthe floor all day, I was not
going to be able to avoid it.
Palmi (05:53):
Yeah, get clean air.
Kevin (05:55):
Yeah, so I did a lot of psychonaut smoke and, yes, I do
have like a very touch of COPD.
It's hard to describe.
Palmi (06:12):
Well, you had asthma too, so that affected that too.
Yeah.
Kevin (06:15):
I'm sure it did.
Palmi (06:16):
Yeah, Okay.
Well, when you have COPD,there's complications that arise
from having that.
You have heart problems due tothe increased strain on your
heart trying to get the air togo into your bloodstream.
Respiratorial infections wetalked about that.
Very common is pneumonia,double pneumonia, et cetera.
(06:40):
Lung cancer, of course, anddepression due to the chronic
illness.
Being ill all the time makesyou depressed.
Yeah, it certainly does.
Kevin (06:51):
I'm sure it's about everyone affected by any chronic
illness can see it does Do itDrive you to depression?
Palmi (07:03):
yeah, yeah.
Kevin (07:06):
Prevention.
What you can do.
The most common thing is quitsmoking, said, the most common
is avoid exposure.
Palmi (07:17):
Again, avoid that secondhand smoke, you know,
don't lock yourself in a roomwith a bunch of smokers, and
nowadays I think it's a littlebetter off because a lot of
places, especially businesses,have restrictions with smoking
(07:37):
because we've now figured outthat smoking is not good for you
.
We have a lot of bans onsmoking, indoors especially, and
stuff like that.
So I think it's easier to avoidsecondhand smoke and there's a
lot of knowledge out there tolet people know that smoking is
bad for you.
However, there's vaping.
(07:59):
We need to investigate more.
Uh, maybe that might be a topicwe'd venture into, because I'm
not very familiar with vaping,are you?
Kevin (08:08):
it was my understanding that baking was developed by the
tobacco industry to helpsmugglers quit smoking.
You know, if you're in that andstill get to taper off kind of
thing instead of just quittingcold turkey right yeah, so it
can't be that good for youeither.
(08:28):
It's's not good for youlong-term, because there are a
lot of.
Palmi (08:35):
Well, some of them still have nicotine.
Kevin (08:37):
Heavy metal byproducts in the as well as nicotine.
Palmi (08:43):
It definitely is not good for children, for sure.
Kevin (08:46):
Get introduced to your body via your lungs, via your
respiratory system.
Okay, improve air quality.
Palmi (08:56):
With air purifiers and ventilation.
What is that?
Kevin (09:00):
you said next to Polly, that is an air purifier.
Palmi (09:05):
We purchased two of them.
While we were going throughCOVID I was told how important
it is to clean the air and wewere going to have family over
during family events and stufflike that, and so I purchased
two, one to be in Kevin's roombecause he has a lot of
allergies, has a lot ofallergies and so allergens in
(09:35):
his room has helped with theallergens from the outdoors that
come in and also with peoplecoming in and out of our house.
I think it's improved yourallergies quite a bit, and
getting vaccinated against fluand pneumonia is another
prevention.
Kevin (09:48):
And getting vaccinated against flu and pneumonia is
another prevention.
Yeah, there's a specificvaccination for elderly people
for pneumonia.
Palmi (09:58):
Pneumonia yeah, we always get our vaccinations.
Kevin (10:01):
I don't recall us being called.
It just might be, if youexplain, the anti-pneumonia
vaccine, and I don't think youget it every year.
Palmi (10:13):
Pneumonia is, I think, every two to three years or
something.
I'd have to look that up, butit's not every year.
Kevin (10:17):
I don't know how often it is, but just not every year.
Palmi (10:22):
And another thing is management, so medication like
bronchial vaporizers andsteroids to ease the symptoms.
So here I'd like to put in toour talk your father has COPD
quite bad.
We actually ended up travelingto where they live in Tennessee
(10:48):
to help out during the winterbecause it was so cold last
winter that they had troublegoing out and taking care of
chores and stuff like that.
Kevin (10:56):
Yeah, as soon as my dad set foot outside and got exposed
to the cold air, it flared upas COPD.
Palmi (11:06):
Right.
Kevin (11:06):
So he ends up sitting there kind of in a crutch
position struggling to breathe.
