Useful Information From This Week's COPD Survivors Newsletter

by Cecil Montgomery



Hundreds of home oxygen providers across California are implementing Disaster
Preparedness Plans as smoke, raging fires and mass power outages wreak havoc, leaving thousands of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)patients in need of
emergency respiratory assistance to access life-saving oxygen therapy.
COPD, a respiratory condition typically associated with acute lung diseases that obstruct airflow to the lungs and interfere with a patent's ability to breathe properly, is the 4th leading cause of death in the country. In California alone, more than 1.75 million people suffer from COPD.

Home oxygen providers took shifts throughout the past few nights to locate and speak with every patient in their jurisdiction, assess their individual situation and provide emergency support services to ensure their continuity of care -- whether in patients' homes or at an evacuation center. For many of the patients who remain at home during this crisis, widespread blackouts have left them without the use of their stationary oxygen concentrators, which generate the medically-pure oxygen they require from ambient room air.

I imagine most of you probably wonder why I posted this in the weekly newsletter since it has been all over the news. I will attempt to explain my reasoning.
I noticed that the article encouraged immediate evacuation for people with COPD having a priority. In addition, it also stated that oxygen providers were trying to contact all their patients. I don't believe I have seen this subject covered before. How does your oxygen provider know where to find you?
I would suggest, as I am going to do today,
contact the provider and give him a good idea of where you would evacuate to if an emergency were to occur. In this day and age we never know when it might be necessary. I would also recommend that you get a copy of your oxygen prescription and carry it in your pocket. If you were out of your local area it might be difficult to obtain oxygen without it. Another suggestion - I always carry an extra bottle in my truck, just in case.

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I also wanted to bring to your attention a little known exerciser for the lungs. It is called the breather. I ordered one and it is really a great lung exerciser.
The main point of benefit is that the inhale and exhale settings can be set to your own level of breathing to start out with. I started on one and it is not much more than normal breathing. It also forces you to use diaphragm breathing in order to get
the full benefit of the exercise. It was designed and patented by a respiratory therapist and tested by a DR and a team of people for its effectiveness. It is patented and approved by the FDA. It sells for $20.00 and there is a shipping fee of $2.50. I have no monetary interest in the company but I am deeply impressed with the product. It can be obtained through the below sources.
PN Medical
Orlando Fl
www.pnmedical.com
www.betterairways.com
Phone: 407-438-4487
FAX: 407-888-2795

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This is a link to some great information on different med programs for assistance. It is broken down by state as well as by Federal programs. There is quite a bit available if you know where to look. I hope this is helpful for everyone.
Click Here

During Recent Forest Fires, The EPA Recommends

How To Protect Yourself From The Health Effects Of Smoke

Pay attention to local air quality reports and stay alert to any news coverage or health warnings related to smoke. Air quality reports are based on data from local air quality monitors, recommending health precautions. Recent information is available at:

http://www.epa.gov and http://www.airnow.gov

Use common sense. If it looks smoky outside, avoid physical outside activities and don't let your children play outdoors.

If you are advised to stay indoors, keep indoor air as clean as possible. Keep your windows and doors closed - unless it's extremely hot outside.

Run your air conditioner, if you have one. Keep the fresh air intake closed and the filter clean to prevent bringing additional smoke inside.

If you don't have an air conditioner, staying inside with the windows closed may be dangerous in extremely hot weather. In these cases, seek alternative shelter.

When indoors, avoid using:

- wood fireplaces
- gas logs
- gas stoves
- smoking
- candles
- vacuuming

If you have asthma or other lung disease, make sure you follow your doctor's directions about taking your medicines and following your asthma management plan. Call your doctor if your symptoms worsen.

If you have heart or lung disease, if you are an older adult, or if you have children, talk with your doctor about whether and when you should leave the area.

http://www.epa.gov

Our thoughts and prayers are with all of our friends in California.
Stay safe and be well.

Preparing For An Emergency - Cecil Montgomery

With our illness the majority of us are "blessed" with anxiety and depression.
This is more or less a common side effect. Not being prepared for emergencies can amplify these. The major factor that influences us adversely is stress. We can reduce stress by pre-planning for emergencies and being prepared for certain things that we know may happen.
This is especially true in areas where you are susceptible to major weather changes and disasters such as hurricanes and tornadoes. We are not like our counterparts who can hope for the best and survive with no problem. We must be certain that areas of particular concern to us and our illness are addressed.

