Tidbits from Cecil

Another great article in my email this morning - this one from the COPDSurvivors Support Group, written by Cecil Montgomery.

I have got a few things I would like to share this morning. I
figure since I am having rotten day I will take advantage of it, LOL.
First thing I would like to pass on is the meat and potatoes of an article I read on COPD.

The worst part of COPD is the diagnosis.
Most DRs will tell you it is incurable and chronic.
The incurable part will hit you hard and then the patient will disregard the chronic and focus on terminal which is usually never mentioned.
The difference is terminal is a disease that has no cure and will eventually kill you. A good example is some heart problems.

In the case of COPD it is chronic which means that it will not kill you as long as you are educated on how to handle it and take it seriously as a chronic illness.
The catch to this is to learn to live with it instead of coping as some do. If you cope then you just do what you have to do to maintain your quality of life and
lengthen it as much as possible.

Living with it is much different.
When you accept it as what it is and deal with the anxiety and depressuon that usually accompany it then it lifts the stress. I have a locked in routine and I know what I have to do to try and maintain my current level. I am no DR but I have pretty well educated myself on dealing with it. I am going to post a message later that
will pretty much explain all this. Cecil/Ark