Palmi (11:15):
So doing stuff is like he uses steroids every single day
through a nebulizer to improvehis lung function and also he
uses it through an oxygentherapy every couple of hours in
(11:36):
order to improve his symptoms.
Surgery in advanced cases, suchas lung volume reduction
surgery or a lung transplant.
It's important to consult yourhealthcare professional for
proper diagnosis and treatment.
And yes, medicare does coverboth lung volume reduction
(11:59):
surgery and lung transplant incertain conditions.
So let's go into that.
Let's talk about the lungvolume reduction surgery.
I'd never heard of it.
Kevin (12:14):
That's it Between those two.
I mean, they came out with theidea of transplanting organs
before they came out with thevolume reduction, reduction
surgery what they do is theyopen up the clogged area and
(12:40):
obviously it's a very lengthysurgery because there's like
thousands of them in your lungs,so in the area that wasn't open
to absorb oxygen before, afterthe surgery would be able to.
Palmi (13:02):
So it just clears up that area to make it more efficient.
Correct, because what yourlungs do is it scrubs the air
that comes in and then makes itaccessible to your blood to
enter your blood and to supplyyour blood cells or your veins
(13:23):
with blood.
Kevin (13:24):
Basically, Arteries, Arteries and bloods, yeah yeah,
so that's what it's doing.
Palmi (13:29):
It's getting it where it needs to be.
Kevin (13:32):
It's getting it to where your body can absorb the oxygen.
Getting it to where your bodycan absorb the oxygen, putting
it into the bloodstream and havethe bloodstream distributed
throughout your body.
Palmi (13:48):
Makes sense.
Kevin (13:49):
Now then they also talked about lung transplants.
Okay, obviously, lungtransplants are dependent upon
the availability of lungs to usefor transplants.
Right.
(14:26):
There's a long list diseasesthat require a lung transplant.
In certain cases, likeemphysema or lung cancer Part
you know it can damage yourlungs and you can be missing
part of your lungs you have tobe part of the registry, get on
the list, so to speak, for alung transplant.
That's how it works in thiscountry, and that list can be
really long or really short.
(14:46):
It all just kind of depends onwhere he lived.
Palmi (14:52):
Yeah, well, I'm going to tell a little story here.
My dad started smoking when hewas he's told us 12 years old.
He started smoking when he was12.
I guess it was cool back thenand everybody did it and um, and
he smoked until he was in hisprobably forties Um at.
Uh, when he was in his fiftiesprobably 55, he had a massive
(15:13):
heart attack, probably due tosome of of the you know.
He had heart conditions, but itwas probably due to some of the
smoking you know causing damageto his heart and to his lungs
and when they went in he hadquit.
At that point my grandma haddied of lung cancer.
My step-grandma had died oflung cancer cancer, and he said
(15:36):
it was the most horrendous deathhe'd ever seen.
She was in pain from until thevery end and so it had made him
realize I think that in mymother screaming at him probably
that he needed to quit smokingand so he probably had quit in
his forties Um, so he probablyhad quit for about 12 to 15
years prior to this heart attack.
(15:57):
When he had the heart attackthey had trouble getting him off
, of course.
They did an open bypass on himand they had trouble getting him
off the ventilator because ofhis damage of his lungs that he
had done while smoking.
They said that his lungs werestill covered in a black um
(16:22):
cause the tar on his lungs Um,and he had difficulties being
removed from the ventilator dueto that.
And that was after 15 years.
Your lungs can repairthemselves, but it takes a
really long time, um, to repairthemselves, but it takes a
really long time to repairthemselves, and you know it had
(16:43):
done a lot of damage prior tohim quitting.
So just an example of howsmoking can really change your
life like that, you know, yeahit's about the same for my dad
change your life like that, youknow.
Kevin (17:01):
yeah, it's about the same for, uh, my dad, um, who didn't
have heart issues but he's gotreally severe copd, as we talked
about.
And um, he started smoking whenhe's really young, in that, you
know, 10, 12 inchish range ofage and I don't think he could
quit until he was in his 70sRight.
Palmi (17:21):
He started quitting when he started having COPD issues
right.
Kevin (17:28):
I really don't know, but I assume so.