We will start with medical emergencies first.

Preparation for medical emergencies:
1. Notify your local ambulance service of your illness, address and where your emergency medical records are kept.

2. Notify your local fire department and local emergency management coordinator of the same thing and also if you are on oxygen. They will need to know this to insure that they keep enough back up cylinders on hand for emergencies and also that your home does have oxygen components in case of fire.

3. Make sure that your house number is clearly visible from the street and lit up if possible. This will make it much easier to locate you in case of emergencies.

4. Prepare a record of all your medical information which we will cover in a later segment.

5. Obtain and wear the necessary medical ID bracelet or pendant to insure all allergies and notification of illnesses, to include COPD, is accessible.

6. Obtain a cell phone for 911 purposes.
This could save your life if phone lines are inoperable or you are in a situation where a regular phone is not accessible. If you contact your local police dept or emergency management officials they may be aware of a program where these can be obtained free for the disabled and handicapped.

7. If you live alone insure that you have someone to contact you immediately during an emergency situation, preferably by cell phone. If something is wrong they will know it and you can also test your cell phone at the same time to insure that it is working in case you should need it.

Weather related preparations for emergencies:
1. Most power companies will not be responsible for power lines from your house to their pole or connections. To make sure that there is no loss of power during storms keep the limbs trimmed back in good weather. This will prevent broken power lines and possible preventable emergencies. This same thing applies to any tree limbs that might be hanging above your roof or outbuildings.

2. Prepare a kit for emergencies.
This should include a flashlight/with extra batteries. Insure the batteries are not left in the flashlight while in storage.
A portable battery operated radio/with extra batteries.
A 3 day supply of non perishable items such as canned meat, fruit, water, crackers, candles and matches,
a 3 day supply of meds and a can of sterno if desired to heat food materials.

Coordinate with your oxygen supply company on their emergency procedures and if they will issue extra oxygen backup prior to an emergency.

3. Keep a bag of salt or chemicals to melt ice on the inside of the house in the winter time. This will prevent you from having to risk icy steps and side walks when you leave the house. You can salt ahead of you as you go out. If you are unable to clear sidewalks and steps make prior arrangements to have them cleared for you.

4. If you desire you may purchase a portable generator to supplement power in case of power outage. However, these are rather pricey, and require a lot of maintenance. They will not put out enough watts and amperage to meet the needs of the entire house unless you invest a large amount of money for a high power output unit. These also must be maintained year round and started often to insure they are kept in working order.

Emergency situations in General:
1. When traveling always insure you have extra water,duct tape and a knife. This can be invaluable in repairing automobile broken water hoses yourself, if physically able.

2. If you drive, have your vehicle serviced regularly and checked thoroughly at least every six months. The worst major stress factor there is to be stranded on the side of the road with automobile trouble that could have been avoided by using preventive measures.

3. When traveling outside your local area always insure that you have your personal medical records with you. They could be invaluable in case of an emergency or accident.

SUMMARY:

We have to stay more prepared for every possible contingency because of our high level of stress and unique requirements due to our illness.
This is why the boy scout motto "Be Prepared" should become ours as well.
Preparedness results in less stress and fewer unnecessary exacerbations.
If you reallythink about it we are not unique in these requirements. If everyone would take these steps then they would also be better off and more equipped to handle emergencies. Only proving once again that our illness can be used to keep us more aware and ahead of every one else.

Hurricane Season - Preparation, Not Panic

Follow These Links For Information and Preparedness Tips

The National Weather Service Hurricane Center

From the National Red Cross
Emergency Evacuation Preparedness—A Guide for People with Disabilities and Other Activity Limitations: By June Isaacson Kailes, Disability Policy Consultant. [In order to open this PDF (Portable Document Format) file, you must have Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded for free from the Adobe website]. (2002)

Tips For People With Disabilities And Medical Concerns

Emergency Power Planning for People Who Use Electricity and Battery Dependent Assistive Technology and Medical DevicesBy June Isaacson Kailes, Disability Policy Consultant
March 2006