Phil's Advice For A Happy Holiday Meal
Happy Thanksgiving to all!,
I am going to repost my eating blurb for the newer folk. The rest of you wonderful people remember that it takes a lot of O2 to digest your food, so please do not lie down right after supper as our breathing rate slows down when we sleep and it's harder to get O2 in and CO2 out when we sleep. I hate to break the ladies' hearts, but you should leave the dishes for a few hours, until your meal is digested.
"Like a number of COPD’ers, I have always had a problem when it came to eating. I could never eat too much for two reasons. One, I would become winded and the other, I would always have that feeling of having a tennis ball stuck in my solar plexus if I ate too much. It was not very often that I was able to complete my meal. I would then have an uncomfortable sensation in my chest for hours. It would take 4-6 hours for the unpleasantness in my chest to disappear. I could not eat a meal without stopping and trying to regain my breath or stop eating altogether for that meal.
A couple of months ago I sat down to a supper loaded with turkey, mashed potatoes, carrots, peas, squash, bread dressing and condiments. I ate the whole thing with no SOB and did not have any bloated feeling!
So, what Happened? What Changed? How I breathe while I eat is what has changed. Up till then, I would breathe in as I put some food in my mouth. I would then hold my breath as I chewed the food. Then I would breathe in again; swallow the food and then exhale. In essence, I was inhaling twice for every exhale and “trapping air”. I started to exhale more while I was eating. Now, as I am chewing my food, I very gently exhale for as long as I comfortably can. I never swallow now unless I have finished exhaling. That’s it! That’s the only change! I can now eat without stopping because I am too SOB or too tired to continue. As a bonus for me I gained 1½ pounds, which is significant for a man who is 5’8” tall and weighs 99 pounds.
I hope this helps others who have the same problem. Any feedback would be appreciated, and if it works for others I will add it to my Breathing Distress article."
Phil Cable
I will be joining my husband for his vacation during the week of Thanksgiving.
Happy Holiday Everyone. God Bless You.
Blogging will resume November 26, 2007