Palmi (17:35):
Yeah, so smoking really can cause a lot of issues for
you.
Kevin (17:40):
Yeah, Unfortunately there's a big portion of our
history where it was consideredto be cool Right, it was
actually.
Tobacco companies wouldadvertise with doctors saying,
oh, it's good for you, yeah.
Palmi (18:01):
Well, back in you know, I can remember back in the 70s
actually, they would, when womenweren't smoking as much, they
would give it.
Say, if a woman had a nervouscondition or something, they
would recommend that she wouldtake up smoking to help her
nerves, and stuff like that.
(18:21):
So that's where the VirginiaSlims came in, you know, and all
that stuff.
So, yeah, so there's severalways of treating the COPD.
Like we said, we talked aboutthe volume reduction surgery and
the lung transplant, about thevolume reduction surgery and the
lung transplant.
We talked about oxygentherapies for the COPD and
(18:47):
there's several ways that theycan administer the oxygen
therapy.
There's a nasal candula, whichis the small tubes that protrude
, that fit into the nasalpassages and deliver oxygen
directly.
There's a face mask whichcovers the nose and mouth.
I think that's what your daduses, isn't it?
I think so, rose.
(19:09):
Our daughter used to use thenebulizer.
She had pneumonia quite a bitwhen she was a premature baby
and she used to use the facemask a lot.
We used to, not with oxygen,but with um, um Bennett, or you
know the medic medication, andshe used the face mask.
They had cute little fishshaped ones and stuff like that
that they put over her face.
(19:29):
Uh, they have the oxygenconcentrators the device that
filters oxygen from the air andprovides a continuous supply.
I don't think your dad doesn'tuse oxygen continuously though.
The compressed oxygen tanks,cylinders filled with oxygen
that can be used at home orportably, and the liquid oxygen
(19:51):
system more compact andefficient storage of oxygen for
easier transportation.
I see those around and aboutall the time when you're out
shopping and stuff peoplecarrying those around.
That has to be just terrible,but hooked to something all the
time.
Kevin (20:07):
Yeah, and I've also seen people walking around with those
oxygen tanks and oxygen masksas perfect for cigarettes.
Yeah, not very safe?
Palmi (20:18):
Yeah, oxygen therapy can be used continuously or as
needed, such as during sleep,exercise and travel.
It helps reduce breathlessness,improves sleep and protects
organs from oxygen beingdeprived.
If you're considering oxygentherapy, it's best to consult a
(20:42):
healthcare provider to determinethe right approach for your
needs.
Copd is a progressive lungdisease that worsens over time.
It's typically categorized intofour stages based on symptoms
and lung functions.
One mild stage one youexperience occasional shortness
(21:05):
of breath, but symptoms are mild.
Many people don't realizethey're in the COPD stage.
Moderate stage two shortness ofbreath and coughing become more
noticeable.
This is often when people seekmedical admission and receive a
diagnosis.
Kevin (21:26):
Okay, and for some reason we don't have.
Palmi (21:30):
I assume there's stage 4, or 3 and 4.
Kevin (21:33):
3 and 4.
Palmi (21:35):
Our notes have been cut off.
Kevin (21:38):
Obviously, three is a little bit worse than two, and
four is the worst Four is theworst.
I would assume that's the onemy dad has.
Palmi (21:50):
All right.
Well, that kind of sums it upfor COPD.
If you guys have any morequestions, just give us a holler
.
We'd like to hear from you andlet's do a little bit of
housekeeping today.
Kevin (22:02):
Okay, Do not forget our website,
wwwwhenlifegivesyoulovenessnet.
That can be used to support usvia.
Just has all our contact info.
If you want to send us email orfan mail but to let us know
(22:30):
what kind of job we're doing, orif you have an idea for future
episodes, we'd love to hearabout that as well.
We do have.
I recently started a Facebookpage.
That is so we can directlyinteract with you.
If you contact us via fan mail,it doesn't record your email
(22:59):
address or anything.
It's like sending a text viayour phone only, without a
return phone number.
So, anyway, if you havesomething you want feedback from
us on, please use email so wecan respond to your email
(23:23):
address.
Pommy, did you have anything to?
Palmi (23:28):
add Nope, I don't think so.
Kevin (23:31):
Okay, that should do it for this time, folks, so we'll
see you next time.
Bye, till next episode.
Take those lemons and make yourown lemon day.
Welcome to our podcast.
When Life Gives you.
Palmi (00:03):
Limits.
I'm Kevin and I'm Palmy.
We consider ourselvesdisability advocates and intend
to spotlight some disabilityissues and things we find
interesting that we frequentlyencounter when we're out and
about.
Also some history on disabilitythat we find interesting.
Kevin (00:24):
Well, hi everybody.
Welcome back to our podcast.
When Life Gives you Lummies, hiPalmi.
Palmi (00:31):
Hey Kevin, how are you?
Well, the question is how areyou?
I am okay.
So, since we've been out,kevin's had surgery on his arm
and now he's in a cast up to hiselbow.
Uh, all from the doctor, allthe reports are that everything
went well and we are five weeksout from being castless and is
(00:59):
that the word?
Kevin (01:00):
I don't know.
It's parts of the world.
You have social caste, so I'mthinking that's not the best
word to use.
Palmi (01:10):
Well, you'll be without a caste and be able to use your
wrist properly, so we're lookingforward to that.
Kevin (01:18):
Lucky me.
Palmi (01:21):
So what's our topic today ?
Kevin (01:24):
Well, we were going to talk a bit about COPD, or
chronic obstructive pulmonarydisease.
This is a progressive lungdisease that makes it difficult
to breathe.
No, it's not asthma oremphysema.
Palmi (01:45):
Those are separate diseases.
Kevin (01:48):
Yeah, it's often caused by long-term exposure to
irritant gases or particulatematter, most commonly from
cigarette smoke, and Pam isgoing to talk to you about some
key points about COPD.
Palmi (02:09):
Specifically symptoms.
So one symptom would beshortness of breath, especially
during physical activity,Chronic cough, often producing
mucus Wheezing or whistlingsound when breathing, chest
tightness or heaviness whentrying to breathe, frequent
(02:36):
respiratory infections, fatigueand lack of energy, and
unintended weight loss.
Kevin (02:40):
Okay, and these are causes of COPD in order of or
most frequently.
Most frequently encounteredSmoking air pollution, genetic
factor, secondhand smoke.
Palmi (03:01):
So go into the genetic factor a little bit.
What is that?
Kevin (03:05):
Well, for example, I have a neuromuscular disease.
It's most commonly affected bygenetic factors.
I am not affected by thosegenetic factors, to the best of
my knowledge, but of course Ihaven't gotten to every possible
(03:29):
genetic test yet, so they haveto wait for that.
Palmi (03:36):
Well, specifically, it's a genetic factor, the alpha one.
Is that what it's noted here?
Kevin (03:43):
Well, some factors of ataxia, like you, have
difficulty swallowing orbreathing and in essence, what
you're doing is when you'reswallowing.
You're not swallowingeverything.
You're having some miniscule,particulate matter left over
(04:08):
from, say, eating.
If you're eating crackers,visualize your teeth chomping
into crackers.
You have big pieces and youhave little pieces.
The little pieces that arestuck in the recesses of your
teeth and gums are going to bethere and usually you can wash
(04:33):
them out by drinking some water.
But if you take breath throughyour mouth before you do that,
you end up choking, like I do,because you inhaled some of that
particular matter.
Palmi (04:47):
Right.
Kevin (04:48):
That's what they mean by genetic causes.
Palmi (04:51):
Okay, and then the last one.
Kevin (04:55):
Secondhand smoke is very dangerous because, if you look
at it, the smoke that a smokerinhales through a cigarette most
often goes through a filter.
The second-hand smoke is thatsmoke combined with unfiltered
(05:18):
smoke and you're just inhalingit.
Without the filter as anexample, the first time when I
got to Fort Hood, texas,everyone in the office smoked
with me, and during the winter,when all the windows were closed
, it was like you walk in andsee about a knee-high level of
(05:45):
smoke from the ceiling down.
Yeah so unless I were to lay onthe floor all day, I was not
going to be able to avoid it.
Palmi (05:53):
Yeah, get clean air.
Kevin (05:55):
Yeah, so I did a lot of psychonaut smoke and, yes, I do
have like a very touch of COPD.
It's hard to describe.
Palmi (06:12):
Well, you had asthma too, so that affected that too.
Yeah.
Kevin (06:15):
I'm sure it did.
Palmi (06:16):
Yeah, Okay.
Well, when you have COPD,there's complications that arise
from having that.
You have heart problems due tothe increased strain on your
heart trying to get the air togo into your bloodstream.
Respiratorial infections wetalked about that.
Very common is pneumonia,double pneumonia, et cetera.
(06:40):
Lung cancer, of course, anddepression due to the chronic
illness.
Being ill all the time makesyou depressed.
Yeah, it certainly does.
Kevin (06:51):
I'm sure it's about everyone affected by any chronic
illness can see it does Do itDrive you to depression?
Palmi (07:03):
yeah, yeah.
Kevin (07:06):
Prevention.
What you can do.
The most common thing is quitsmoking, said, the most common
is avoid exposure.
Palmi (07:17):
Again, avoid that secondhand smoke, you know,
don't lock yourself in a roomwith a bunch of smokers, and
nowadays I think it's a littlebetter off because a lot of
places, especially businesses,have restrictions with smoking
(07:37):
because we've now figured outthat smoking is not good for you
.
We have a lot of bans onsmoking, indoors especially, and
stuff like that.
So I think it's easier to avoidsecondhand smoke and there's a
lot of knowledge out there tolet people know that smoking is
bad for you.
However, there's vaping.
(07:59):
We need to investigate more.
Uh, maybe that might be a topicwe'd venture into, because I'm
not very familiar with vaping,are you?
Kevin (08:08):
it was my understanding that baking was developed by the
tobacco industry to helpsmugglers quit smoking.
You know, if you're in that andstill get to taper off kind of
thing instead of just quittingcold turkey right yeah, so it
can't be that good for youeither.
(08:28):
It's's not good for youlong-term, because there are a
lot of.
Palmi (08:35):
Well, some of them still have nicotine.
Kevin (08:37):
Heavy metal byproducts in the as well as nicotine.
Palmi (08:43):
It definitely is not good for children, for sure.
Kevin (08:46):
Get introduced to your body via your lungs, via your
respiratory system.
Okay, improve air quality.
Palmi (08:56):
With air purifiers and ventilation.
What is that?
Kevin (09:00):
you said next to Polly, that is an air purifier.
Palmi (09:05):
We purchased two of them.
While we were going throughCOVID I was told how important
it is to clean the air and wewere going to have family over
during family events and stufflike that, and so I purchased
two, one to be in Kevin's roombecause he has a lot of
allergies, has a lot ofallergies and so allergens in
(09:35):
his room has helped with theallergens from the outdoors that
come in and also with peoplecoming in and out of our house.
I think it's improved yourallergies quite a bit, and
getting vaccinated against fluand pneumonia is another
prevention.
Kevin (09:48):
And getting vaccinated against flu and pneumonia is
another prevention.
Yeah, there's a specificvaccination for elderly people
for pneumonia.
Palmi (09:58):
Pneumonia yeah, we always get our vaccinations.
Kevin (10:01):
I don't recall us being called.
It just might be, if youexplain, the anti-pneumonia
vaccine, and I don't think youget it every year.
Palmi (10:13):
Pneumonia is, I think, every two to three years or
something.
I'd have to look that up, butit's not every year.
Kevin (10:17):
I don't know how often it is, but just not every year.
Palmi (10:22):
And another thing is management, so medication like
bronchial vaporizers andsteroids to ease the symptoms.
So here I'd like to put in toour talk your father has COPD
quite bad.
We actually ended up travelingto where they live in Tennessee
(10:48):
to help out during the winterbecause it was so cold last
winter that they had troublegoing out and taking care of
chores and stuff like that.
Kevin (10:56):
Yeah, as soon as my dad set foot outside and got exposed
to the cold air, it flared upas COPD.
Palmi (11:06):
Right.
Kevin (11:06):
So he ends up sitting there kind of in a crutch
position struggling to breathe.
Palmi (11:15):
So doing stuff is like he uses steroids every single day
through a nebulizer to improvehis lung function and also he
uses it through an oxygentherapy every couple of hours in
(11:36):
order to improve his symptoms.
Surgery in advanced cases, suchas lung volume reduction
surgery or a lung transplant.
It's important to consult yourhealthcare professional for
proper diagnosis and treatment.
And yes, medicare does coverboth lung volume reduction
(11:59):
surgery and lung transplant incertain conditions.
So let's go into that.
Let's talk about the lungvolume reduction surgery.
I'd never heard of it.
Kevin (12:14):
That's it Between those two.
I mean, they came out with theidea of transplanting organs
before they came out with thevolume reduction, reduction
surgery what they do is theyopen up the clogged area and
(12:40):
obviously it's a very lengthysurgery because there's like
thousands of them in your lungs,so in the area that wasn't open
to absorb oxygen before, afterthe surgery would be able to.
Palmi (13:02):
So it just clears up that area to make it more efficient.
Correct, because what yourlungs do is it scrubs the air
that comes in and then makes itaccessible to your blood to
enter your blood and to supplyyour blood cells or your veins
(13:23):
with blood.
Kevin (13:24):
Basically, Arteries, Arteries and bloods, yeah yeah,
so that's what it's doing.
Palmi (13:29):
It's getting it where it needs to be.
Kevin (13:32):
It's getting it to where your body can absorb the oxygen.
Getting it to where your bodycan absorb the oxygen, putting
it into the bloodstream and havethe bloodstream distributed
throughout your body.
Palmi (13:48):
Makes sense.
Kevin (13:49):
Now then they also talked about lung transplants.
Okay, obviously, lungtransplants are dependent upon
the availability of lungs to usefor transplants.
Right.
(14:26):
There's a long list diseasesthat require a lung transplant.
In certain cases, likeemphysema or lung cancer Part
you know it can damage yourlungs and you can be missing
part of your lungs you have tobe part of the registry, get on
the list, so to speak, for alung transplant.
That's how it works in thiscountry, and that list can be
really long or really short.
(14:46):
It all just kind of depends onwhere he lived.
Palmi (14:52):
Yeah, well, I'm going to tell a little story here.
My dad started smoking when hewas he's told us 12 years old.
He started smoking when he was12.
I guess it was cool back thenand everybody did it and um, and
he smoked until he was in hisprobably forties Um at.
Uh, when he was in his fiftiesprobably 55, he had a massive
(15:13):
heart attack, probably due tosome of of the you know.
He had heart conditions, but itwas probably due to some of the
smoking you know causing damageto his heart and to his lungs
and when they went in he hadquit.
At that point my grandma haddied of lung cancer.
My step-grandma had died oflung cancer cancer, and he said
(15:36):
it was the most horrendous deathhe'd ever seen.
She was in pain from until thevery end and so it had made him
realize I think that in mymother screaming at him probably
that he needed to quit smokingand so he probably had quit in
his forties Um, so he probablyhad quit for about 12 to 15
years prior to this heart attack.
(15:57):
When he had the heart attackthey had trouble getting him off
, of course.
They did an open bypass on himand they had trouble getting him
off the ventilator because ofhis damage of his lungs that he
had done while smoking.
They said that his lungs werestill covered in a black um
(16:22):
cause the tar on his lungs Um,and he had difficulties being
removed from the ventilator dueto that.
And that was after 15 years.
Your lungs can repairthemselves, but it takes a
really long time, um, to repairthemselves, but it takes a
really long time to repairthemselves, and you know it had
(16:43):
done a lot of damage prior tohim quitting.
So just an example of howsmoking can really change your
life like that, you know, yeahit's about the same for my dad
change your life like that, youknow.
Kevin (17:01):
yeah, it's about the same for, uh, my dad, um, who didn't
have heart issues but he's gotreally severe copd, as we talked
about.
And um, he started smoking whenhe's really young, in that, you
know, 10, 12 inchish range ofage and I don't think he could
quit until he was in his 70sRight.
Palmi (17:21):
He started quitting when he started having COPD issues
right.
Kevin (17:28):
I really don't know, but I assume so.
Palmi (17:35):
Yeah, so smoking really can cause a lot of issues for
you.
Kevin (17:40):
Yeah, Unfortunately there's a big portion of our
history where it was consideredto be cool Right, it was
actually.
Tobacco companies wouldadvertise with doctors saying,
oh, it's good for you, yeah.
Palmi (18:01):
Well, back in you know, I can remember back in the 70s
actually, they would, when womenweren't smoking as much, they
would give it.
Say, if a woman had a nervouscondition or something, they
would recommend that she wouldtake up smoking to help her
nerves, and stuff like that.
(18:21):
So that's where the VirginiaSlims came in, you know, and all
that stuff.
So, yeah, so there's severalways of treating the COPD.
Like we said, we talked aboutthe volume reduction surgery and
the lung transplant, about thevolume reduction surgery and the
lung transplant.
We talked about oxygentherapies for the COPD and
(18:47):
there's several ways that theycan administer the oxygen
therapy.
There's a nasal candula, whichis the small tubes that protrude
, that fit into the nasalpassages and deliver oxygen
directly.
There's a face mask whichcovers the nose and mouth.
I think that's what your daduses, isn't it?
I think so, rose.
(19:09):
Our daughter used to use thenebulizer.
She had pneumonia quite a bitwhen she was a premature baby
and she used to use the facemask a lot.
We used to, not with oxygen,but with um, um Bennett, or you
know the medic medication, andshe used the face mask.
They had cute little fishshaped ones and stuff like that
that they put over her face.
(19:29):
Uh, they have the oxygenconcentrators the device that
filters oxygen from the air andprovides a continuous supply.
I don't think your dad doesn'tuse oxygen continuously though.
The compressed oxygen tanks,cylinders filled with oxygen
that can be used at home orportably, and the liquid oxygen
(19:51):
system more compact andefficient storage of oxygen for
easier transportation.
I see those around and aboutall the time when you're out
shopping and stuff peoplecarrying those around.
That has to be just terrible,but hooked to something all the
time.
Kevin (20:07):
Yeah, and I've also seen people walking around with those
oxygen tanks and oxygen masksas perfect for cigarettes.
Yeah, not very safe?
Palmi (20:18):
Yeah, oxygen therapy can be used continuously or as
needed, such as during sleep,exercise and travel.
It helps reduce breathlessness,improves sleep and protects
organs from oxygen beingdeprived.
If you're considering oxygentherapy, it's best to consult a
(20:42):
healthcare provider to determinethe right approach for your
needs.
Copd is a progressive lungdisease that worsens over time.
It's typically categorized intofour stages based on symptoms
and lung functions.
One mild stage one youexperience occasional shortness
(21:05):
of breath, but symptoms are mild.
Many people don't realizethey're in the COPD stage.
Moderate stage two shortness ofbreath and coughing become more
noticeable.
This is often when people seekmedical admission and receive a
diagnosis.
Kevin (21:26):
Okay, and for some reason we don't have.
Palmi (21:30):
I assume there's stage 4, or 3 and 4.
Kevin (21:33):
3 and 4.
Palmi (21:35):
Our notes have been cut off.
Kevin (21:38):
Obviously, three is a little bit worse than two, and
four is the worst Four is theworst.
I would assume that's the onemy dad has.
Palmi (21:50):
All right.
Well, that kind of sums it upfor COPD.
If you guys have any morequestions, just give us a holler
.
We'd like to hear from you andlet's do a little bit of
housekeeping today.
Kevin (22:02):
Okay, Do not forget our website,
wwwwhenlifegivesyoulovenessnet.
That can be used to support usvia.
Just has all our contact info.
If you want to send us email orfan mail but to let us know
(22:30):
what kind of job we're doing, orif you have an idea for future
episodes, we'd love to hearabout that as well.
We do have.
I recently started a Facebookpage.
That is so we can directlyinteract with you.
If you contact us via fan mail,it doesn't record your email
(22:59):
address or anything.
It's like sending a text viayour phone only, without a
return phone number.
So, anyway, if you havesomething you want feedback from
us on, please use email so wecan respond to your email
(23:23):
address.
Pommy, did you have anything to?
Palmi (23:28):
add Nope, I don't think so.
Kevin (23:31):
Okay, that should do it for this time, folks, so we'll
see you next time.
Bye, till next episode.
Take those lemons and make yourown lemon day.
Host
Jetheswaran Gunasekaran
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